Why Buy a New Home When a Custom Home Offers So Much More?

by Lindsey Kohler-Austin | Mar 2, 2026 | architecture, Charlottesville, Custom Home, Harrisonburg, Harrisonburg Architect, Roanoke, Roanoke Architect

Many people assume buying a new home is the simplest path to getting exactly what they want. But in reality, most new homes offer limited personalization and are designed for a broad market rather than for the way you actually live. While a new home may be newly built, a custom home is thoughtfully designed from the ground up with your lifestyle at the center of every decision and actual building science incorporated.

The typical “new home” process when purchasing or building a standard new home often looks something like this:

• Finding online plans that are “close enough”
• Finding a drafter to modify the drawings
• Finding a structural engineer
• Finding a builder to construct the home

Then you can “customize” finishes such as paint colors and fixtures.

While this approach can produce a functional house, most decisions revolve around surface-level choices. The layout and design are typically created for a general audience not for your routines, preferences, or long-term needs. In many cases, the result is a home that looks good but doesn’t truly support how you live day to day.

The Custom Home Difference

A custom home is different because the design process begins with you. Rather than fitting your life into a pre-designed plan, a custom home is shaped around your lifestyle from the very beginning.

We Vision. We start by understanding how you live, your daily routines, your priorities, and your goals for the future.
We Plan. Spaces are organized intentionally, whether that means a kitchen designed for gathering, a quiet home office, or flexible guest space for when the grandkids come to visit.
We Refine. Details run deep in a custom home. Materials, cabinetry, trim, and built-in features are carefully considered to create a cohesive and lasting design.
We Execute. Construction documents and coordination ensure the home is built exactly as designed with clarity and precision from start to finish. The result is not just a new house, but a home that feels natural and effortless to live in.

Designed for Real Life

A custom home considers the moments that matter most:

• Your morning routine and daily rhythms
• How you cook and gather
• Where you relax at the end of the day
• Hosting family and friends
• Planning for future needs

These decisions shape how a home functions far beyond simple finish selections.

The Cost Difference May Surprise You

One of the biggest misconceptions about custom homes is cost. Many people assume custom design is significantly more expensive than a standard new home. In reality, the cost difference is often smaller than expected for an average-sized home, especially when compared to the long-term value of a home designed specifically for you. Instead of paying for changes and compromises later, custom design helps you get it right from the beginning.

A Better Way to Build

A new home gives you something new. A custom home gives you something intentional. When every space is designed around your life, the difference is something you feel every day in comfort, function, and lasting quality.

The “Hero” Feature AirBnB

by Charles Hendricks | Feb 26, 2026 | architecture, Charles Hendricks, Charlottesville, Custom Home, Harrisonburg, Harrisonburg Architect, Roanoke, Roanoke Architect

The AirBnB market has become incredibly competitive, and we are seeing a surge in requests for intentional design from developers. Our approach of energy-efficient, durable, and healthy design strategies are setting our client’s projects apart as potential renters are asking for better solutions in their accommodations. Renters are also asking for creative architectural design that will create amazing memories and cool photos. The days of the garage apartment or basement AirBnB are over for those seeking a vacation destination. The demand is for destinations that have thoughtful design and attractive spaces.

These homes are not selling square footage; they are selling the idea of a romantic getaway in an incredible experiential architectural home. There are “hero” features that we are adding like glass-roofed stargazing lofts, outdoor soaking tubs, glass walls, and adult slides. There is a desire to connect with nature, so we infuse these designs with biophilic design strategies. Though the finishes must be durable but cozy. Using products like Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring that will endure the revolving door of renters while giving the high-end aesthetic that draws attention is a must.

Knowing that a quartz counter will stand the test of time and use while still looking good adds value to our design solutions. Integration of smart technology allows for contactless check in and energy savings while units are vacant. Making sure there are easy to clean spaces – minimizing moldings, adding floating vanities, and using built in storage shaves time off the turnover between renters.

Our role in designing these spaces is to make them beautiful, durable, energy-efficient, and healthy, which is our typical approach to residential design. We think through how to optimize the construction costs for our clients so they can maximize their return on investment. We are also putting ourselves in the shoes of the renter as we think through how to make our designs the most desirable option available for our client’s renters.

Is Wellness Architecture the New Luxury Architecture?

by Charles Hendricks | Feb 24, 2026 | architecture, Building Science, Charlottesville, Custom Home, Green Building, Harrisonburg, Harrisonburg Architect

The definition of “luxury” home has shifted dramatically since I entered the industry in 1999. The focus of many of the homes we designed in the 2000’s was “bigger is better” and gables-on-gables drove design. Then I started seeing energy-efficient home technology start changing the goals of our clients in the luxury home market. This grew exponentially as our understanding of the house as a system became mainstream. The days of building the way “we have always done it” came to a quick end for anyone that wanted a custom luxury home.

Since the pandemic, the dramatic shift we have seen is a strong focus on wellness architecture with a strong building science interest from most clients. Wellness architecture brings in biophilic concepts, indoor environmental quality, and proper ventilation systems. This science-based approach to the built environment acknowledges a simple truth: our homes are the primary “skin” we live in, and they have a profound impact on our quality of life.

When we design for wellness, we infuse empathy, building science, and care into the aesthetic decisions we are making when creating your dream home.

