One of the most common misconceptions that many future homeowners have is that building a custom home will drastically push back their timeline for settling into a new home and life. According to this line of thinking, many people begrudgingly opt for mass-produced prefab homes because they fear that contracting a custom home build will take 3-4 years to complete or more.
Though custom home constructions do certainly require more work, more planning, and greater attention to detail than those mass-produced cookie-cutter style homes that make up much of the housing market today, many custom homes can be completely finished in under a year.
If you’ve been wondering how long it takes to build a custom home, we’ll take you through some of the timelines so that you can better decide if a custom home build is right for you and your family.
How Long Does It Take to Custom-Build a House?
According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction, the average time it took to take a new home from authorization to completion in 2017 was 6.6 months for a prefab home built for sale. A contractor-built custom home only took 9.1 months from start to finish while an owner-built home took around 12.5 months for completion.
This data shows that a custom home built by a contractor only took about 2.5 more months for construction when compared to a prefab or a spec house.
Seasonal Factors
An average build time of nine months for custom homes allows the home to be completed within the calendar year. By getting started in early spring, most homeowners can look forward to having their beautiful custom home finished in time for the holiday season. Many of the permits and authorizations can be completed during the coldest winter months at the beginning of the year in order to allow for home construction to begin as soon as the longer and warmer days of spring begin to roll around.
Because winter home construction tends to be significantly more expensive, starting in early springtime may also help homeowners save money in terms of the overall building cost.
Location, location, location
Of course, the exact amount of time a custom home build takes depends on several contextual factors. In some cases, the building permits and authorizations may require more time given the home location.
For larger and more elaborate homes, the design and building process will generally also take longer. Building a 1,500 square foot box home should obviously take less time than a 4,000 square foot customized home with uniqueness designed throughout every room.
One way to reduce the amount of time that goes into your custom home build is to find a builder who has years of experience and can offer a streamlined and efficient approach to both designing and building the home of your dreams.
Plan Your Custom Home Build with Natale Builders
Natale Builders is one leading custom home builder that can specializes in helping homeowners in Western New York plan and build a home that will function for a lifetime. Our team of building professionals has over 50 years of experience in building custom homes. Those decades of expertise have helped us to fine-tune the process for designing and building even the most complex custom homes.
Our build teams work with every client to ensure that we completely understand your dreams and vision for your home. Once we’ve settled on a plan, our teams work together to ensure that every part of the build goes smoothly, effectively, and efficiently. We deliver the highest quality custom homes that will last for a lifetime. We also believe that you shouldn’t have to wait a lifetime before finally moving into the home of your dreams.
We’re proud to be an industry leader in Energy Star and Green Build designs for homes and neighborhoods in Western New York. Contact Natale Builders today to get started planning the construction of your custom home that will last for a lifetime!
