Unique Features That'll Make A Custom Built Home Stand Out

While there is charm in buying a historic home like a Queen Anne Victorian or an old bungalow, there is nothing quite like creating a new build. While each home purchase has its pros and cons, one of the benefits of going the new build route is getting to design it to your exact specifications. You won't have to tinker with opening up floor plans or making do with smaller spaces that made sense a century ago, and you can add in all the big and small features that you think will help make your life easier. These features will not only make your day-to-day more convenient and streamlined, but they will also help make your home stand out thanks to its novelty and ingenuity. 

For instance, if you're a young family or one that always has dogs around, baby gates are probably a staple for you. Why mess around with flimsy store-bought models that don't match your aesthetic when you can create custom pocket door gates that get hidden from view when not in use? Or perhaps you and your family love Costco and load up on bulk purchases bi-weekly. While the savings are great, hauling those heavy boxes can be a pain. Luckily, a Costco door that connects your garage to your pantry makes the trip 10x shorter (and easier!) If you're currently drafting your blueprints or are gearing up to find a developer, use this list as inspiration for what you can include. Here are some of the most unique features you can add to your new build plans.

If you're designing a new build home outside of the city, chances are you have a Costco or Sam's Club membership to match your new suburban identity. While it's great to rake in the savings and buy some of your favorite items in bulk, it's a pain to carry in those large groceries indoors — especially if they're heavy, like packs of water bottles. To help streamline the process, install something that is called a "hidden Costco door" in your garage. This is a small door that connects your garage and pantry, allowing you to slide in your bags and boxes directly into the room. It also has a lock on it, negating any security risk fears.

While it might be a genius feature for simplifying unloading groceries, there are a few things to consider before installing one. First, you'll need to know you want one early on so you can create the correct layout while drafting blueprints. Meaning your pantry has to share a wall with the garage in order for this to work. Second, you have to ensure your pantry is large enough before requesting this feature. If it's compact, you might lose valuable cabinet space to include the swinging feature, making it more impractical than helpful. You also might feel tempted to store things temporarily in front of the door since you have minimal space (like those cases of soda or a small appliance you rarely use), which will stop you from using it more often than not. So make sure you have a large enough pantry before requesting the feature.

In 2022, the average American received 64 Amazon packages, as per Capital One. That's a lot of cardboard boxes and mailer envelopes littering your front door, tempting porch pirates. And even though it's now the norm to have doorbell cameras like Ring, that doesn't stop doorstep bandits from testing their luck every now and then. So, if you're one of those people who gets a minimum of a package per week, it would be smart to consider installing an Amazon drop box in your new build. This drop box has a pull-handle opening that doesn't require a key, which allows the delivery person to quickly drop in your package and go. The receiving receptacle is stored in your garage, which allows you to easily get your packages when you come home and park at the end of the day. (This placement also ensures you don't have a large metal box sticking out in your entryway or living room.)

In 2020, during the peak pandemic, there was buzz that "Amazon Rooms" would become the new must-have feature of upscale new builds. These are rooms with passcode access that delivery persons can use to leave your packages. While that felt a little too extravagant for many people, a simple drop box is the toned-down (and more practical) version of that idea. The only downside is that the drop box can only receive envelopes and small packages due to the size constraint of the opening. Larger packages will still have to be left by your front door. 

As the kitchen continues to evolve into the heart of the home, there's a growing trend to make it seem less utilitarian and more like another gathering space, like the living room. That shift has led to a focus on integrating the appliances so they blend in with the cabinetry, making them virtually invisible. Whether that means hiding fridges and dishwashers behind panels or embedding the stovetop and its controls into the counter, the kitchen has become sleeker and more designed than ever. And the walk-in pantry is now getting that same treatment. Instead of a traditional pantry door, entrances are hidden behind matching cabinet doors, creating a cleaner, more symmetrical look. It's the hidden pantry trend that you'll be seeing everywhere.

You can use this design for both small and large pantries alike since you're focusing on building a door that matches your cabinet design. However, you oftentimes see this feature paired with larger butler pantries that not only house all of your dry goods but also small appliances, sinks, and dishwashers. This allows you to keep your counters clutter-free since all the messy work will be contained within the large hidden pantry, further emphasizing how the kitchen is no longer just a workspace — it's a space to gather, entertain, and flex your designer muscles in.

