June 2024
In our second instalment of the myth-busting series, we look at what is customisable and what isn’t in one of our new build homes.
So, you’re buying a new home and you’ve seen that customisation options are available. This is really exciting, and you begin planning your very own grand design. However, it’s important to understand the differences between a custom build and buying a home from a developer with customisable options.
A custom build is where you employ someone to build a house for you, which is different from buying a new home off a developer who offers customisation. If you go down the custom build route, you’d likely be buying your own piece of land, obtaining your own planning permission, appointing your own professionals, and designing and building the house exactly how you want it. That is ideal for some, but for many, it is a whole lot of stress they’d like to avoid. It takes us months, sometimes even years, of planning to deliver a development, so trust us on our choices; it’s been a process.
When you start asking for really custom items like layout changes, adding extensions, changing boundaries, and using alternative products, fixtures, and fittings, you might be surprised that the answer is often no. The reason for this is that the developer has years of experience knowing what works and what doesn’t. They want to meet their promise of offering you a high-quality product and they know they can’t meet that promise if they start making changes to their standard product.
We aren’t saying no because we don’t care, we just don’t want to disappoint you. Also, the developer has an obligation under the 10-year structural warranty that comes with your home, so they need to ensure your happiness long after moving day.
Now, for the exciting bit! When you buy a new Willan home, here’s what you can expect to be customisable:
All choices, upgrades, and extras can be made from our predetermined ranges only. This way, we can guarantee our product while offering you choice.
In terms of timescales, we can only offer you choices if it is possible within the build schedule. If we reach a point where the kitchen, bathroom, or flooring needs to be ordered to ensure the home is built on time, then we’ll choose the finishes. Be assured that we pick the loveliest finishes that are always on trend but neutral enough to serve as a blank canvas for your personal style.
If you decide you want to add any extras or upgrades, these must be paid for in advance before they are ordered to ensure you are certain about proceeding with them. This helps streamline the process and ensures your new home is exactly how you want it and built as closely to schedule as possible, so you aren’t disappointed.
We’ve put lots of effort into ensuring that we offer you the best possible design, layouts, and fittings. We want to make sure you are happy with your new home. From the beautiful new British-made kitchen to the spacious modern layout, energy-efficient features, and quality of build, we want you to be delighted.
We hope this has explained what is customisable and why, and that it has demystified some common misconceptions about buying a new build. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to help you every step of the way.
