Customization: When your new home is truly yours

Are you ready to create the home of your dreams - a one-of-a-kind house designed for a perfect fit?

When you purchase a custom home, you get the home you want, where you want it. It reflects your own style, taste and lifestyle. You make decisions about everything from the size of the master suite to the hardware on the front door.

A custom home starts with a blank sheet of paper. Then the buyer's vision and architect's expertise come together for a unique plan. The result? A well-built home with excellent design, quality materials, quality craftsmanship and attention to detail.

"We want you to have the house you dreamed of, not the house we picked for you," said Julie Nielsen, sales manager of Nielsen Development. The company has been building custom homes since 1962 when Nielsen's parents started the business.

Custom homes are designed for a specific site as well as a specific client. Nielsen does no mass grading.

"We go with the flow of the property and work with what God gave us," Nielsen said.

The Pines, one of the builder's luxury communities, features 100 acres of pine trees, oak trees, open space, rolling hills and ponds. Slated for 100 lots with homes backing to open space, the land was formerly a dude ranch where people from the city would come out and ride horses.

Havlicek Builders also starts with the natural features of the homesite. Its Innisfree development of about 58 acres in the St. Charles countryside features the natural beauty of the land, and sites include lots with large stands of mature trees and gentle slopes with ponds, many allowing for lookout basements. Twenty-eight lots range from 1.26 acres to 3.82 acres.

Verseman Development uses land to its fullest advantage, and its subdivisions feature stunning natural beauty. A developer/builder, Verseman develops the land and puts in utilities and roads.

"We do complete subdivision development and build it out with 100 percent custom homes," said Jeff Holz, co-owner. "This is unusual for a small company like ours."

Many buyers of custom homes have children and a house full of belongings, so they want to move up to a larger home with the latest amenities.

"Everyone talks about downsizing, but we haven't seen much of it yet," said George Havlicek, president of Havlicek Builders.

Verseman builds whatever size home the customer wants, generally a 3,000- to 5,000-square-foot home, Holz said. "Our buyers are mostly families with children, and they need to get four OK-sized bedrooms. They say, 'We're busting at the seams. We've got to move. We can't wait any longer.'"

With a custom home, green building, high-end materials and finishes, and beautiful landscaping are a given. What else will you find in these luxury custom homes?

All Nielsen homes feature beautiful front doors. "It's jewelry for your house," Nielsen said. "It makes the whole neighborhood look high end. Everyone sees the door when they drive by. And people feel good when they walk through the door. It's good energy."

Nielsen clients also love the oak stairways, decorative molding, coffered and tray ceilings, and, of course, granite and stainless steel.

"They all want a three-car garage. All our garages are finished and painted; that's standard. And most people want an office because so many people work from home," Nielsen said.

Nielsen Development builds homes from $450,000 and up. The company features The Pines in Lake Villa and homes in Antioch. Model hours at The Pines are 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For information, call (847) 356-7895 or visit nielsendevelopmentinc.com.

All Verseman homes feature beautiful appointments as standard, such as a masonry fireplace, hardwood flooring and heavy millwork.

"With the importance of the kitchen, we feature high-end appliances, upgraded cherry cabinets, granite countertops, different beverage centers. We're incorporating wine captains and wine coolers into some of the kitchens and butler areas. That's becoming pretty common in our homes," said co-owner Jeff Holz.

Other features include masters with walk-in showers, full body sprays and whirlpool tubs. Inside the rear entry, people like the cubbies for children's backpacks and boots. "With a specific space, it's easier to keep the clutter down," Holz said. "It's nice and neat. We also feature Kohler plumbing and Andersen windows."

Verseman Development builds homes that range from $500,000 to $1.5 million. The model at Lyons Ridge in Cary is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Lots are also available at Harvest Glen in Cary. For more information, call (847) 516-9277 or visit verseman.com.

A true design-build homebuilder, Havlicek Builders only builds homes that they design and build from the start.

"People are getting away from the formal areas of the home," said George Havlicek, president. "Years ago people started eliminating the living room and now we see even eliminating the dining room in lieu of having a larger kitchen, dinette and hearth area where people spend their time.

"Some people still entertain formally, but most people don't, and they will forego those rooms for the rooms they use every day.

"Granite is almost like a given now, and natural stone is still popular. A study or some type of working office is still a must. And in the luxury market, home theaters are the designated TV-watching area. Hot, too, is the audio/video in a home."

Outdoor living is trending for Havlicek, and the company spends more time designing outdoor living spaces. The back yard has become an extension of indoor living, and most have a screened porch.

"It's a given that we're going to do a built-in barbecue area with a wonderful grill, and, believe it or not, we're putting in more pools than ever before because people spend more time at home these days," Havlicek said. "We're doing more exterior fireplaces, a lot more than we did in the past."

Havlicek homes start at about $800,000 and go up. The Innisfree model home in St. Charles features an Old World all brick Tudor-style home that is 6,286 square feet plus a 1,293-square-foot finished basement. The home is open from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call (630) 232-4000 or visit havlicekbuilders.com

Havlicek also owns Cabinets at Danada in Wheaton and Geneva. For more information, call (630) 260-1200 and (630) 232-9500, respectively.

Builders say the custom market is alive and well. "People are looking to sign contracts, and I think people appreciate quality and things that last more than ever before," Nielsen said.

"Things are picking up, and its very exciting. I'm more encouraged than I've been in three years, and I've waited a long time to tell someone that."