There are several aspects of this design approach that need to be addressed: access to daylight, indoor air quality, humidity control, chemical off gassing, natural materials, and functional spaces. We think through not only the views, but the types of light each room will have through the day. Indoor air quality and humidity control are critical to consider when right sizing the HVAC system and picking the right ventilation strategy. We protect the quality of the air by checking the chemicals in the materials we are using to avoid toxic off gassing in a tight envelope home. Finally, making sure the HVAC system not only keeps you comfortable but also brings in the appropriate amount of fresh air.

This idea of designing a home that helps you with your physical and mental health has become a normal approach for our luxury homes. Clients are seeking refuge in their dream homes and even if they don’t express their desire for a healthy home as a priority, their description of their dream home includes many of these strategies. We are thrilled to be able to do this type of work as a way to protect you and your family for generations to come.

Emotional Cues and Intense Listening Deliver a Truly Custom Home

by Charles Hendricks | Jan 21, 2026 | architecture, Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Custom Home, Harrisonburg, Harrisonburg Architect, Interior Design, Roanoke, Roanoke Architect

I know that the most successful custom home designs don’t start with a sketch. They start with an open conversation and intense listening to goals, passions, and interests.

While the architectural concept is very important for every project we engage, that vision is not the driving factor if you leave the designer’s ego behind. The best custom homes are developed around our client’s dreams and goals instead. The only way to deliver this type of solution is to move beyond just listening to your clients to a deeper level of hearing, infused with years of experience and knowledge of design thinking. Digging a little deeper into the number of rooms and learning the “why” someone wants something delivers a dream solution. It is not just a kitchen; it is the heart of the home. It is not just a primary bathroom; it is a luxury oasis that allows escape to decompress from the stress of the world.

We search for unspoken pain points and places that make the home flow better. We think through how the space will feel and function and how emotion plays into the design. We listen to how space can facilitate the dream life and use our experience to sculpt a solution into a functional home.

A custom home is an extension of the life our client dreams of living. This has a high emotional investment, and they are asked to be vulnerable to imagine what is possible. While our clients can’t give a clear architectural solution, often them describing what works and doesn’t work in their lives, allows the design to become very evident in our minds.

This work of listening allows us to take emotional cues and dreams and translate them into tangible design elements that frame views, buffer noise, and mix textures. When we show the design sketch and our client’s eyes light up we know we truly heard their dream. The foundation of trust continues to build with each conversation.

Ultimately, our role isn’t just to design a house; it’s to design the home that creates the backdrop for our client’s life story.

Architectural Site Visit: Importance in Design Phase

by Charles Hendricks | Jan 7, 2026 | architecture, Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Commercial Architect, Custom Home, Green Building, Harrisonburg, Lake Monticello, Massanutten Resort, Roanoke

We traveled all over Virginia and West Virginia in 2025 checking out building sites, offering input on project location, collecting data needed for design, and enjoying some incredible views. We love getting out of the office to help your clients better understand their property opportunities. From renovation to new construction, getting to go see the site is a huge benefit when we are designing a custom solution for our clients.

An architect’s presence on-site is crucial for several reasons:

Understanding Topography: Seeing the natural slope and soil conditions firsthand prevents costly structural surprises later.
Capturing Environmental Context: Only by standing on the land can an architect truly map the path of the sun, the direction of prevailing winds, and the unique framing of local views.
Problem Solving in Real-Time: Site visits allow architects to collaborate with contractors, resolving discrepancies between the “perfect” drawing and the physical constraints of the earth.
Learning from Existing Conditions: Having a chance to stand in the space and think through flow, views, structural restrictions, water flow, and opportunities is critical in the design process.

Ultimately, a building doesn’t exist in a vacuum. By immersing themselves in the site, architects ensure the final design is not just a structure, but a thoughtful response to its surroundings. The list is long for all the places we worked this year including Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Roanoke, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Rockingham, Brandywine, Bergton, Fulks Run, Newport News, Portsmouth, Heathsville, Richmond, Crozet, Afton, Lake Monticello, Fluvanna, Augusta, Quicksburg, Lynchburg, Waynesboro, to Staunton.

We are so incredibly lucky to get to work with our clients to develop their dreams at some of the most incredible building sites across the Commonwealth of Virginia and in West Virginia – even when they are a little harder to get down the slope to measure existing conditions…

1. Expanding Our Footprint

We are thrilled to announce a significant milestone in the history of The Gaines Group Architects: the opening of our third office, establishing a dedicated home right in Roanoke, Virginia!

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2. Massanutten Resort Custom Home Almost Finished

This blog post shows off one of our projects from this year near Massanutten Resort! Take a look for some photos of this beautiful property and even some comparisons of our renderings vs. final product!

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3. Welcome to the Team!

We added a few new faces to the Gaines Group team in 2025! You can learn more about everyone here:

Lizzy
Nicole
Lindsey
Isabel
Claude

4. Dogwood Home Renovation Project Update

This blog post features a beautiful renovation project that made this home feel so warm and inviting!

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5. Citizen Architect Awards

In 2025 we were lucky enough to be recognized with a few awards:

-Best Architectural Firm in the Shenandoah Valley Region by Virginia Living Magazine
-#1 Rated Architectural Firm in Virginia by Top Rated Local
-Top Employer for Interns in 2025 by VTOP
-Charles was named one of the Top 100 Architects in the US by Fixr.com

We couldn’t do it without the support of our clients and community!

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