I have experienced many of the positives and negative of custom homes when involved in my first new home. Difficulties come frequently that had to be understood and dealt with. The lessons learned were many. Being a hands-on type of prospective homeowner, I was involved in all aspects of the design and construction. This learning curve resulted in creating a beautiful, fashionable home a worthy goal for everyone.
I have met many contractors, sub-contractors, designers and architects who are both competent and honest. It is just that like with life itself there is good and bad. So when building a home one must learn to tell the difference between the two.
Because the home building industry is so loosely regulated in terms of quality and competence there may always be a significant difference between vendors. With this knowledge in mind prospective homeowners must take a degree of responsibility for all aspects of the design and construction of their home.