Best Time to Start Designing Your New Home

The best time to start designing your new home is during your initial research when starting your new home journey. Whether you are considering working with a custom home builder or choosing structural options and upgrades to your favorite floor plan from a production home builder, having a good idea of what you want and don’t want from the beginning will help the process go smoother.

One of the first steps in deciding which path to take is determining your budget and time frame to design and build your new home.

Custom Home Design and Build

Building a custom home means starting from the ground up—literally. You have the freedom to design every nook and cranny according to your liking. It's an opportunity to create a unique space that reflects your personality and lifestyle. However, it’s important to be aware of the time and cost involved with this approach.

Design Phase (1-3 months): This includes conceptualizing, drafting and finalizing the architectural plans with an architect.
Approval Phase (1-3 months): This stage involves getting the design approved by local entities, complying with zoning laws and obtaining necessary permits.
Construction Phase (9-18 months): The actual building process, which heavily depends on the complexity of design and local conditions.
Finishing Phase (2-4 months): This includes interior design, landscaping and final touches.

The timeline for a custom home can stretch from 13 to 28 months, and costs can be significantly higher compared to a production home due to the unique nature of the design and the materials used. The timeline may also vary from the rough estimates above depending on weather conditions and availability of labor and materials.

There will be a large number of design decisions that will need to be made before a custom floor plan can be completed which requires a fair amount of time and effort by the home buyer to make sure they have everything they want in their home design.

Personalized Production Home

If time and budget constraints make designing and building a custom home impractical, the good news is that there are many high-quality home builders with thoughtfully designed floor plans to choose from that include almost everything you want in your dream home. Most builders also offer structural options such as additional rooms and outdoor living spaces as well as finish upgrades that can fulfill your dream home wish list.

Personalized production homes offer a balance between customization and cost-effectiveness. Production builders construct a variety of homes based on a set of pre-existing floor plans. You have the opportunity to select your preferred plan and personalize it to suit your needs.

Another advantage of choosing a personalized production home is that you can often walk finished versions of the floor plans you are choosing from to get a better idea of how the rooms flow and how the spaces feel. This is the best time to start designing your new home and make a list of your must-have features. Knowing what you want and don’t want will speed up the decision process when looking at floor plans and walking homes.

The design stage for a production home usually includes an appointment at the builder’s design studio where a professional designer works with you to walk you through all the design choices and make the best decisions based on your preferences.

The production home design and build timeline varies depending on the builder and location, but a rough outline of the process would include:

Pre-construction Phase (1-2 months): During this stage, you'll select a community and homesite, choose your floor plan and make structural selections.
Selection Phase (1-2 months): You’ll choose your desired finishes, fixtures and upgrades.
Construction Phase (4-6 months): The actual building process takes place during this period.
Closing Phase (1 month): Final walkthrough and closing on the home.

The overall timeline for a production home typically ranges from 7 to 11 months but can vary greatly depending on the builder, location, local government entities, weather conditions and the availability of labor and materials.

Advantages of Choosing a Personalized Production Home

Time-Efficiency: When compared to custom homes, the timeline for personalized production homes is significantly shorter. The design process is streamlined and delays due to design changes or permit acquisition are less common. This means you can move into your dream home sooner!
Cost-Effective: Production home builders leverage economies of scale. They build multiple homes of the same design, allowing them to bulk-buy materials and save on costs. The subcontractors working on their homes have usually built the floor plan before and have figured out the best way to construct each phase of the home to avoid mistakes and save time. These material and labor savings lower the cost of the home compared to most custom homes.
Personalization Options: While production homes start with a pre-existing design, many builders offer a wide array of structural options and upgrades, meaning you still have the opportunity to personalize your home to suit your tastes.
Quality Assurance: Production builders have set processes and regular contractors, which result in consistent construction quality. Plus, their homes typically come with a new home warranty to protect your investment and give you peace of mind.

Epcon Communities

Epcon Communities designs homes and communities with the home buyer in mind. One of the advantages of buying an Epcon home is the perfect blend of form and function with luxurious style and quality built into every home.

If you’ve decided now is the best time to start designing your new home, we’ll help you choose your favorite floor plan and personalize it for your lifestyle with a variety of structural and finish options and upgrades.

We specialize in building luxury single-level homes in communities throughout the country offering floorplans from 1,300 to over 3,000 square feet with 2-4 bedrooms.

Most of our communities offer resort-style amenities including a clubhouse with a meeting area and well-equipped fitness center, as well as a luxurious pool for outdoor gatherings. There's always something happening at the clubhouse from potlucks and book clubs to game nights and holiday parties. We’ll help you stay in shape and take part in a vibrant social scene.

Another big plus in choosing Epcon Communities − when you buy a new luxury ranch home in a low-maintenance Epcon community, we’ll handle the landscape maintenance so you can spend more time doing what you love! Contact us to discover all the benefits we offer and find your new dream home!