Perry Homes Customization Options: Structural Choices vs. Design Upgrades
Perry Homes customization options fall into two distinct categories—structural changes that affect the home's framework and layout, and design upgrades that affect finishes within the existing structure. Understanding that distinction is the foundation for navigating the personalization process effectively, since the two categories follow different rules, different timelines, and different levels of flexibility.
"Structural changes include anything that affects the home's layout or framework—like framing, roofing, or plan options that modify the layout. Design upgrades, on the other hand, are selections within the home, such as cabinets or hood vents, where buyers are choosing finishes rather than changing the structure," explains Simmi Kaur, Perry Homes' Partner Operations Manager for Selections.
Here's how that distinction plays out in practice, and what buyers should know before their design center appointments. Explore Perry Homes' design centers and build your home process to see these options firsthand.
Key Takeaways
- Structural changes affect framing, layout, and plan options; design upgrades affect finishes.
- Both structural and design selections must be finalized by the buyer's second design appointment.
- Community guidelines, permits, and lot requirements shape which options are actually available.
- Standard inclusions vary by community and amenity package—nothing is universal across all homes.
What Counts as a Structural Change
Structural changes are modifications that affect the physical framework or layout of the home—the kind of changes that require engineering review and, in many cases, must be incorporated before framing begins.
According to Kaur, structural changes encompass "anything that's changing… just the structure of the homes, like framing, roof, like all of that would be more structural and in plan options."
This category also includes formal plan options that Perry Homes has pre-engineered for a given floor plan—additions like a fifth bedroom and bathroom, or in some cases a mother-in-law suite, that change the layout in ways the builder has already approved and accounted for structurally.
Beyond pre-approved plan options, buyers sometimes request more individualized structural changes—removing a window, relocating a fireplace, removing an interior wall, or adding a door between rooms.
Kaur notes that Perry Homes evaluates these case by case: "Sometimes people want to move their fireplace... that's like more structural things that depending on the where like we wouldn't allow."
The deciding factor is always whether the change affects the home's core structural integrity. As she puts it plainly, "If this is changing like major framing or roofing, we're not going to allow it."
What Counts as a Design Upgrade
Design upgrades sit on the other side of the line—they involve selections within the home's existing structure rather than changes to the structure itself. As Kaur explains, "Design is usually something that they can change or like to make a selection for. So like a hood vent selection, a cabinet selection. It's things that are already in the home that they're just able to choose finishes for.”
This category covers the bulk of what buyers experience during their design center appointments: flooring, cabinetry style and finish, countertops, plumbing fixtures, lighting packages, and exterior material and color combinations.
Design upgrades don't require structural engineering review because they don't change the home's footprint, framing, or roofline—they change how the existing structure looks and functions on the surface.
For most buyers, this is where the bulk of personal taste and lifestyle priorities get expressed, since these selections are typically more flexible and have a wider range of available options than structural changes.
When Customization Decisions Need to Be Made
Timing matters significantly in the customization process, and buyers who understand the decision-making window in advance avoid the stress of rushed, last-minute selections.
According to Kaur, "Both structural and design selections need to be finalized before the home is released for construction." In practical terms, that means buyers typically need to complete these decisions by their second design center appointment.
The reasoning behind this timeline is straightforward: once a home moves into the construction release phase, decisions need to be locked so the building team can execute without delay. As
Kaur describes it, "Everything should have been caught before we start the process… Everything's already finalized and now we're going to go and execute for them." After finalizing selections, buyers sign off and submit their deposit, which triggers the formal release of the home into the construction queue.
This timeline underscores why early, decisive engagement with the design process matters. Buyers who take longer to finalize selections risk delaying their own construction start, since the building team can't move forward with material ordering and scheduling until structural and design decisions are locked in.
How Floor Plan and Lot Limitations Affect Options
Not every customization option is available on every home, and the reasons go beyond simple builder preference. Community guidelines, municipal permits, and lot-specific requirements all shape which structural and design options are actually on the table for a given home.
As Kaur explains, "If something is not allowed in a community or if something isn't supposed to be there… community guidelines or like a permit would affect like the structure… that's kind of where we would draw the line."
Lot and community-specific requirements can include things like mandated garage styles or restrictions on certain elevations. "Certain lots or certain communities have garage requirements… or like particular elevations," Kaur notes. Rather than presenting buyers with options that ultimately aren't permitted and then having to walk them back, Perry Homes filters the menu upfront: "We cater and show like, 'hey, for this community, this is like what we offer' and then they can pick through that."
This approach is intentional, and it serves buyers well in practice. By presenting only the options that are genuinely available for a specific lot and community from the start, buyers avoid the frustration of falling in love with a feature only to learn later that local permitting or HOA rules rule it out. It also helps keep construction timelines on track, since pre-vetted options don't introduce engineering or compliance delays mid-build.
What's Typically Standard vs. Upgrade
One of the more nuanced realities of new home customization is that "standard" isn't a fixed, universal concept—it varies by community, by builder brand, and even by price tier within the same market.
Kaur is direct about this complexity: "What's considered standard can vary by community and package level. Different communities offer different included features, so what's standard in one location may be an upgrade in another."
Perry Homes organizes this through tiered amenity packages that vary by community. As Kaur describes it, "There's different packages. So a community could be a base level, a CL1, CL2, basically a level one, level 2. And then within those different packages, we have different items that are included as standard." A feature that's included at no extra cost in one community or builder brand might be a paid upgrade in another, depending on the local market, price point, and community positioning.
The practical implication for buyers is that assumptions about "standard" features should always be confirmed directly for the specific community and plan under consideration—not based on what a friend or family member experienced in a different Perry Homes community, even one nearby.
How Buyers Should Prioritize Customization Decisions
With dozens of decisions to make across structural options, plan features, and finish selections, buyers benefit significantly from a clear approach to prioritization rather than trying to maximize every available upgrade. Perry Homes' design center team plays an active role in this process.
According to Kaur, "Our designers help and guide the buyers. They have recommendations… they see something is trending or more popular," and they're equipped to help buyers think through "what value do they have for a particular item" when priorities aren't immediately clear.
A meaningful part of this guidance comes from understanding how each buyer actually intends to use their home. "They do a good job of trying to understand what is important to the buyer," Kaur explains. "Some people, the kitchen is their focal point… some people like to entertain."
Perry Homes' design teams gather this context partly through pre-appointment information, helping designers tailor each session to the buyer's actual priorities rather than presenting a generic menu. As Kaur summarizes, "They try to tailor each design center appointment to their buyer… what they would need, what they want."
For buyers preparing for their own design center appointments, the most effective approach mirrors this same logic: identify which one or two areas of the home matter most—whether that's the kitchen, a home office, outdoor living space, or bathroom finishes—and concentrate upgrade spending there rather than spreading a budget thin across every available option.
Customization at Perry Homes: Production Quality, Personalized Fit
Perry Homes operates as a production builder, but the customization process is designed to give buyers genuine influence over their home within that framework. As Kaur puts it, "We're definitely a production builder, but we do try to help them… in our selection program, being able to give them a unique fit that fits them."
That balance—structural and design options that are clearly defined, professionally guided, and tailored to lot and community requirements—gives buyers a personalization experience that's both meaningful and realistic.
Explore available new homes and move-in ready options across Perry Homes communities, and connect with Perry Homes to start your own customization journey with a design team that tailors the process to you.