If you're the type of person who enjoys decorating the exterior of your house for Christmas, then do yourself a favor and add under-soffit outlets to your new build. These weather-resistant outlets are installed right under the eaves, giving you a convenient way to plug in your stringed lights without having to drag out long (and unattractive) extension cords. They can also be controlled via light switches inside your home, or be made into a high-tech feature by having it integrated with your smart home system, allowing you to control it from your phone.

To get them installed, you just need to decide how many you need. While you might originally be getting them to make holiday decorating more streamlined, you shouldn't just base your outlet number on string lights. You can use them year-round and hook up things like security systems, speakers for outdoor entertaining, or decorative lighting if you feel like sprucing up your curb appeal. Because of this, it would probably be beneficial to get them around the perimeter of your roofline, ensuring you have several plugs on each side of your house. This ensures you aren't limiting any future needs.

Do you have a furry friend in your family? If so, make sure to add a dog washing station to your blueprints. These are typically found in the mud room at the rear of the house, allowing your muddy or wet dog to jump directly in their shower without tracking dirt throughout. However, if space doesn't allow for a small niche shower in that area, then they are also commonly added to laundry rooms. Both spaces typically have tiled floors and are accustomed to moisture, so wet paws and shaken fur shouldn't affect them much. These stations help save your back since the shower basin is elevated, negating the need to bend over to soap up your pet. There is also a shower head with a hose, allowing you to rinse them down with little fuss.

Much like with Amazon drop boxes, dog washing stations started to become more popular during the pandemic. Not only was there a boom in adopting and fostering pets during the early months of quarantining, but people who already owned dogs had to get creative on how to groom and wash them. Those who wanted more elevated or convenient setups invested in washing stations. To figure out how large your own station should be, first measure your dog. For instance, a washing station for a medium-sized pup should be around 40 inches wide on the inside. For the inside height, you want the wall to be tall enough so the splashing is contained, but not so tall you can't bend over it easily. A foot should be a comfortable amount. As for how high it is from the floor to the basin, that depends on whether you want to stand or kneel and what your own height is.

Another way you can upgrade the experience of having a furry friend is by integrating their feeding station into your kitchen. Rather than having sloppy food bowls permanently out or kibble littering your kitchen floor, you can stash them inside your cabinet's toe kicks. It's a smart custom storage solution to consider for your cabinet design. This works best for pets on a routine feeding schedule rather than those that are allowed to graze kibble throughout the day. That's because the toe kicks are transformed into slide-out drawers, and the bowls are hidden inside those drawers. You can simply slide them out when it's time to eat and then push them back in once meal time is over, hiding them from view. You can also have the drawer design custom built so the bowls are flush in the drawer, making it look even more aesthetically pleasing. 

While this keeps the mess completely out of sight, there is also a less integrated solution if you have a pet that likes to snack throughout the day: adding a niche in the side of your cabinet or island to hold their bowls. Placing their feeding station in this recess not only keeps their bowls off the floor but also hides them partially from view, creating a more streamlined appearance. Plus, it can be designed to match the aesthetic of your kitchen — for instance, if you have white quartz countertops, the alcove can also be covered in the same stone. 

There are a whole host of reasons why you would want gates in your home. Maybe you have always had a dog and want to keep them out of the kitchen while you cook, or prevent them from heading upstairs into the bedrooms. Maybe you're a new parent with little kids toddling around — or you have grandchildren, nieces, or nephews visiting regularly. Whatever the case, if you're building a new home, it's worth considering an upgrade from the flimsy, eyesore gates you're used to and instead getting custom pocket gates. These are an amazing addition for two reasons: the custom design will match the existing banisters in your home, creating a streamlined look, and the pocket construction keeps them completely out of sight when you don't need them, creating convenience. 

To have these included in your design, you will need to add them to your plans prior to the framing process. That's because the builders will need to include the pocket niches in the walls where the gates can smoothly glide into. One popular brand you can suggest to your builder or architect to look into is Hideagate, which comes with a pre-built frame. They have gates that span openings that are 32", 36", 42", and 48" wide. However, they only come in one design. If you want something to match your own banisters, ask your developer to create the pocket door niches and then hire a contractor or stair maker to custom-build the gates.

