About home design and designer homes

The housing industry has only slowly and inconsistency integrated design into their product mix. Given that design and architecture is an integral part of housing, it’s surprising the home building industry hasn’t embraced it more completely. I think the reason for this is as follows;

Home building is a traditional industry with a “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it mentality”. Most builders stick with floor plans, house plans and community layouts that have worked in the past and that they know home buyer will like. 

As an industry, home building is a mix of large publicly traded companies and small independent builders. While large builders have in-house architecture and design staffs that are up-to-speed with current design trends, much of the home building industry is still small scale and local.

Most small builders look at re-using proven home designs as a way to minimize their risk, so they keep using tried and true designs.

At its best, these trends create communities of visual consistency. At its worst, tracts and tracts of cookie-cutter houses blight the built landscape. 

Not every house can be a custom one - and we're almost thankful for that when it comes to the opportunity for rehabilitation. If you're looking for a property to rehab and live in, a custom home, with custom solutions, finishes and fixtures can be a money pit. 

BuildSmart can help you understand and identify homes that are well designed and appropriate for rehabilitation. Contact us today to learn more.