Custom-built home budget: '2,000 to under 3,000 million yen' tops at 32%. Actual costs 'higher than expected' for about 40% of respondents.

■ Survey on the actual costs and budgets of custom-built homes

Building a custom home is not something one experiences many times in life.

That is precisely why cost and budget planning are major factors that determine the success of your home-building project.

While the high degree of freedom to reflect one's own wishes in floor plans, materials, and equipment is appealing, it can be difficult to grasp the overall cost, and there are many voices saying, 'I ended up over budget before I knew it.'

So, how much budget did people who actually built custom homes anticipate, and what kind of ingenuity did they use to realize their ideal home?

This time, in collaboration with 'IROHA CRAFT', a renovation and custom home builder in Yamanashi, we conducted a survey on 'Costs and Budgets for Custom Homes' targeting 120 men and women nationwide who responded in a preliminary survey that they had built a custom home.

*When citing the content of this press release, please comply with the following:

・State that the source is 'a survey by NEXER Inc. and IROHA CRAFT, a renovation and custom home builder in Yamanashi.'

・Include a link to IROHA CRAFT (https://www.atelier-iroha.com/)

Survey Overview: 'Survey on Costs and Budgets for Custom Homes'

Survey Method: Internet-based questionnaire

Survey Period: May 15, 2026 – May 22, 2026

Survey Target: Men and women nationwide who responded in a preliminary survey that they had built a custom home

Valid Responses: 120 samples

Survey Questions:

Question 1: What was your budget for the building only (excluding land costs) when considering a custom home?

Question 2: How did the actual cost compare to your initial estimate?

Question 3: What measures did you take to realize your ideal home within budget? (Multiple answers allowed)

Question 4: Were there any points where you compromised due to budget constraints? (Multiple answers allowed)

Question 5: Was the estimate provided by the home builder easy to understand?

Question 6: Did price transparency influence your choice of home builder?

Question 7: Please tell us the reason for your answer.

*Note: Percentages are rounded to the second decimal place, so totals may not equal 100%.

■ 32.5% responded with a budget of '2,000 to under 3,000 million yen'

First, we asked respondents how much they had budgeted for the building only (excluding land costs) when building their custom home.

The most common response was '2,000 to under 3,000 million yen' at 32.5%.

This was followed by '1,000 to under 2,000 million yen' at 29.2%, '3,000 to under 4,000 million yen' at 18.3%, and '4,000 to under 5,000 million yen' at 10.8%.

Furthermore, 'Under 1,000 million yen' accounted for 3.3%, and '5,000 million yen or more' accounted for 2.5%.

Over 60% of all respondents had a budget of under 3,000 million yen, indicating that many people were conscious of the 2,000 to 3,000 million yen range as a realistic line.

On the other hand, 3.3% of respondents answered that they 'had not decided clearly,' suggesting that a certain number of people proceeded with construction without a clear budget outlook.

■ 41.7% responded that costs were 'higher than expected'

Next, we asked how the actual costs compared to their initial estimates.

The most common response was 'As expected' at 54.2%, accounting for over half of the respondents.

On the other hand, 41.7% of respondents said costs were 'higher than expected,' while only 4.2% said they were 'lower than expected.'

This means that about 40% of people ended up spending more than their initial estimate.

With custom homes, there are many factors that can inflate the budget, such as increasing preferences during the planning process and fluctuations in material prices.

While over half managed to stay within their estimates, the risk of exceeding the budget is clearly not insignificant.

■ 32.5% responded that they 'set priorities'

Next, we asked about the measures they took to realize their ideal home within budget.

The most common response was 'Set priorities' at 32.5%.

This was followed by 'Reviewed equipment and specifications' at 25.8%, 'Simplified the floor plan' at 20.8%, 'Postponed exterior work and furniture' and 'Utilized subsidies and loans' both at 18.3%, 'Compared estimates from multiple companies' at 14.2%, and 'Other' at 11.7%.

It became clear that deciding 'what is important' first is a basic budget management practice adopted by many people.

Decisions to postpone 'things that don't need to be done now,' such as reviewing equipment and floor plans or delaying exterior work, are also being used as effective measures. Additionally, the use of subsidies and loans accounted for a certain proportion at 18.3%, indicating that people are planning their finances while utilizing these systems.

■ 25.8% compromised on 'interior/design'

Next, we asked about the points where they compromised due to budget constraints.

The most common response was 'Interior/Design' at 25.8%.

This was followed by 'Home equipment' and 'Exterior' both at 23.3%, 'Floor plan' at 18.3%, 'Storage' at 9.2%, 'Insulation/performance' at 8.3%, 'Land conditions' at 5.0%, and 'Other' at 20.0%.

It seems that interior/design and exterior, which are easily visible, are items that are more likely to be compromised.

On the other hand, relatively few people compromised on insulation and performance aspects. This may be because many people find it difficult to cut costs on performance aspects related to comfort and utility bills.

■ 80.8% said the estimate was 'easy to understand'

Next, we asked whether the estimate provided by the home builder was easy to understand.

20.8% said it was 'very easy to understand,' and 60.0% said it was 'somewhat easy to understand,' totaling 80.8% who found it 'easy to understand.' On the other hand, 15.8% found it 'somewhat difficult to understand,' and 3.3% found it 'very difficult to understand.'

80% of all respondents showed a certain level of understanding of the estimates, suggesting that home builders are making progress in providing careful explanations. However, it is also true that about 20% felt the estimates were 'difficult to understand.'

■ 68.3% said price transparency 'influenced' their choice of home builder

Finally, we asked whether price transparency influenced their decision when choosing a home builder.

21.7% said it 'greatly influenced' their decision, and 46.7% said it 'somewhat influenced' their decision, totaling 68.3% who said it 'influenced' their choice. 25.0% said it 'did not influence much,' and 6.7% said it 'did not influence at all.'

We also asked for the reasons why price transparency influenced their choice of home builder. Here are some of the responses:

Reasons why price transparency influenced the choice of home builder:

・Because if the amount differs greatly from the estimate later on, trust in the home builder would be lost. (Male, 60s)

・Because I was worried about the large amount of money when taking out a loan. (Female, 30s)

・After all, to avoid disputes later, clear accounting is the best. (Male, 60s)

・Because it was clear that there would be no additional charges later. (Male, 50s)