Having cluttered kitchen countertops with loads of small appliances on display is a thing of the past. Nowadays, people want their kitchens to be statement pieces, and that means keeping them clear of any utilitarian gadgets. But hiding things you constantly use inside cabinets is cumbersome. No one wants to take out the toaster and plug it in multiple times a day. Or worse, lug out the heavy air fryer each evening, straining your back. An easy workaround to this predicament is installing an appliance garage in your kitchen with outlets and pullout drawers. 

The outlets allow all of your appliances to be plugged in and ready to use, allowing you to open the cabinet and use them like you would when they were displayed on your countertops. However, it could feel cramped trying to open a crock pot lid inside a cabinet, which is where the pullout drawers come in. They slide out from the confines of the cabinet, allowing you to use them out in the open. This also helps you protect the integrity of the cabinet itself since you don't want things like steam or extreme heat hitting the tops of the shelves or the back of the cavity.

Depending on where you live, there are different minimum requirements for how many hose bibs each house should have. However, it's most common for there to be two frost-proof spigots — one at the front and one at the back of the house. But many people opt to add extra when building a new home, often putting one on each side of the house. This allows there to be a hose at every corner, negating the need to drag heavy rubber just to water your plants or douse your grass. But while convenient, it might not be the most aesthetically pleasing. Having plumbing poking out of the side of your house can be an eyesore, but recessed hose bibs can solve that problem. They're installed flush with your interior wall, and a cap covers the feature. When you want to hook up your hose, simply flip the cap open and pop it into the hole provided. Simply push the hose in and twist it. And that's it — no more dripping brass faucets to throw off the look of your exterior.

Aquor sells such recessed bibs, and they have a few options to choose from. You can either choose a round or square shape, with the round option being less conspicuous thanks to its small footprint. You can also choose between a matte black stainless steel, chrome stainless steel, or gray polymer option, depending on what would match the aesthetic of your new build more.

Welcome mats are one of those necessary evils in home design. They're not very aesthetically pleasing, but they're necessary to capture any dirt or water when coming in from the outside. However, you can make the accessory look more elevated by getting a built-in version in your entryway. Rather than having the mat slip around or go askew at the slightest of nudges, you can have it permanently housed in a recess, flush against your flooring. Try using this entryway feature for a more streamlined look.

Your developer will need to make a recess in your subfloor to match the dimensions of your mat. While you can do this with wooden or LVP flooring, it will look especially striking with a tiled entryway. That's because you can create a contrasting trim around the mat, making it feel more designed and intentional. As for the mat itself, simply get coir matting and cut it down to size for your particular niche, such as the Peater Coir Mat. If you're worried about dirt and debris getting into the niche, you can simply lift the mat and vacuum out any that has accumulated, making it a simple enough task.

Do you struggle with keeping dirty clothes off of your bedroom floor? Or do you hate wheeling heavy laundry baskets from your bedroom to the laundry room, so much so that you put off doing the chore? Remove that step from your routine completely by installing a laundry basket in your primary closet that connects directly to the laundry room. However, this is no ordinary basket. Instead, it's a discreet drawer in your closet, and when you pull it open it reveals a cavity that is roughly the same size as a traditional hamper. This helps it blend in with the shelving and cabinetry in your wardrobe while also trapping odors that could result from a week's worth of used clothes. (After all, no one wants their fresh, hanging clothes affected by that unwanted smell.) 

When you go to the laundry room, the setup is similar. The receiving "hamper" is also a deep drawer in the laundry room's cabinet system, and when you pull it open it reveals the laundry contents. This is not only inconspicuous but streamlined. When you walk into your laundry room, you aren't met with baskets of overflowing dirty clothes. It's hidden from sight. To pull off this feature, you will need to incorporate it while drafting your blueprints. That's because your primary closet needs to share a wall with your laundry room in order for this to work. You can also install a two-drawer system for the ultimate laundry convenience — one for dirty clothes being sent by the primary closet and one for clean clothes being delivered by the laundry room.