At Winthorpe, when we say we’ll build a completely custom home, we mean it in every sense of the word “custom”. Many builders who claim to build custom homes only do so by letting the buyers choose from the four or five options that they offer, and that’s it. To us, that would only qualify as semi-custom at best. Our clients should get the house they want, and we specialize in providing it.
Visualization
We offer in-depth methods to help our clients visualize what their home will look like before we put up the first brick or board. For starters, we’ll produce several different levels of renderings to show what a home’s interior or exterior might look like. Floor plans and elevations can be done in 2-dimensions, for a flat overview. Then we can turn those into 3-dimensional renderings, complete with views through windows and doorways. Our clients can walk through and around their virtual home, by way of these 3-D renderings, and experience all the finishes they’ve chosen, allowing them to make changes before we’ve even begun construction. It’s a marvelous way to see how their kitchen countertop and tile choices go together or feel how much space there really is in the master bathroom.
Often times, our clients’ lots have views they want to capture, or landscaping they’d like visible from inside the home. In these renderings, we populate those external features so they can see if the backyard pond is visible from the bedroom window; they’ll know they can see their garden from the dining room, and can decide if, perhaps, they want larger windows. Alternatively, it’s also possible to experience the external elevations and see what interior aspects of the house are visible from the garden or front yard. This takes all the guesswork and insecurity out of their decision-making process and lends a sense of excitement as well. It’s fun for them.
Viewing the home virtually like this is incredibly valuable. Imagine having your heart set on a specific wood flooring, only to discover it clashes with the finish on the cabinets. It’s one thing to make this discovery once the floors and cabinets have been installed- quite a time-consuming and expensive problem to fix. By seeing these finishes together virtually, before the flooring and cabinets have even been ordered, it’s merely a set of keystrokes to make a change. This saves a lot of time, money and headache.
Customization
Often, we’ll begin with a new client by asking what they don’t like about their current home. By learning about the problem areas, we can make sure to solve those things in the new home. For example, they may not like the amount of noise their HVAC system makes. Or they may not enjoy that the laundry room is so far from the master suite. We’re able to offer suggestions to solve and improve upon these details. In the case of a customization request that’s new to us, we’re only too happy to explore the technology and options available so we can create a completely bespoke solution.
Customization doesn’t just have to be individual details; it can span a theme as well. For the tech-savvy client, we can design a fully tailored smart home. For the audiophile, we’re able to wire the home for a completely hidden, house-wide audio-visual system. For those interested in green homes, we can do everything from specifying energy-wise appliances to a fully certified green home.
On a recent project, one client, whose home had a very open floor plan, wanted to turn on 40 lights with a single switch. They didn’t want a wall covered in switches. At a lighting store, they were told this wasn’t possible. We felt sure there was a way to do it. And there was. We figured it out. Most anything can be done. It’s our goal to always provide options, so our clients can decide what suits them.
Many builders pigeon-hole themselves by only doing what they’re comfortable with. It’s easy; it’s what they know. We like to do new things, try different approaches, and figure out new solutions to get our clients what they want. Not only does it keep things interesting for us and satisfy our clients, but by continually learning and perfecting new things, we’re always adding to our arsenal of expertise. We enjoy the challenge and pride ourselves on how much more we can offer our clients because of it. We put no boundaries on customization.
