Inside Buckland Homes: Building a Custom Home in Omaha

Building a new home in Omaha is exciting, but it can also get overwhelming in a hurry. There are lots to choose, plans to consider, appliances to pick, budgets to protect, and a whole lot of decisions that most of us do not think about until we are suddenly faced with them.

The builder matters just as much as the house. A home can look great in photos, but the real question is whether the builder puts care into the details, communicates through the process, and can help turn a collection of ideas into a home that actually works for our day-to-day life.

Buckland Homes is a smaller custom builder serving Omaha and the surrounding area. Their approach is not about turning out dozens and dozens of identical houses. It is about building roughly 10 to 20 homes a year, staying involved in the work, and giving buyers flexibility to make the house fit the way they live.

Table of Contents

• What Sets Buckland Homes Apart
• Where Buckland Homes Builds in Omaha
• What Does a Custom Home in Omaha Cost?
• The First Steps to Building a Custom Home
• How Long Does a Custom Home Take to Build?
• Planning Around the Sale of Our Current Home
• Custom Features Buyers Ask for Most Often
• Outdoor Living and Exterior Details
• Warranty, Contracts, and Working With Buyer Agents
• What the Omaha New Construction Market Looks Like
• A Practical Custom Home Checklist

What Sets Buckland Homes Apart

Mark, the builder behind Buckland Homes, has been in the construction industry for around 30 years. He started out framing homes after high school and eventually decided to build homes under his own name. That hands-on background shows up in the way Buckland approaches construction.

This is not a high-volume builder building 50 or more homes per year. Mark stays personally involved in the projects, still wears a tool belt, and works directly in many of the homes. That level of involvement matters because it gives the builder a closer eye on quality and on the little details that can get overlooked when everything is passed down a long chain of subcontractors.

Those smaller details show up throughout the homes. We are talking about things like finished pantry shelving instead of basic wire racks, painted and insulated garages, ceiling details, stone accents around exterior columns, soft-close drawers, and thoughtful places to hide TV and internet wiring.

Those are not always the flashy things that grab attention first. But they are often the things that make a home feel more finished once we have lived in it for a while.

Where Buckland Homes Builds in Omaha

Buckland Homes can build throughout Omaha and the surrounding communities, including Gretna, Bennington, and Elkhorn. A lot of their current activity has been in Gretna, where growth has been moving at a pretty wild pace.

Communities discussed include South Streams, Magnolia, Highland Trails, Gunther Ridge, and other areas where suitable lots are available. Buckland can work with lots they already control, help locate a lot in a desired school district or neighborhood, and sometimes work out a lot purchase or trade with another builder.

That is helpful because location is not something we can fix later. We can update cabinets, paint, flooring, or a light fixture. We cannot move the house once it is built.

Lot Selection Is a Major Decision

When we are building a custom home, it is easy to get focused on countertops, cabinets, and floor plans. But the lot has a huge impact on both daily life and future resale value.

A few things worth considering before committing to a lot include:

• Whether the home backs to trees, open space, or other houses
• The school district and its long-term appeal
• The position of the home relative to morning and afternoon sun
• Whether a north-facing driveway could make snow and ice cleanup more difficult
• How much sun the back patio or covered deck will receive in the afternoon
• Lot width, especially if we want a larger garage, tandem bay, or boat storage
• Neighborhood covenants and future HOA requirements

A lot backing to trees or without direct rear neighbors is generally harder to find because a lot of buyers want that privacy. On the other hand, a lot with a great location may require us to adjust the plan, garage layout, or outdoor space to make everything fit.

What Does a Custom Home in Omaha Cost?

Pricing will vary based on the lot, plan, finishes, basement, garage size, and exterior features. Buckland Homes generally builds from the mid-$500,000s to more than $1 million.

The examples discussed in Gretna help show what that can look like. One ranch-style home in Highland Trails was listed at $625,000 with a finished basement, five bedrooms, and three bedrooms on the main level. Another home in Gunther Ridge was listed around $640,000, with five bedrooms, three bathrooms, about 1,800 finished square feet on the main level, and approximately 3,100 finished square feet overall.

For the Gunther Ridge example, the home itself without the lot was estimated in the neighborhood of $585,000. That is a good reminder that the lot is not just an afterthought. It is a real piece of the budget.

