Have you ever tried to describe a dream to someone else? It can be pretty tough. You can get close, but it’s hard to capture all the nuances. Homeowners looking to build their dream house sometimes run into the same dilemma. Often homeowners will say something along the lines of, “I don’t know how to describe it, but I’ll know it when I see it!”

Just what does a custom home look like? Isn’t a custom home—by definition—unique? Does it look different from the outside? Is the interior really designed in a way that nobody has ever seen before? Here’s a little test.

Here are images of two Connecticut kitchens—both from Wallingford. After taking a look at both of them, pick out the one that’s included in a custom home.

OK. We’ll admit it. It’s a trick question. Both of these kitchens can be found in custom homes we built in Wallingford. They’re both custom, but they are dramatically different. And that’s the beauty of building a custom home. Do they have similar elements? Sure! But it’s the way that the homeowners expressed their individual taste that makes them distinct. And sometimes what you can’t see in an image like this is how the design of the kitchen is tailored to reflect the way the residents use their kitchens.

Would either of these kitchens match your dream of the perfect custom kitchen? Not exactly. But looking at these two images can help you focus on elements you like—or perhaps want to avoid.

You can do the same thing in other rooms of your dream house. For instance, here’s an image of an entryway in a Wallingford custom home we built. Is this what the entrance to a custom home in Connecticut looks like? Yes! But it may not be the way you envision your entryway looking. Once again, it let’s you look at the elements you’ll have to work with and enables you to think about what you’d do differently to make it reflect your personality.

Allowing homeowners who are considering building a custom home to visualize their dream homes is why we feature a custom homes gallery on our website. You can look at images of actual custom homes in the Wallingford, Meriden, or Middletown areas and use what you see there to communicate your vision and dream to your builder/designer.

What does a Connecticut custom home really look like? With the right communication between you and your builder, it should look like the home of your dreams!