10 Incredible Custom Home Features for Modern Living

When you picture your dream home, what do you see? Working with a residential builder like Colorado Paradise Builders opens up a world of possibilities in unique, amazing custom home features for modern living. Anything is possible. Whether you're building a home from the ground up or remodeling your current home, you can add an array of features to improve your day-to-day life. Here are 10 ideas you can build on when planning your new-build or home remodel. 

1. Custom Home Library 

What more could a bookworm want than a home library and a cozy reading nook? Your builder can easily include shelving to fill with all your favorite books. Even if you’re not an avid reader, built-in shelving is an amazing feature for added storage, decor, and more! 

2. Upstairs Laundry Room

Homes typically have laundry rooms on the lowest level. The problem is that most families store their clothes where their rooms are–upstairs. That’s a lot of lugging heavy laundry baskets around. An upstairs laundry room offers easier access for a far more streamlined chore day. You also get the added benefit of hiding your laundry when you have guests over. 

3. Hidden Room 

Hidden rooms aren’t just a plot twist in a Scooby Doo movie–you can actually build one in your own home! Some homeowners choose to place them behind a bookcase, painting, or under a staircase. You can build a speak-easy style bar, a play area for your child, or a special, secret lounge for relaxing.

4. Custom Home Spa 

Your home should be a relaxing retreat for you to unwind. What better way to do so than by retreating to your very own home spa at the end of a stressful day? There are plenty of ways to elevate your primary bathroom. You can add a rain shower or a spacious tub. If you want to take it up another notch, you can also install your own sauna! Amenities aside, a builder can help you set the exact design to aid in allowing you to unwind in your home spa. 

5. Outdoor Oasis 

Your outdoor living space is another underutilized area you can optimize with your builder. There are several ways to elevate your outdoor space, such as adding a pergola, an outdoor kitchenette, or even including a space for mounting a TV. While we rarely do landscaping as residential builders, we typically maintain connections in that realm to refer you to. 

6. Skylights 

Natural light is a coveted feature. Not every home is in the ideal location for light to stream through its windows because of the direction they face or obstructions such as trees. But including skylights in your renovation or new-build design can give you precious natural light you wouldn’t have otherwise had. Not only will it offer a brighter atmosphere, but it can also aid in energy efficiency by reducing the need for artificial light during the day.

7. Convenient Outlets 

In these modern days, you can never have enough outlets. From our mobile devices to other modern conveniences such as smart home devices, it can be a welcome update to have outlets installed in more places than just your wall. You can choose to install them in drawers, either side of your bed, or where you would mount a TV. 

8. Relaxing Sunroom

Sunrooms are a beautiful, unique addition to your home. They can serve as a place to relax, gather or even work if you turn it into an office space. Sunrooms offer a way to sunbathe in the comfort of your own home. You get all the advantages of an outdoor space while also being sheltered from the elements. 

9. Eco-Friendly Home Updates 

When you build or renovate your home, you can save yourself money by opting for more eco-friendly, energy-efficient alternatives. Any new-build home will already be more efficient than older homes. You can also include smart home integration, solar panels, or energy-efficient insulation to improve your carbon footprint. 

10. Heated Floors 

Nothing is quite as uncomfortable as walking around on ice-cold flooring. If you love the look of wood or tile floors but hate that icy touch under your feet, heated floors might be a good option for you. Your builder can install them throughout the home or in specific areas. It’s a simple upgrade that can vastly improve your day-to-day life. 

Building a Custom Home vs Remodeling Your Home in Northern Colorado 

To build or to remodel–that is always the question. Ultimately, either option can be an avenue to your dream home. But there are certain advantages and drawbacks to both options. Let's explore your options as a Northern Colorado homeowner.

If you choose to build a new home…

Your only limitations when building a new home is your budget and local regulations around building. You can essentially craft your exact vision with the help of a competent, professional builder. When you’re starting from scratch, there are not a lot of barriers to account for. 

One downside of building a home is how long the process can take. You need to account for 7 and 12 months of planning and building time. Additionally, building a home is a hefty investment. In Northern Colorado, the average cost per square foot to build a home ranges from $200 to $400 in 2025. This could mean an overall cost of $400,000 to $800,000 for a 2000 square-foot-home.

If you choose to renovate your home…

Renovating your home means working with the existing structure. Professional builders can work their magic to create an unrecognizable end result, but they are still beholden to the overall layout of your home. This might not lend well to some updates listed above, such as hidden rooms. 

On the other hand, renovations take a lot less time to complete. The exact time frame ranges from project to project, but you can expect a renovation to wrap up in 2 - 12 weeks. Renovations are also more cost-effective than starting fresh with a brand new home. And finally, you get to retain your home -filled with precious shared memories- while customizing it to your tastes. 

Whether you choose to build or you opt to renovate, Colorado Paradise Builders is your partner in residential building from start to finish. We pride ourselves in offering our Northern Colorado neighbors the best value for their dollar when tackling a home build or renovation. Get in touch today to learn more about our services.