Maybe you've been out shopping for a home and you've seen lots of houses you liked, but none of them is just right. The finishes aren't exactly what you had in mind, or the floor plans don't work for the way your family likes to live. You might have thought, "The only way I can get exactly what I want is to build my own home."

Building your own home can mean everything from taking a builder's plan and tweaking it to suit your taste to hiring an architect and working from the ground up.

Christopher Oquendo/Special (ENLARGE)

The kitchen is just one of the rooms customized by the Turners.

Christopher Oquendo/Special (ENLARGE)

Patti and Eddie Turner's home takes advantage of the outdoors.

Christopher Oquendo/Special (ENLARGE)

Melinda McBrayer, with daughter Madison, can board her horses in her neighborhood.

Christopher Oquendo/Special (ENLARGE)

Mirrin and Steve Reagan, with 11-month-old Avery, put in little extras throughout their house to fit their family's needs.

The advantage of buying a home that's already built? You know exactly what you're getting and when you can move in.

The advantage of building your own home? You'll have a home that reflects your own style (at least as much as your pocketbook will allow), as well as meeting your needs precisely.

Let's meet two families who built their own homes this year and one still in the process. Each has taken a different route to creating the home of their dreams.

IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR:

Mirrin and Steve Reagan, with 11-month-old daughter, Avery, have just moved into Decatur's Heritage Ridge subdivision.

What they bought: Four-bedroom, three-bath, two-story Craftsman-style home with formal living and dining rooms, kitchen with breakfast nook and keeping room and a two-car garage.

They got in early: "They had just cleared the land and had staked out the footprint," Steve says. "Each lot had a particular home plan, and because we put in a contract early in the construction, we were able to make some minor modifications." Mirrin adds, "We changed the media room doors to pocket doors, added storage by having shelving built into the wall cavities, had more insulation put into the media room walls, things like that. We were able to choose the granite, flooring stain, exterior and interior colors, everything down to the framing on the mirrors in the bathroom."

Construction started: the beginning of May 2007

They moved in: end of September 2007

Being on-site helped: Steve says, "We were here almost every week as the house was being built. Walking through it as it was being framed, talking to the electricians about where we wanted the electrical switches ... things like that make you feel so comfortable, because you know when you move in the space is going to work just right for you."

Mirrin says, "It pays off in the end. It makes the house more of what you wanted."

The little extras: "Building a home is not an inexpensive venture, so if you're planning to be there, it's worth it to invest in the little extras that make it more your own," Mirrin says. "We added a six-zone house audio system, security system, double shower heads in the master bath, wine fridge in the kitchen and central vacuum system. We haven't had any regrets about the decisions we made in building this house."

The best of both worlds: "We were able to have a hand in creating our home without having to deal with the subcontractors and all those things that make building a home a headache," Mirrin says.

Advice to others: "Really check out the builder. A good builder will make all the difference in the world," says Steve. "We had such a great experience, and that's because we knew our builder really wanted us to like the house."

AT A GLANCE

Heritage Ridge

Address: Brick Lane, Decatur

County: DeKalb

Telephone: 770-992-6380

Web site: www.CooperHomesInc.com

Price range: $500,000's

Number of homes: 10

Square footage: About 3,000 and up

Lot sizes: 1/2 acre

Homeowners fees: $200/ year

Developer/Builder: Cooper Homes Inc.

Broker: Morris & Raper Intown

Schools: McLendon Elementary, Shamrock Middle, Druid Hills High

GETTING THERE

From downtown Atlanta: Take I-20 east to I-285 north. Take Exit 38 (Lawrenceville Hwy.) and turn left, traveling back inside the Perimeter. After 1 mile, make a left on McLendon Road. In another mile you will cross a bridge, the first right is Brick Lane.

A CUSTOM-DESIGNED HOME

When newlyweds Patti and Eddie Turner went house shopping, they looked at a lot of properties, but couldn't find exactly the home they wanted. They did find a neighborhood that appealed to them, so they decided to build a house in Cobb County's River's Call community.

What drew them to the neighborhood: Patti says, "The Chattahoochee National Park surrounds the neighborhood, and that was really appealing. We are both people who enjoy the outdoors, so here was a place where we could enjoy beautiful views and access to this great space."

Choosing a builder and architect: "Eddie and I have both built houses and had our share of good experiences and bad. We had looked at a number of spec houses from Panama Properties and almost bought one, but it didn't have everything we wanted. We talked with their references and we felt really comfortable that they could do a good job for us," says Patti. "They suggested an architect, Tracey Marks, and we just can't say enough wonderful things about her. She spent so much time with us, including just sitting on our property for hours thinking about the views and how to give us the best outdoor experience while shielding us from our neighbors. She had the task of taking our competing ideas and combining them into a home that we love."

What they built: An 8,400-square-foot, three-story home with three bedrooms, five baths and two half-baths. There are six fireplaces, a round dining room and a master suite that includes his-and-hers closets, a spalike shower and his-and-hers toilet rooms. The terrace level is Eddie's "man cave" with a pub bar, wine cellar, billiard room and office overlooking the back terrace.

