A catalogue house is a residential dwelling chosen from a selection of pre-designed house types offered by a construction company or housing manufacturer. The buyer picks a base model and can make limited customisations to the layout, materials, and finishes.
Design and Process
With a catalogue house, the builder offers a portfolio of standardised designs. Each model comes with a fixed floor plan, facade style, and structural calculation. The designs have already been engineered for building regulations and cost efficiency, allowing the buyer to focus on personalisation rather than starting from scratch.
Typical customisation options include:
- Facade material (brick, timber cladding, render)
- Roof type (gable, flat, hip)
- Internal layout modifications on ground and upper floors
- Kitchen and bathroom specification levels
- Extensions such as bay windows, dormers, or an attached garage
Because catalogue houses rely on standardisation and repetition, builders can offer competitive pricing. Construction times are generally shorter than for fully bespoke architect-designed homes, since the design work is complete and material procurement is streamlined.
The key distinction from a custom-designed home is that architectural freedom is more limited. The distinction from a prefabricated house is that a catalogue house is not necessarily built using prefab methods; it can also be constructed using traditional on-site building techniques.
Application
Catalogue houses are most common in the private residential sector. They offer a middle ground between affordable standard housing and expensive bespoke design. In the Netherlands, Germany, and Scandinavia, catalogue houses are a popular choice for self-builders purchasing individual plots in new housing developments.
They are also used in group self-build projects, where multiple buyers collectively develop a site while each selecting their own catalogue model.
Related terms
- Prefabricated house
- Kit home
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