Whether you choose a ready-made house design, a custom design, or a configurable solution – at MABUDO we take the build off your hands, because our role is to make the design-and-build process as simple as possible. Every ready-made design requires mandatory adaptation, and formalities like the building permit can get complicated; choose our building-permit assistance service and you get comprehensive support regardless of the type of design.
A ready-made house design – who's it for?
A ready-made design from a catalogue is tempting because it's available right away: you choose, you pay, and your dream house becomes real. It's a fast, predictable solution, and it's usually cheaper to buy than a custom design. Instead of starting from a blank page, you get the benefit of a well-thought-out standard design built on experience; ready-made designs often already have reference builds, so you can see how a given layout performs in practice.
In practice, a “ready-made” design isn't quite ready right away – before it can be built on your plot, it needs to be adapted: the adapting architect prepares the site development plan, fits the design to the ground level, and factors in the utility connections and the requirements of the local zoning plan. That's a mandatory legal and technical step. At MABUDO we've developed standard designs optimized for concrete prefabrication – in 9 out of 10 cases it's enough to pick a design from the catalogue and build it exactly as designed, instead of “adapting a ready-made design to the technology”.
A custom design – full fit
A custom design is a completely different path: you don't start from ready-made templates, but build the architectural concept from scratch, together with an architect. It's a house tailored to you – matched to your lifestyle, your plot, your needs and your ambitions, with full freedom over the massing, layout, materials and technology. The architect guides you through the whole process: from the first ideas, through formal approvals, to the complete documentation.
That kind of cooperation, though, takes more time, more patience and a bigger budget, and it comes with more unknowns. If you choose this path, it's worth picking a comprehensive contractor who uses modern technology – at MABUDO we can build your custom design with the precision of concrete prefabrication.
A configurable prefab house – the third way
For years, investors had two options: a ready-made design (fast and cheaper) or a custom one (well fitted, but more expensive and slower). At MABUDO we created the configurable house – a solution that combines the flexibility of customization with the factory precision of prefabrication. The MABUDO Configurator makes it possible: an intuitive tool that lets you pick a design from the catalogue and, in a few steps, adapt it to yourself – change the room layout, the roof, the joinery, the heating system or photovoltaics. It's a house that grows at the pace of your decisions, but with the guarantee of factory precision – and with a price visible right away.
Comparing the approaches to a house design
The three paths differ in time, fit, cost and budget certainty:
| Category | Ready-made design | Custom design | MABUDO configurable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to prepare the design | Short (needs adaptation) | Long (weeks–months) | Fast (ready-made + adjustment in the configurator) |
| Fit to your needs | Limited | Full | Flexible within the technology |
| Design cost | Lowest (base + adaptation) | Highest (from scratch) | Optimal (ready-made + personalization) |
| Risk of errors and delays | Medium | High | Minimal (factory production) |
| Build time | Standard | Long | Short (assembly in a few days) |
| Cost certainty | Medium | Low | High (priced at the configuration stage) |
Choose the path that's right for you
At MABUDO we offer full support for every type of design – ready-made (with full adaptation), custom (with us as your general contractor), or configurable. Our experience shows that configurable concrete prefabrication is the sweet spot: it gives you the uniqueness of a custom design with the guarantee of the timeline and budget that factory precision brings. Whichever path you choose, it comes with certainty of delivery.
FAQ – ready-made, custom or configurable house design: costs and differences
Does a ready-made design need to be adapted, and how much does that cost?
Yes, adaptation is a legal requirement – every ready-made design has to be tailored to the specific plot (ground conditions and the local zoning plan). At MABUDO, adaptation and the paperwork are part of our building-permit assistance service; our architects check the design's compliance with local requirements and carry out the adaptation.
What are the hidden costs of a custom design?
The main ones are: a longer design time (more architect hours and approvals), the cost of revisions arising from approvals, and possible expensive changes during construction, which are riskier and pricier for a design that isn't based on a standardized technology.
What is a MABUDO configurable design?
It's a ready-made catalogue design (e.g. the promotional MAB002 house) that allows flexible modification of elements (floor area, layout, roof type, technology choices) within the precision of concrete prefabrication. It gives you a fit close to a custom design, with the guarantee of quality and cost predictability.
Can I make changes to a configurable design?
Yes. The configurator allows controlled modifications – from the layout of the partition walls to the material and colour of the roof covering. Changes are priced instantly, which removes the risk of an unexpected cost increase.
How does prefabrication technology save you time?
The structural elements are produced in the factory, under controlled conditions. Assembling the finished shell on the building site, walls and floor slabs included, usually takes only a few days, regardless of the weather.
What is the local zoning plan (MPZP) and how does it affect your choice of design?
The local zoning plan is local law that sets out, among other things, the maximum building height, the roof pitch, and even the facade colour. Whatever design you choose has to comply with it without exception.
Does the MABUDO configurator show the final price right away?
The configurator generates a preliminary price for your customized design, based on fixed, factory-set prices for the elements, giving you high cost certainty early in the planning process.
Does a ready-made design guarantee a lower build cost than a MABUDO design?
No. Buying the ready-made design itself is cheaper, but it doesn't guarantee a lower final cost – traditional construction often runs into unforeseen expenses. MABUDO sets out the price and scope in the contract, and factory precision eliminates errors and shortens the work, which translates into budget certainty.