Experts say the typical new home in 2010 will have more than 2,200 square feet, three or more bedrooms, three bathrooms and a universal design to allow aging in place. The future homes will also have added amenities making them more comfortable, more energy efficient and safer. Yet, the experts believe, the overall appearance will not be very different from today's new homes. That's according to the National Association of Home Builders' Housing Facts, Figures and Trends Survey.

But what if you don't want the typical new home? What if your vision is of something that is unique and unusual even in the traditional colonial and rancher world of Baltimore real estate?

Then you might consider building your own home and making it something innovative, something that stands out in the crowd.

That's what Ian and Ilene Salditch did.

Although their home took 10 years to complete, the Salditches now have exactly what they envisioned -- a contemporary, L-shaped Southern California-inspired home nestled in the woods of Hunt Valley.

The design of the house may seem complicated, but it is easy to live with, says Ian Salditch.

"It's pretty simple even though it might not appear to be," he said. "We wanted a very contemporary house. But the criticism of most contemporary art is it sacrifices warmth and comfort for its own sake -- just to be contemporary. So we took a contemporary house and used natural materials and a warm color palette to make it more hospitable."

The home is a basic L-shape centered on an impressive tower entryway staircase. The master bedroom and study are on the short side of the L, the dining room, kitchen and their three daughters' bedrooms on the long side. At each end are additional staircases. The house is vertically divided with the bedrooms on the upper level and the public spaces -- kitchen, great room, dining room and study -- on the ground level.

One of the house's unique features resulted from a need for additional sunlight to illuminate the ground level, part of which is below grade. That's when the idea to twist the two levels of the L-shaped grid 10 degrees came about. Twisting the levels a few degrees apart created several two-level open spaces revealing light to all areas of the house. Skylights were added, and the ground level has enough light that it will never be confused with a basement.

Twisting the grid "made all the difference in the world," said Ian Salditch. "We now had all of these little triangular spaces so there is light in here all the time."

The Salditches got the homebuilding fever after building a house in Mount Washington. When they decided to move to the suburbs, they knew they wanted to once again build their own home.

"Once you go there, you can't go back," said Ian Salditch. "So we lived in a series of rental houses and our parents' basements until we found this property."

It took four years to find the right parcel, two years to persuade the owner to sell, two years to work out a design and hire a builder, and almost another two years to complete the building process.

Well worth it, say Ian and Ilene, who along with their three daughters -- Taylor, Blair and Quinn -- settled into their home in September last year.

The idea for the style of their home came from various sources, says Ilene Salditch.

"Over a period of time, we began tearing pictures from magazines and putting a large folder together. Also, by living in different houses we learned what we wanted in a house. It was a good thing it took so long because tastes change and we would go through the folder and take things out and add to it."

One of the main themes of the house was low maintenance. A rubber roof, concrete block interior walls and the great room's concrete floor with radiant heat were all part of the design. Only a small portion of the 10.5-acre lot was disturbed for construction of the house. Adding to the low-maintenance theme, the yard was left to open patios that face the woods and huge planters that run along the house in place of the traditional lawn and flower gardens.

Even from the beginning, they had a pretty good idea of what they wanted the house to look like; however, they needed an architect to pull it all together. They hired first-time architect Richard Cataffa, an associate with Development Design Group.

"Ian and Ilene were looking for a cutting-edge design and that's why they were willing to take a chance with me; they had very specific ideas and were big fans of modern architecture," said Cataffa. "But at the same time we had to face certain realities, like the house is in the woods in Maryland, not Southern California. So they brought their tastes and styles with them and we then adapted them to this climate."

The result meant a few compromises, but an overall true contemporary design. One change was the pitch of the roof. In California a flat roof works well, but on a wooded lot the debris could be overwhelming. So they opted for a roof that had a slight pitch.

"In our opinion the changes enhanced the project," said Cataffa. "It could have been just like any other house in California. But we adapted to it new characteristics that aren't visible around here."

