Whilst many building companies provide pre-designed house plans that are built hundreds of times over each year, this doesn’t mean there’s no room for customisation. New home builders regularly take a reliable, tried and true floorplan and personalise it to suit their clients individual tastes and preferences.
How Customising a Standard House Plan Works
There are no shortage of ways to customise a standard house plan. However, the cheapest and most efficient method is to start with your builder’s original design and add to (or subtract from) it.
Some builders don't charge a fee to do custom changes, providing you're not adding extra cabinetry or extra sqm to the house design. Other builders may charge a small design fee or may only allow certain design changes internally. Make sure you talk to your builder early in the process to establish their policy. Also ensure that whatever changes you want to be made are in place before the house plans are finalised and approved by the council. After that, any changes are likely to incur a fee and delays that could otherwise have been avoided.
We’ll take you through some of the custom features that your builder is likely to be willing to accommodate to your plan.
Altering Room Placement and Size
It doesn’t hurt to ask whether your builder can extend or widen a room in the floorplan if, for example, having more space in the master bedroom is important to you.
You may even be able to rearrange the position of rooms by altering the floorplan. An example of this may be adding an ensuite to a secondary bedroom or adding a bath in the ensuite or extra wardrobe space.
Kitchen design
Altering the kitchen space to suit your preferred style is often easier than you think. Most builders are flexible when it comes to altering the kitchen plan to ensure all your needs are met. For example, you might want to move the sink from the island to under the window, or add more space in the WIP.
High Ceilings and Skylights
Installing higher ceilings and skylights will imbue your home with a sense of grandeur. Not to mention your home will automatically feel more spacious and skylights provide many sustainable benefits by providing natural light into your home and reducing your energy bills.
At Homeshelf, we have a vast depth of knowledge on a range of builders and house plans. To ensure you find a builder that is willing and able to provide the customisation you’re after, contact the Homeshelf team today.