7 Steps How to Turn Your Builder-Grade Home into a Custom Home

We all want a home that feels custom and is truly our own. Unfortunately, many of us do not have the time or skills to take on such an enormous project ourselves. The possibilities are endless, but here are our top seven favorite ways to customize your home from builder grade and make it feel like your own!

1. Create a cohesive color palette for your home

There is the term “builder beige” which refers to the color of drywall found in many homes. It has a very neutral, slightly beige hue that is not exactly exciting, but builders use it because it is very neutral and helps them sell the house.

If instead, you bought a previously owned house, you may have “inherited” the paint that is too bright, too dull, or simply “not you.”

If you want to customize your new home, start with the paint! Painting can give any space an updated feel without doing much else.

Think of how your want your space to feel. How do you want to describe it? Do you want crips white? A cool gray? A warm beige?

I have created a number of color palettes for the whole house with colors that go well together. Check out my Etsy shop here.

Choose a color palette that reflects who you are and repaint the house.

Choose a beautiful main color, then add accent walls, go for darker colors (in a powder room or an office, for example) for a statement with confidence.

Here are some popular neutral paint colors I posted about:

Sherwin-Williams Whites: Westhighland White (SW 7566)

A Guide to Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige (SW 7036)

A Guide to Sherwin-Williams Skyline Steel (SW 1015)

Painting ceilings

Also, do not overlook painting the ceilings. You can paint the ceiling white, the same color as the walls, or a dark color.

I recommend painting the ceilings white, as opposed to the wall color. White ceilings will make your room feel taller.

Here are some colors that I recommend

SW 7757 High Reflective White

SW 7006 Extra White

SW 7007 Ceiling Bright White

2. Update your light fixtures to create a custom feel

Light fixtures can be a cost-effective way to customize your new home without breaking the bank.

Think of light fixtures as a jewelry piece: an opportunity to customize your space with playful and creative touches. Just like a simple outfit looks expensive with quality jewelry, a room can look luxurious with the right lighting.

A good place to start would be a kitchen. For example, replace a builder’s chandelier with a statement piece in the dining room.

Add sconces in the hallways or bedroom walls.

The original light fixtures are usually cheap and generic because it’s an optimized solution for the builder’s standard package.

Therefore, customize your space with light fixtures that suit your style and reflect your personality.

Here are some helpful articles on home lighting:

Complete Bathroom Lighting Guide for Your Design Success

Improve Your Home Lighting (in 30 minutes and don’t break your budget)

“Get Your Kitchen Island Lighting Right” Resource (technical tips )

3. Upgrade cabinet hardware and door handles

The design and quality of cabinet hardware and door handles is what sets apart a custom home from a builder-grade home.

Same as with the light fixtures, and cabinet hardware, the door handles that were installed by the builder are usually generic and inexpensive. Some builders, go as far as omitting the install of the cabinet handles altogether! So polish the look of your entire house by investing in your hardware.

When you’re looking for cabinet hardware, there are many options from simple knobs with a contemporary feel all the way up to ornate and decorative ones.

Here are the links to the hardware I used: black door hinges, door knobs, black door levers/handles

Choose a handle that suits your color scheme and the style to match other fixtures in the space.

Here are some good places to shop for hardware: Schoolhouse, Rejuvenation, Wayfair

4. Add built-ins

Look around and think creatively of the spaces where you can add built-ins: a bench, bookshelves in the hallway or living room. You can customize them and add a special touch by painting an entire wall with bookshelves inside it!

The laundry room is another space, that’s often overlooked by the builder. It is the perfect place to customize with built-ins that suit your needs.

A reading nook is a cute and thoughtful way to customize your home.

5. Closets and storage

Can you imagine a custom home with wire shelving in the closet? I can’t!

Upgrading your closets with built-in storage is a great way to customize your space.

You can use Ikea systems. They are very customizable and can be painted.

You can hire a local handyman to build your shelves or DYI.

Or buy prebuilt ones by the size of your storage.

You could also add nice shelves for the linen closet and pantry.

6. Add panel molding throughout your house

When you think of HGTV star Joanna Gaines, what comes to mind first? For me – shiplap. Shiplap has been installed in many homes throughout the US and it definitely adds warmth to your home.

However, your wall molding shouldn’t be limited to shiplap.

You can buy pre-made panels or have them custom-made on-site at the lumber yard. You can then hire a handyman or install them yourself.

You can paint it or stain it a color that matches other woodwork around the house or create an accent color.

7. Replace your bathroom mirrors

Think of all the photos you’ve seen of custom-designed bathrooms. How many of them had a large, borderless mirror glued to the wall? My guess is none.

Upgrading your bathroom mirror doesn’t have to be expensive, yet it will make a world of difference.

Use a mirror that complements the rest of your fixtures and has a finish that matches what you already have in the bathroom for example if you have a black faucet, get a black frame on the mirror.

A mirror is also a great way to introduce a new finish to your bathroom. You can mix and match. For example: adding a gold finish mirror to your existing black fixtures will make a statement and will add interest to the overall design of the house.

Conclusion:

Painting the walls, updating light fixtures, upgrading cabinet hardware and door handles and bathroom mirrors, adding built-ins, closets, storage, and wall paneling – each of the points I’ve mentioned will help you create the custom home feel you want.

The best part is that you don’t have to do them all at once so they won’t become a huge remodeling project.

How to keep your design cohesive when remodeling a home

How to DIY garage flooring epoxy and product comparison