Hardwood or LVP? Quartz or Granite? Choose the Right Long-Lasting Materials for Your Columbia, MO Custom Home Build

Rave Homes • October 7, 2025

What Are the Ideal Materials to Use in a Custom Home? Find Out With Rave Homes, a Veteran in Columbia, MO Home Construction


The time has finally come when you’re ready to design your custom home with a building professional. Once you pick a lot in Columbia and decide on the home’s materials, remember that you are personalizing the space to last for decades, long after you first take the keys. With such an essential build, you can’t dismiss the need for superior finishes and other materials. You deserve to have amazing countertops, floors, paint finishes, landscaping, and more for your mid-Missouri home! If this is your first time building a custom home, your knowledge of the best materials may be limited. Trust the Columbia, MO contractors at Rave Homes to show you examples of modern home design.

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Let us walk you through the most dependable flooring options for a Columbia, MO home


Every step in your new home will be determined by the type of flooring you choose for different rooms. Keep in mind that most houses use different floor types across separate rooms. For example, most bathrooms in Columbia, MO are made with tile, but it’s your choice of the pattern and color you want. As for common areas of the home, hardwood floors are a classic and durable option that brings significant value to the property, reduces allergens, and creates charm. If you want to save your budget for other features, ask your contractor to install luxury vinyl flooring that resembles hardwood and resists moisture! Before you assign a flooring material to a room, consider factors like aesthetics, resilience, foot traffic, and price range. 


Keep your custom home well-lit by picking the best lighting fixtures


You’re building your dream home–make sure you can see it in the perfect light. Some rooms can have moodier light settings for relaxing or winding down for bed, while other spots, like the kitchen and bathroom, could use brighter lighting. The fixtures you choose also make a difference. Chandeliers usually look best in areas where guests visit, but a pendant light fits with just about every room. Ceiling or wall-mounted fixtures, especially sconces, can be installed in hallways and other spaces to add more personality and invite warmth to your custom home in Columbia, MO. Natural light can also be provided by optimizing your windows and allowing sunlight to peek through your most important spaces. 


Customizing your kitchen in Columbia, MO? Make sure you have the right set of cabinets


Your home’s cabinets provide both storage and style, meaning you should be thoughtful about the material you pick. Cabinets can be made with wood, metal, glass, and more, depending on the design. If you proceed using budget-friendly stock cabinets, the material is often composed of medium-density fiberboard or particleboard made with resin and wood chips. Some of these cabinets can also be painted if you feel like updating them. However, semi-custom or custom cabinetry gives you the option to implement more dependable materials, such as furniture-grade plywood and solid wood. With Rave Homes, we can help you decide what best matches your needs for a new home in Columbia, MO. 


Optimize the plumbing fixtures with your custom home contractor in Columbia, MO


Plumbing is a vital utility in your custom home. Many plumbing fixtures exist in your home's bathrooms, including the sinks, shower faucets, toilets, and bathtubs. Your custom kitchen will also need excellent plumbing for the sink and dishwasher. Brass and stainless steel are the two most efficient and long-lasting materials for sink fixtures. Other popular finishes are porcelain and even stone if you’re thinking of a natural look. You can also customize the water pressure and choose a showerhead with the setting you prefer for a better washing experience, whether that’s high, low, or adjustable, so you can find something in between. 


Find a paint color for your walls that will match the style of your new home build 


The colors in your home make a difference, affecting the overall mood and enhancing the rest of the features in a room. It’s not just the shade, either. Paint comes in a range of finishes, from matte to semi-gloss to eggshell. Think of how these colors will look under your ceiling lights or in a room with natural light; if a paint shade looks good in multiple lighting options, you know you’ve found something perfect for your home in Columbia, MO. Cool tones, such as blue and green, convey different feelings and visual effects than warm tones like red or brownish orange.


Consider the final touches of your home’s exterior in Columbia, MO


The outside of your custom home is the first thing you’ll see when pulling into the driveway, and a glimpse of what the inside of your home is like for onlookers. These details should not be chosen carelessly, since many areas, like
your roof, are responsible for protecting the house. Brick, siding, and stucco are all common linings for the sides of your home’s exterior, and with a custom home contractor, you can choose every color and shape that best suits your preferences. The most popular roofing materials in the Columbia, MO area include asphalt shingles, metal, and wood shakes.


For the best curb appeal, upgrade the landscaping outside your Columbia home


Beyond the exterior of a custom home, landscaping is usually located in front of the entrance to add a touch of nature. Garden beds, retaining walls, pergolas, and other outdoor features can become a gorgeous backdrop to the home you’ve built in Columbia, MO, but be mindful of the seasons when taking care of plant life. Different factors like soil quality, sun exposure, and more will play into your landscaping maintenance, so design carefully with a lawn professional.


Your Custom Home Will Be Beautiful Top to Bottom With a Contractor Like Rave Homes! Call for a Quote on Home Construction in Columbia, MO


Do you want a custom home contractor who has access to all the materials you need and will ensure they are installed properly? Get in touch with Rave Homes for a consultation today! We’ve continued a tradition of listening to families and building them a home where they can bond. You give us the outline, and we’ll turn your Columbia, MO home into a reality. Contact Rave Homes!

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