If you live in Alberta or British Columbia, you have certainly heard the term “Cookie Cutter” in relation to the world of housing. We’re here today to break down the true differences and definitions of a Cookie Cutter house, also known as a Production Build and a Custom House.
Production Builds
Production built houses are typically built by builders who focus on volume. They can build from 150 – 350 houses a year (no lie, and that’s not considering duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes). These builders can deliver a competitive price point for you in a neighbourhood that is filled up to maximize density.
Depending on the year the house was built in, you’ll see similarities from production houses built from 2015 to 2024 and there are some big differences too. A starter house (laned detached garage) in a neighbourhood like McChonachie or Crystallina in 2017 could be purchased for around 400k. Today, that house could be purchased for closer to 500k. Times have changed in Alberta real estate. Along with cost, comes some more differences. Smaller lots, zero lot lines (you own one side of your property and your neighbour’s property line ends at your foundation), smaller rooms, thinner counters, and smaller garages. The finishes are typically “up to code” which simply means, they are the bare minimum required on a house while adhering to the national building code albert edition. Vinyl siding, manufactured stone, quartz, plastic laminate, MDF, vinyl plank, white 3 ½” – 4” MDF casing, hollow core doors, tub showers, and a list of specifications the builder uses to keep the house as affordable as possible.
The reason people call these Cookie Cutters is because these builders essentially have a handful of different models, and they market them to build with the ability to make little to no changes to the plans. They have an in-house drafting department that tweaks these models to suit each lot. They have a process that normally works very well to turn around a build within 10 months. They have more staff and bigger overhead costs to run their business. For the record, we’re not here to bash production builds, we respect them. Also, there are hybrids out there. Some builders may build 50 in a year and appear to be a production builder and they’ve created their own unique design and build process that sets them apart from the typical production builder.
Now the custom world is a little more complicated than the production world because you have different tiers of custom builders. There are many builders in Alberta that market themselves as custom builders. Here’s a brief description of the custom world.
Custom Houses
Okay, first and foremost, custom builders typically build anywhere from 3-15 houses a year. That all depends of course and sometimes more, sometimes less. The scale of each build varies, and some houses can take 12 months to build and some 3 years to build. Again, it all depends on the type of house.
Most custom builders will build houses for clients who have approached them with land already purchased or the builders will have one or a few lots in a particular subdivision they’re marketing to build on. The cost of these houses will vary on the caliber of build, the land, the neighborhood, and the size of the house. A custom house can cost anywhere between 800k to 5 million (and up, again, all depends on the build). Most custom houses in Alberta range around the million-dollar mark to 2 million dollars (approximately). Those prices include land.
The process usually goes a little something like this:
· Clients have purchased a lot, some land or are looking to buy a lot off a builder.
· Clients either hire an independent design firm to design their house and collaborate with the builder. Or they use a designer the builder typically works with to design their house. Same idea with Interior Designers too. Sometimes, clients will work independently with a designer on their plans, and then present them to builders to bid on.
· The budget. The builder will typically send the drawings out to tender and price the build. Or it will be a “cost plus” build, which simply means the builder adds a percentage to the build cost as a management fee. Some builders are given a budget of 1 million for example, and the drawings and house are built to a standard set of specifications to achieve that price.
· The build. Like we mentioned earlier, can take anywhere between 12 months to 3 years. Typically, they take 12 to 24 months. Designing custom plans can range between 2 to 12 months. Again, that all depends on the type of house, clients and designers involved.
Unlike the production builds, custom houses are custom, that means you’re building a house that specifically suits your lifestyle and your vision of a beautiful house. You don’t want it to look like your neighbor’s house. The overall quality of a custom house is supposed to be superb. From your exterior to the building envelope to the interior finishes. These standards vary and they typically consist of stucco, stone, fibre cement cladding, PVC cladding, wood cladding, metal, and concrete. Inside, it’s typically, quartz, granite, marble, quartzite, slate, stone, natural stone, tile, wood, glass, porcelain, custom cabinetry, wallpaper, luxury fixtures, elevators, golf simulators, pools, basketball courts, bowling alleys and the list goes on. What you can basically imagine, can be built for you. Custom builders typically have 5 to 15 team members and trusted sub trades that they repeatedly use on their houses. A lot of the times their family owned businesses or partnerships and solo entrepreneurs. You can tell when you pull up and walk through a properly built custom house. You can see and feel the difference in a proper custom house. And they tend to set a sophisticated tone.
Now that you have more insight on production builds and customs, you can correct the next person that says, “They’re a cookie cutter builder”. And discuss designing your next custom house with us over cookies and coffee!