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Why Build Your Own Home When You Can Purchase a Ready-Made House from A Developer? Here Are 9 Reasons to Consider.

Writer's picture: MJKanny ArchitectMJKanny Architect

Updated: Nov 12, 2024



The Dilemme


Many people are left in a dilemma when it comes to deciding whether they should buy a house from a developer that meets their wants and needs or whether to choose to take the long, more difficult route of appointing an architect to assist them in the design, planning and eventual construction of the house. There is no one size that fits all type solution but perhaps these are the questions you need to ask yourself before you make the decision.


  1. Custom Design


    Do you need to have a house that is custom designed to your own requirements for example the number of rooms required, the size of the Masterbedroom wardrobe, whether you would like a bath-tub or Jacuzzi, an AV room, a studio-type private study, a gym or a kitchen designed according to your cooking style and requirements?


    It is no doubt it would be almost impossible to find a ready-made house that fits all your needs, you may however find one that has got some or most of your requirements but never one that has been built according to your lifestyle. Quite often people buy a ready-made house and adapt their lifestyle to suit the house.


  2. Selection od finishes and fittings


    Many new houses by developers come with relatively good quality finishes. However as these houses are built for the masses the selection of finishes are usually quite generic in the sense that the tile selection and colours are usually quite neutral that would generally be acceptable to the masses. They however lack character or personalisation that an individually custom-designed house can give you. At the time of the signing of the Sales and Purchase Agreement, the specifications offered by the developers are usually quite general, like Quality Tiles, Quality Sanitary fittings, Quality Locksets, Timber Door, etc and they do not give the specific finishing that will be provided. Therefore when the house is eventually completed you may find the finishes and fittings are not to your liking. This is why most people end up doing major renovations after getting the keys from the developer.


  3. Identical Designs


    In most housing developments, the houses have a similar layout and design for each phase of the development. This is due to the economy of scale –similar designs means that the contractor will be able to construct the works at a lower cost due to savings in formwork, ease of construction, and discounts for bulk purchase of material etc. This is why a developer-built house will always be cheaper than a custom made one but the client has no say in terms of the design or look of the house, and your neighbour will have one exactly like yours.


  4. Variation and changes


    Once the Sales and Purchase Agreement is signed, the House will usually be handed over to the purchaser within 24 months or depending on the terms in the agreement. Should you want to make minor changes to suit your requirements or should your requirements change within the 24 months, you are not able to get the developer to make these changes for you. Your only alternative is to wait for the completion of the works and then appoint your own contractor to carry-out the renovation. In a custom-designed house you can always ask your architect to make the necessary changes you need before or even during construction to accommodate your new requirements. This will save you both time and cost compared to a house purchased from a developer. For example a client of our who initially had a guest room on the first floor had to move it down to the ground floor when his mother-in-law who needed care decided to move in with them. We were able to make the changes during construction without causing too much disruption to the works progress and delivery time line.


  5. Future-proofing the house


    For many people their home may be the only home they will invest in for their life-time, so it is difficult to anticipate on how to future proof the house. One example is in a multi-storey house the clients may not need a lift because they are still fairly mobile, however things can change in the future and a need for a lift may arise. In the case of a developer-purchased house that does not come with a lift, it will be very costly and difficult to retrofit to accommodate a lift. In most of our custom-designed house we usually allow for a lift pit and shaft that is integrated with the design which can easily be fitted in with a lift should the need arise in the future.


  6. Privacy


    In a standard house purchased from a developer, all the units come with standard designs, the house orientation, position of windows, courtyards etc do not take the neighbours into consideration as every unit is identical. In a custom-designed house we can consider the house orientation to the neighbours and design the house such that the pool for example is not open to the prying eyes of the neighbour and the large glazed doors of the dining room are designed in such a way to create the needed privacy.


  7. Building orientation


    The houses found in most developments are usually not designed to a specific orientation as they are laid out according to the street layout and may face any particular direction. This means there is little control to cut-off the heat from the evening sun for example. They can’t take advantage of views as each unit is designed with similar windows and may or may not have a good view to take advantage of. A custom designed home however, can be designed to reduce windows facing East and West to reduce solar gain; or the architect could specifically integrate sun-shade louvers or screens to reduce direct sunlight entering the building. Windows could be orientated to capture the prevailing breeze or capture a particular view, or the bedroom could be placed away from possible noise sources etc; and of course not forgetting one important aspect that Malaysians are quite particular about – the Feng Shui requirements of the house. All this can be planned and integrated with the design to meet the client’s requirements.


  8. Sustainable features


    Most developers do not provide green-rated homes due the additional costs, therefore it is not an option you can choose to have. In a custom designed house you can decide how green you want the house to be. You can choose for example to have inverter type air-conditioning or green-certified timber flooring or adhesives and paints that are low in VOC. The level of sustainable features depends on one’s budget and how green they would like their homes to be. Very few developers provide these features and they are not something that could be easily added on after moving into the house.


  9. Choice of Mechanical and Electrical


    With the advent technology there are many options you can choose to make your house more high tech. With Smart home systems for example, you can control the lighting, air-conditioning, motorised curtains, and the type of music you want to listen to etc, virtually at any part of the house.


    Another important aspect is security. You could have a fully-fledged security system based on your requirements and specify the type of CCTV you need and where to locate it and it all could be accessible through your phone.


    Another feature rarely seen is CAT 6 high-speed internet cables in the study, TV areas and bedrooms where you could have access to LAN lines instead of depending on Wi-Fi which can be quite slow and have unreliable signals.


    These by no means are cheap features to have however the cost is getting more and more economical. Developers very rarely provide these features and should you want to add this on later it would mean hacking the walls and re-doing all the wiring works which can be an expensive and messy affair.


The above are some of the main points to consider before making your decision on whether you are happy to purchase a house from a developer or should you decide to get a custom designed one. Should the above issues not really matter to you then a developer-built house is the obvious preference, however if most of the above do matter then it is worth considering a custom designed house by an architect who will be able to advise you on all the aspects and choices you have on the issues highlighted above to make your decision on the final outcome of your dream home.


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