We also need to be realistic about features that add cost. A walkout basement, finished lower level, expanded patio, covered deck, custom stair access from a deck, larger garage, and upgraded outdoor spaces can all change the final number.

The First Steps to Building a Custom Home

The first thing we should do is get the right people around us early. Building a home is not a process where we want to guess our way through the decisions.

1. Work With an Experienced Real Estate Agent

An agent who understands new construction can help us compare builders, evaluate lots, understand contracts, coordinate the sale of an existing home, and keep an eye on the big picture. It is reasonable to interview agents and ask whether they have helped clients through custom construction before.

A good agent should not simply point us toward a model home. They should help us understand what is included, what costs extra, how the process works, and how our current home fits into the plan.

2. Get Pre-Approved for a Construction Loan

Before falling in love with a plan, we need to understand the budget. Construction loan pre-approval gives us a realistic starting point and helps prevent the painful situation where we choose a home, price it out, and discover it is well beyond what we intended to spend.

Custom homes have a lot of choices. That is the fun part, but it is also where costs can move quickly. Knowing the budget up front gives us a framework for making decisions without losing sight of the bottom line.

3. Choose the Lot and Plan Together

We should not treat the lot and floor plan as totally separate decisions. The lot may influence whether we can add a fourth garage bay, build a tandem garage, include a walkout basement, create a covered deck, or orient the patio away from intense afternoon sun.

Buckland can work from existing plans for buyers who like a home mostly as-is and only want a few adjustments. That might mean adding a tub, changing a bathroom layout, or including dual vanities. For buyers with their own plans or a more specific vision, the home can be fully customized.

How Long Does a Custom Home Take to Build?

Once a lot is selected, permits are pulled, and the project is ready to move forward, Buckland Homes estimates about six to seven months for construction. That is quicker than the 10 to 12 months many people expect for a custom build.

That timeline is still dependent on a few important factors. Weather can delay exterior work such as painting, sod, and other finishing tasks. Materials and schedules matter, too. But one of the biggest factors is whether buyers make their selections on time.

Cabinet styles, counters, flooring, appliances, tile, lighting, fixtures, and paint colors can become a lot. If selections are delayed, the build can be delayed right along with them.

It is easy to underestimate how many choices go into a custom home. At a cabinetry appointment alone, there may be decisions about door profiles, edge details, finish colors, hardware, layout, and storage. A production builder may limit choices to a few packages. A custom builder offers more flexibility, but that flexibility comes with more decisions.

Planning Around the Sale of Our Current Home

For many move-up buyers, the tricky part is coordinating the sale of the current home with the completion of the new one. The first step is knowing the value of the existing home and how much equity may be available to put toward the new build.

Buckland generally does not require a buyer to list the current home immediately if there is a home-sale contingency. Instead, the timing may be closer to four months before the projected completion of the new home. The goal is to get the current home sold and closed in time for the new construction to be ready.

Still, we need a backup plan. Construction schedules can shift. Weather happens. A delay in one trade can affect the next several steps. A perfectly timed move is possible, but it should never be treated as guaranteed.

A practical plan might include thinking through temporary housing, storage, lease flexibility, or a short post-closing possession agreement if the situation calls for it. The better we prepare for the timing puzzle, the less stressful the process becomes.

Custom Features Buyers Ask for Most Often

Every household is different, but a few upgrades come up again and again. The most common areas where buyers spend more tend to be the garage, kitchen, bathrooms, and entertaining spaces.

Garages Built for Real Life

A three-car garage is great, but many buyers want more functional space. A tandem bay can create room for a lawn mower, woodworking area, extra storage, another vehicle, or that fishing boat that otherwise ends up sitting outside.

Depending on the lot, buyers may be able to extend a garage, add a larger fourth bay, or create a layout that reaches through toward the back of the property.

Buckland also finishes garages beyond bare drywall by insulating, drywalling, and painting them. Buyers can add extra outlets and tailor the space for the way they intend to use it.

Kitchens That Become the Center of the House

Kitchen upgrades are a common place to invest because that is where people gather. Features discussed in the Gretna homes included custom cabinetry, quartz counters, gas cooking, detailed backsplashes, and a waterfall island where the quartz runs down both sides of the island.

