Many friends and referrals from happy Dickens Built clients reach out when they’re considering a custom-built home and they ask, “where should I look for a home site?”

The answer, “it depends.”

Part of the beauty of a “custom built” home is that you can really customize the spaces for your personality, style, and function. Details, details, details - are what make a home special and uniquely yours. Beyond open floor plans and designer kitchens, there are many places our clients ask for extra special touches like reclaimed brick inside and outside the home, adding a hot water tap outside the house, and extra wide molding and casings for a regal look. Blending these function and style choices with the floorplan and finishes takes a lot of listening and communication with our clients and contractors.

Do you ever walk into a house and it feels stuffy and you’re afraid to sit down and relax? Too ornate? Too formal? There are many gorgeous home designs out there, but far too many come across as cold and sterile. It’s not the style you can imagine relaxing in with your children or grandchildren.

What’s behind the walls in your home is critically important to me. The mechanical aspects must be perfect. These are the “boring things” most homeowners might not notice (until there’s a problem!) When the bones aren’t right, it won’t impact the design of the home’s style. However, it can cost you dearly down the road with expensive and disruptive fixes!

When you talk to builders, they’ll each have a list of pet peeves that make them crazy. Maybe we’re a high maintenance bunch, but I think my list may be higher than most (and I’ve toured A LOT of homes!)

These pet peeves are mine because I don’t want them to become YOURS.