When you decide to build a new home, it’s one of the most exciting times in your life. It also comes with a lot of decision-making, from design choices to location and everything in between. 

But, before you even start thinking about the material you want for your kitchen countertops, you have potentially the most important decision to make: do you want a luxury build or a design-build?

We’re here to help you decide, as we’re taking a closer look at the differences between these two building methods. Let’s get to it!

What Is a Design-Build?

When you choose a design-build home, you can select from a set portfolio of different plans and then choose to make small tweaks to the plan as you go. 

Most design-build companies have a showroom or design center that you’ll visit, so you can choose from pre-selected materials. This is helpful for some homeowners because it makes the decision-making process easy for you. However, if you want something outside the scope of what’s available in the showroom, you won’t have that option with a design-build. 

What Is a Luxury Build?

When you work with a luxury build company, like Rufty Homes, there’s no limit to what you can build. Instead of having a showroom with generic products that can work for anyone, we go well beyond the showroom walls by bringing in materials based on each client’s ideas. We start with a blank piece of paper and then carefully think about every aspect of the home and property to maximize the space.

In past projects, we’ve shipped in products and materials from India and Italy and we’ve designed entire rooms around family heirlooms. We truly don’t say no to the ideas our customers have, even if it means building something we’ve never tried or experimenting with new technology. 

So, if, like some of our past clients, you want a unique feature like a recording studio, wine room, or golf simulator in your home, we can make it happen. 

How Does Quality Differ in a Luxury Build vs a Design-Build?

A luxury build is unique in that there’s an emphasis put on high-quality craftsmanship. When you choose a luxury builder like Rufty Homes, you won’t notice squeaky floors or small imperfections in your home. We use authentic materials to build sturdy homes that are made to last, striving for perfection every step of the way. 

Comparing the Cost of a Luxury Build vs a Design-Build

When you choose a design-build, there’s a baseline of fees, with available upgrades that can drive the cost of the project up. 

With a luxury build, there are no “upgrades” because we design something together with you from scratch. This means that a luxury build is more expensive since the finishes tend to be of a higher quality. 

Additionally, while our building fees aren’t more than our competitors, it usually takes more time to build luxury custom homes, because of our emphasis on attention to detail. 

In our decades in this industry, we’ve realized that there are two types of builds: fast and budget-friendly, or high-quality with higher costs. We aren’t willing to sacrifice quality for speed, and our clients have found that having the freedom to customize every single detail of their home is worth the extra cost and time it takes to bring their dream to reality. 

Who Should Choose a Luxury Build?

We’ll admit that a luxury build is not the right choice for every homeowner, and that’s ok! Some people find it overwhelming to have endless options, and prefer to make their choices based on more limited sample size.

If you are the type of person who wants something unique and doesn’t want to hear the word “no” when coming up with a new idea, then a luxury build is the right choice for you. From day one, you’ll have input throughout the entire process. You can choose to bring in a specific interior designer or ask us to work with a third-party architect to get exactly what you want. It all starts with preparing to build a luxury home!

When you work with Rufty Homes, you’ll never hear, “that’s impossible,” but instead, “tell us more so we can figure out how to make it happen.” 

Get Started on Your Luxury Build Today

After learning more about the differences between a luxury build and a design-build, you can make an informed decision about which option makes the most sense for your needs. 

If you’re ready to build a unique, totally custom luxury home, our team here at Rufty Homes would love to talk to you more about your ideas. Reach out to us today so we can learn more about you and answer any questions you may have.