One key planning point is to select appliances early. If we want an extra-wide refrigerator, specific oven configuration, or another specialty appliance, cabinetry needs to be designed around the dimensions. That is much easier to handle before cabinets are ordered than after everything is installed.

Bathrooms Based on Personal Preference

Bathrooms are another place where customization makes a difference. Some buyers want a freestanding tub. Others would never use one and would rather put that square footage into a larger tiled walk-in shower. Some families want dual vanities in secondary bathrooms, while others prefer extra storage.

There is no universal right answer. The goal is to build for how we live, not simply for a feature list someone else says we should have.

Storage, Drop Zones, and Flexible Rooms

Small functional spaces can make a big impact. A drop zone near the garage entry gives backpacks, shoes, coats, and everyday clutter a place to land. Laundry can be positioned off the garage and separated by a pocket door, making it easier to close off the mess when company is over.

Pantries can include finished wood shelving, trim details, and outlets for small appliances such as a coffee maker. Those details make a pantry feel like part of the home rather than a storage closet that was barely thought through.

In the lower level, a flex room can serve as a workout area, playroom, office, media room, storage room, or an additional bedroom if a closet is included. A good flex space gives us room to adjust as life changes.

Lower-Level Entertaining Space

Finished basements often include a wet bar with custom cabinetry, sink space, room for a beverage refrigerator, and the option to add an island. These spaces are popular because they create another area for hosting without taking over the main kitchen.

Outdoor Living and Exterior Details

Covered decks or patios are included on basically all of Buckland’s homes, with a ceiling fan and lighting. In the examples discussed, one home featured a composite deck, while another had a stamped concrete patio.

Composite decking can be appealing because it requires less maintenance than a traditional wood deck that must be maintained and stained over time. Buyers can also ask about adding stairs from the deck to the yard. That can be especially useful for pets, though families with young children may prefer the added safety of not having open stair access.

On the exterior, stone accents around deck pillars and other architectural details give the homes a more finished appearance. These are the kinds of touches that help distinguish a smaller custom builder from a basic production build.

Warranty, Contracts, and Working With Buyer Agents

Buckland Homes provides a one-year builder warranty and a 10-year foundation warranty. That adds some peace of mind for buyers moving into new construction.

Buckland also works with buyer agents. For a full custom home, the builder uses its own contract because of the amount of detail involved in the construction process. For a completed spec home, the purchase is generally handled with a standard purchase agreement.

That is another reason to bring an experienced agent in early. Custom home contracts, allowances, timelines, selections, and contingencies deserve a close look before we sign anything.

What the Omaha New Construction Market Looks Like

New construction activity depends heavily on price point. In the Omaha market discussed here, homes in the $200,000 to $500,000 range were still moving quickly. Homes around $550,000 and above were taking more time.

That does not mean the higher-end market is not active. It simply means buyers at that price point tend to compare more carefully. They may visit several builders, look at multiple open houses, and take more time to decide which builder gives them the right combination of location, quality, layout, and value.

That comparison is exactly what we should do. A custom home is a major purchase, and it is worth paying attention to the details that may not appear on a quick online listing. Look at how cabinetry is finished. Look inside the garage. Look at pantry shelving, ceiling details, deck construction, outdoor columns, wiring, trim, and the way spaces function.

The details add up.

Thinking About Buying a Custom Home?

The details matter, and having the right guidance can make a big difference when comparing custom homes. Call me at 402-490-6771  to talk through your options, ask the right questions, and find a home that’s worth the investment.

A Practical Custom Home Checklist

Before moving ahead with a new construction home in Omaha, we should have clear answers to these questions:

• What is our total budget, including the lot, upgrades, landscaping, and outdoor features?
• Have we been pre-approved for the right type of construction financing?
• Does the lot fit our priorities for privacy, sunlight, school district, and resale?
• Which features are must-haves, and which are nice-to-haves?
• Are our desired appliances selected early enough for cabinetry planning?
• What is the estimated build timeline, and what could affect it?
• How will we handle the sale of our current home?
• What warranties are included?
• Who will help us review the builder contract and coordinate the process?

A custom home should not be about choosing the most upgrades possible. It should be about making intentional choices. A well-planned home can give us the garage space we actually need, a kitchen designed for the way we gather, a lower level that works for the family, and a location that holds value for years to come.