Once the design was almost complete, it came time to hire a builder. After interviewing more than one dozen with no luck, they came across the name of a builder who was working on a project near their property. It turned out to be the right fit.

"We were using a first-time architect so we wanted to make sure our builder had experience," said Ian Salditch. "We had to find a builder that was intrigued by doing something different and wouldn't let us go astray. But at the same time we wanted a builder that wouldn't stifle creativity."

F.C. Batton & Sons Inc. was hired. The company can trace its beginning to 1902. Rick Batton, who runs the company with brother Scott, was not put off at all by the complexity of the job.

"I like the challenge; in any job you really don't know what the homeowners' expectations are going to be," said Rick Batton. "Some people can envision everything and some people can't envision anything. That happens even in a traditional house."

So, said Batton, it's really between the homeowners and the architect to make sure they are on the same page, especially if they are going out on a limb and building something unique.

"By the time it gets to us, the design is usually set. But there are surprises all the time," Batton said. "It can be a challenge because the homeowners can start to question the builder, the architect and themselves. It helps when you have homeowners that are willing to trust you."

Most experts agree the key to successfully building a custom home is assembling the right team of professionals. The first step is usually hiring an architect or design professional, whose job it is to interpret the client's vision.

Charles Alexander, with Alexander Design Studio in Ellicott City, agrees. His firm is well known for creating both residential and commercial designs that are unique.

"When we deal with clients that have a specific way of living we try to create a house that caters to their particular lifestyle," Alexander said. "For a highly custom home, we often tell clients that they want an architect who can help them realize their vision and be on the same team. Our design philosophy is the marriage between modernism and tradition. And how you can have both at the same time."

However, Alexander cautions those who wish to build something unique but who want to stay in the home for only a limited amount of time. When it comes time to sell the one-of-a-kind home, it might be difficult to find an audience.

"Sometimes you will limit your market potential in terms of resale," he said. "Homes that end up on the market for a long time are many times the quirky houses. If you are going to do something different, do it well. Good design is good design, and if it is designed well and flows well, then it will have a market."

While the price of a home varies greatly with the materials being used and the design involved, the National Association of Home Builders estimates that the average price of a production home in the Maryland region was $66.24 per square foot last year.

For an upper-end custom home with all the bells and whistles, that number can jump to as much as $250 per square foot and can go even higher in some cases, area builders say.

While the Salditch house is unique both inside and out, many custom homes' innovations aren't evident until the front door is open and the inside is revealed. And not all unique homes start with the clients having a specific vision like the Salditches did.

Sometimes a highly custom home is designed for very specific, practical reasons.

Take Mike and Sally Ford, who built their house in Worthington Valley around their sizable book collection.

After trying unsuccessfully to find a house where they could convert a section of it into their dream library, they finally decided to have their home built.

The plans were centered on a vision they shared for almost 20 years. The house was designed around a two-story library with custom mahogany bookcases, a spiral staircase leading to a catwalk around the top floor, room for reading desks and a secret door that leads to a small office. Display space in the library was also created for busts of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln that the Fords had in their collection.

"We eventually built the house with the library being the focal point; we counted the number of shelves we had in our previous house and we knew we wanted enough room so we could buy more books," said Sally Ford. "It is totally custom, and it totally fit my husband's vision and our physical needs."

Ford said the country French-style home is not as traditional as it appears from the outside. For one thing, the inside is open and inviting. The staircase is not the main focal point of the foyer, which is completely open to reveal a family room at the far end. And the library around which the house was built is actually tucked away where few people would even notice it, unless directed to the room.

Dwight Griffith, of Griffith-Brilhart Builders, who designed and built the Fords' house, said it is important to think about the intended use of the space being created.

"I try to get the homeowners to think through the process," said Griffith. "We really get deep into how they live now and what the flow of the house will be. There is no right or wrong with architecture, it's a matter of personal taste. It's a reflection of themselves and their personality and lifestyle. I've never been afraid to dive into something different, and I take enormous pride in doing unusual houses."