Looking for a new house can be a tiring exercise, endlessly viewing property after property and finding every single one not quite right, lacking something essential or just not having the feeling you're after.

In an effort to get as close as possible to their perfect dream home, many people are choosing to have a property built for them. Taking this route means lots of freedom to tailor the house to your individual requirements, meeting every aspect from the number of rooms to the overall architectural style.

But if you've never had a custom home built before, it can be a bewildering exercise. An architect or home building company will most likely be able to guide you through the process, but it helps to have some solid ideas before you begin. Deciding what style of home you'd like is the perfect start; here are some of the more common ones.

Contemporary

With contemporary homes, the focus is on modern materials and minimalist chic. Within those constraints, there's a much wider scope for variation than there is in other architectural styles. One thing's for sure, though: contemporary buildings really stand out.

If you like the contemporary look, it's a chance to work with a really creative architect and home building team. If you want something imaginative and distinctive, this style is for you.

Art deco

Think of the art styles of the 1920s and '30s, and imagine it in a house. Curves instead of corners, artistic decorative elements, and perhaps even some attractive pastel colours are key with this style. Back in the '30s, art deco was ultra modern; nowadays it has a timeless retro-contemporary charm that will never see it go out of fashion forever.

Georgian

Influenced by the style of 18th-century British homes, the Georgian look is characterised by a bold, symmetrical design, often in classic red brick. This suits large, grand houses and easily achieves a historical appearance.

Queenslander

As the name suggests, this style originated in Queensland and dates back to the middle of the 19th century. Queenslander homes are built from timber and lifted off the ground on stilts. This makes these houses tolerant of flooding.

Victorian

The Victorian period had a variety of different styles, and modern Victorian homes take influence from a mixture of specific ones. They're often tall, thin, and decorated with plenty of ironwork, giving an overall Gothic feel and a sense of grandness to the exterior.

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