Interior features include lots of stonework and arches, "wonderful touches that wouldn't be put in a spec house because they're a little more expensive, but for us were well worth it," says Patti.

How long it took: About 18 months with the first six months spent on developing the plans. "We were at the house every day to answer questions, so that helped us get a custom home this size built in just a year," says Patti.

A connection to the outdoors: "Everything opens up to the outside, so it feels very resortlike," says Patti. "We have two fireplaces outside and a waterfall that falls from the upper-level terrace into the pool. We wanted an outdoor space where we could spend our time, weather permitting, and we just love it. It's dramatic and beautiful."

Eddie's advice to others:

•Look at the builder's experience. Get references.

• Be realistic. You've got to look at what you can afford.

• Develop patience. Things don't always come together exactly like you'd like them to.

AT A GLANCE

River's Call

Address: 3400 River's Call Blvd., Atlanta,

County: Cobb

Telephone: 770-955-5770

Web site: www.riverscall.com

Price range: $1.3 million and up

Number of homes: 105

Square footage: 4,800 to over 8,000

Lot sizes: 1/3 to 1/2 acre

Standard features: Each home is custom

Amenities: Guarded community surrounded on 3 sides by the Chattahoochee National Parkland; swimming pool

Homeowners fees: $2,500 annual fee; initiation fee of $1,250

Developer: Cousins Properties Inc.

Builders: Panama Properties Inc.; John LaBarbera Inc.; Calhoun Properties Inc.

Broker: Jenny Pruitt & Associates

Schools: Brumby Elementary, East Cobb Middle, Wheeler High School

GETTING THERE

From downtown Atlanta: Take I-75 north to Windy Hill (east) exit, turn right onto Windy Hill. Turn left onto Powers Ferry. At light, turn right onto Wildwood Parkway. River's Call Subdivision is half a mile down on the left. Sales center is in the entrance guard house with hours 1-5 p.m. daily.

HORSES DREW THEM TO BUILD THEIR DREAM HOME

Melinda McBrayer, IT manager for Siemens Energy and Automation, and Richard McBrayer, president of eVision Consulting, are building a home in Alpharetta's Blue Valley Estates. Their 14-year-old daughter Madison is a student at an Alpharetta Christian school. The family's two horses, Fergie and Zippy, have already moved in. We talked with Melinda about the building process.

It's really a dream come true: My dream was to move into an equestrian community, and when we saw the property, both Richard and I fell in love. When we found it was a Chatham Community, we were sold. They have a great reputation for building distinctive neighborhoods with a focus on family.

The amenities: We bought here because of the facilities for our horses. There's a state-of-the-art 24-stall show barn under the management of Lea Ann Orr, a trainer with 25 years of experience. It's just absolutely the realization of a lifelong dream.

Their home site: We picked out a lot where we would have a view, and nothing could be built behind us. We ended up with about 3 acres. Little River runs through our backyard.

What they're building: Dave Herbert is building our two-story English country farmhouse. We picked out one of his plans and then modified it with his help. When it's finished, we'll have seven bedrooms and 7 1/2 baths.

They started a year ago: We took about five months to work through the plan, and now we've been under construction for about seven months.

Move-in date: We hope to be in the house in March 2008.

Financing: Building a house starts with getting a construction loan. Once the house is done, we'll have a conventional 30-year mortgage. We arranged all our financing at the start.

Advice to others:

• Be sure your loan states a completion date. Otherwise you can be paying for years and not have a home.

• Make sure the lender is checking the progress of the work so the draw is only being taken for work that has been completed. The progress should be documented in photos.

•Pick a builder you can work with. Someone who is flexible and easy to work with will make all the difference.

AT A GLANCE

Blue Valley Estates

Address: 16380 Birmingham Highway, Alpharetta

County: Cherokee/Fulton

Telephone: 770-664-6925

Web site: www.bluevalleyestates.com

Price range: $1,649,000 to $2,485,000

Number of homes: 225

Square footage: 5,500 – 9,345 (first and second levels)

Lot sizes: .94 acre to 5.77 acres

Standard features: Custom built, so every home is different

Amenities: Streetlights, sidewalks, underground utilities, gate, clubhouse, junior Olympic pool, four lighted tennis courts, children's playground, 3 mile equestrian riding trails, 2 1/2 mile walking trail, 112 acres, 24-stall show barn with covered riding area

Homeowners fees: $2,500 initiation/$3,500 dues

Developer: David Chatham

Builder: Seven custom builders

Broker: Legacy Realty

Schools: Summit Hill, Northwestern Middle and Milton High for Fulton County; Macedonia, Creekland Middle and Creekview High for Cherokee

GETTING THERE

From downtown Atlanta: Take I-85 north to Ga. 400 north. Take Exit 9 (Haynes Bridge Road) and turn left. Turn left on Old Milton Parkway. Cross over Ga. 9 to Broadwell and turn right. Broadwell becomes Birmingham Highway. Go through 4-way stop at Birmingham Road and Birmingham Highway. Blue Valley is 1.5 miles on left.