When you're spending several million dollars on a home, you want it to be perfect. That's why luxury homeowner Sharon Gigliotti chose to custom build her dream home, rather than buy an existing property.

"No matter how lovely the house was or how much I really liked it, I always thought it would be better if it had this or that," said Gigliotti, who bought previously-owned homes in the past. "I always felt like it was lacking something."

"If I'm going to spend X amount of money decorating or furnishing a luxury home and will live there for a length of time, I want it to really work for me," said Gigliotti, who lives with her husband, two teenage sons and two dogs in a luxurious 9,000-square-foot home in Knoxville, Tenn.

And real estate agents say many of their luxury clients feel the same way. "You get the floor plan you want; you get the materials and quality you can afford to pay for. If you want a dream home, the only way to get a dream home is to design it yourself," says Judi Starliper of Realty Executives Associates in Knoxville. She says 60 percent of her clients in the $1 million-plus price range have their homes custom built.

Consider these factors when custom building your luxury home:

1. Choose a Site and Builder
2. Calculate Each Detail
3. Build for Function
4. Design to Protect
5. Plan for Resale

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