About 46% Respond That Custom Home Costs 'Exceeded Budget.' 'Exterior Work,' 'Additional Options,' and 'Curtains/Lighting' Top the List of Unexpected Expenses
A survey by NEXER and Deccs found that 46.6% of custom home buyers exceeded their budget, primarily due to building costs, exterior work, and optional upgrades.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 09:56 (95h 24m after Collected)
■ Survey on 'Cost Consciousness' of Custom Homes
While custom homes allow for freedom in choosing layouts and equipment, it is not uncommon for costs to swell beyond expectations. Expenses that are difficult to anticipate at the estimate stage, such as exterior work and optional equipment, can arise later in addition to the main building itself.
What kind of cost consciousness did people who actually built a custom home have when approaching the home-building process?
Therefore, in collaboration with Deccs Inc., we conducted a questionnaire on 'cost consciousness of custom homes' targeting 159 men and women nationwide who answered 'I have purchased a custom home' in a preliminary survey.
* When quoting the content of this press release, please include the following:
- A statement that the source is a 'Survey by NEXER Inc. and Deccs Inc.'
- A link to Deccs Inc. (https://deccs.co.jp/)
'Questionnaire on Cost Consciousness of Custom Homes' Survey Overview
Survey method: Internet questionnaire
Survey period: March 10 - March 23, 2026
Survey target: Men and women nationwide who answered 'I have purchased a custom home' in a preliminary survey
Valid responses: 159 samples
Questions:
Question 1: What was your budget for the house alone, excluding the land at the time of purchase?
Question 2: How were the actual costs compared to your initial budget?
Question 3: Which item cost the most among your house purchase expenses?
Question 4: Please tell us the reason. *For 'Other', please also tell us the item that cost the most.
Question 5: Were there any 'unexpected expenses' that arose after purchasing the house?
Question 6: Please select all 'unexpected expenses' that arose after purchasing the house. (Multiple choice allowed)
Question 7: How much did you prioritize 'cost performance (balance of price and quality)' when choosing a housing company?
Question 8: Specifically, on what points did you judge this?
* In principle, numbers are rounded to the first decimal place, so the total may not equal 100%.
■ 37.1% responded that their budget for the house alone was '20 million to 29.99 million yen'
First, we investigated the initial budget for the house alone, excluding the land.
The most common answer was '20 million to 29.99 million yen' at 37.1%.
This was followed by 'Under 20 million yen' at 30.2%, '30 million to 39.99 million yen' at 20.1%, '40 million to 49.99 million yen' at 9.4%, and '50 million yen or more' at 3.1%.
Approximately 70% of the total built a house with a budget of under 30 million yen, suggesting a strong rooted need to keep budgets low even for custom homes.
■ 46.6% responded that the actual costs 'exceeded the budget'
Next, we asked how the actual costs compared to the initial budget.
49.1% of respondents answered that it 'stayed within budget,' indicating that about half were able to build their house as planned. On the other hand, 40.3% said it 'slightly exceeded the budget' and 6.3% said it 'greatly exceeded the budget,' meaning a combined 46.6% experienced going over budget.
■ 67.3% responded that the item costing the most was the 'building itself'
Next, we asked which item cost the most among the house purchase expenses.
The overwhelming majority was the 'building itself' at 67.3%.
This was followed by 'land' at 19.5%, 'exterior work' at 6.9%, 'equipment options' at 5.0%, and 'other' at 1.3%.
Here are some of the reasons given for the answers.
Respondents who answered 'Building itself'
- If you stick to your preferences, you exceed the budget. (Male, 30s)
- Because I packed in all my wishes. (Female, 30s)
- It was in a suburban area of a city, so the land was a bit cheaper, but we spent money on things like earthquake-resistant equipment. (Male, 40s)
Respondents who answered 'Land'
- The land was more expensive than I thought. (Female, 30s)
- The area I wanted to live in was expensive. (Male, 40s)
- Because we purchased a location with good placement. (Female, 50s)
While custom homes allow for freedom in choosing layouts and equipment, it is not uncommon for costs to swell beyond expectations. Expenses that are difficult to anticipate at the estimate stage, such as exterior work and optional equipment, can arise later in addition to the main building itself.
What kind of cost consciousness did people who actually built a custom home have when approaching the home-building process?
Therefore, in collaboration with Deccs Inc., we conducted a questionnaire on 'cost consciousness of custom homes' targeting 159 men and women nationwide who answered 'I have purchased a custom home' in a preliminary survey.
* When quoting the content of this press release, please include the following:
- A statement that the source is a 'Survey by NEXER Inc. and Deccs Inc.'
- A link to Deccs Inc. (https://deccs.co.jp/)
'Questionnaire on Cost Consciousness of Custom Homes' Survey Overview
Survey method: Internet questionnaire
Survey period: March 10 - March 23, 2026
Survey target: Men and women nationwide who answered 'I have purchased a custom home' in a preliminary survey
Valid responses: 159 samples
Questions:
Question 1: What was your budget for the house alone, excluding the land at the time of purchase?
Question 2: How were the actual costs compared to your initial budget?
Question 3: Which item cost the most among your house purchase expenses?
Question 4: Please tell us the reason. *For 'Other', please also tell us the item that cost the most.
Question 5: Were there any 'unexpected expenses' that arose after purchasing the house?
Question 6: Please select all 'unexpected expenses' that arose after purchasing the house. (Multiple choice allowed)
Question 7: How much did you prioritize 'cost performance (balance of price and quality)' when choosing a housing company?
Question 8: Specifically, on what points did you judge this?
* In principle, numbers are rounded to the first decimal place, so the total may not equal 100%.
■ 37.1% responded that their budget for the house alone was '20 million to 29.99 million yen'
First, we investigated the initial budget for the house alone, excluding the land.
The most common answer was '20 million to 29.99 million yen' at 37.1%.
This was followed by 'Under 20 million yen' at 30.2%, '30 million to 39.99 million yen' at 20.1%, '40 million to 49.99 million yen' at 9.4%, and '50 million yen or more' at 3.1%.
Approximately 70% of the total built a house with a budget of under 30 million yen, suggesting a strong rooted need to keep budgets low even for custom homes.
■ 46.6% responded that the actual costs 'exceeded the budget'
Next, we asked how the actual costs compared to the initial budget.
49.1% of respondents answered that it 'stayed within budget,' indicating that about half were able to build their house as planned. On the other hand, 40.3% said it 'slightly exceeded the budget' and 6.3% said it 'greatly exceeded the budget,' meaning a combined 46.6% experienced going over budget.
■ 67.3% responded that the item costing the most was the 'building itself'
Next, we asked which item cost the most among the house purchase expenses.
The overwhelming majority was the 'building itself' at 67.3%.
This was followed by 'land' at 19.5%, 'exterior work' at 6.9%, 'equipment options' at 5.0%, and 'other' at 1.3%.
Here are some of the reasons given for the answers.
Respondents who answered 'Building itself'
- If you stick to your preferences, you exceed the budget. (Male, 30s)
- Because I packed in all my wishes. (Female, 30s)
- It was in a suburban area of a city, so the land was a bit cheaper, but we spent money on things like earthquake-resistant equipment. (Male, 40s)
Respondents who answered 'Land'
- The land was more expensive than I thought. (Female, 30s)
- The area I wanted to live in was expensive. (Male, 40s)
- Because we purchased a location with good placement. (Female, 50s)