10/02/2026
“We want to build a nice 2,500-square-foot custom home.”
That sounds like a pretty straightforward.
But what does “nice” mean to you?
Insulated vinyl siding?
LP Smartside?
Pre-finished Hardie?
The definition of nice is just as wide as the current Western North Carolina custom-home costs can.
Let’s take a 2,500 square feet home for instance.
$225–$300/SF is $562,500 → $750,000
That’s a $187,500 difference.
$300–$500/SF is $750,000 → $1,250,000
That’s a $500,000 difference.
$500–$740/SF is $1,250,000 → $1,850,000
That’s a $600,000 difference.
They are all 2,500 square feet.
And those differences aren’t necessarily because somebody got ripped off or because one builder charges twice as much as another.
A big part of the problem is that words like “nice,” “custom,” “upgraded,” and “high-end” don’t have prices attached to them.
Your definition of a nice kitchen might be $40,000.
Your builder’s definition might be $80,000.
You might picture $8,000 worth of appliances when you say “nice.”
Someone else might picture $30,000.
We have has clients pick a tub filler out that was more than another clients “upgraded”appliances!
Now let’s multiply those differences across cabinets, countertops, flooring, windows, doors, plumbing fixtures, lighting, tile, appliances and dozens of other selections…
And suddenly you’re not $10,000 over budget.
You’re $150,000 over budget.
That’s one of the biggest reasons we’ve are a design-build company at 13 Stripes Construction.
The last thing we want is to try and built your home on assumptions and then wait until the end to find out what it actually costs.
Before construction begins, we are all on the same page on what we’re building.
We have the plans developed.
We have the major selections made.
We have the team looking at real plans.
We have actual quotes.
And most importantly…
We have the design and your budget to agree before we start building.
Can anyone guarantee that absolutely nothing will ever change during construction?
Of course not.
There can be unforeseen site conditions, owner changes and things nobody could reasonably know beforehand.
But there’s a huge difference between an unforeseen condition…
But finding out halfway through the build that your definition of “nice” was completely different from the allowance somebody put in your contract is a choice.
The cheapest time to solve a budget problem is before we ever break ground.
That’s what design-build is really about.
It’s not just designing your home.
It’s designing a home you can actually afford to build.
13 Stripes Construction
Revolutionizing the Home Building Experience.
