New House Build - SE Melb - custom vs volume - Advice

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum but from reading some of the posts and threads think it's fantastic.

My wife and I are in the process of finding a builder to build our 'forever home' in SE melb. We're looking at a budget of around $575,000 all up (incl demolition, landscaping etc.). We're looking at a 2 storey, 4 bedroom, 3 bathrrom, approx ~38 square total home (incl garage).

I'm just looking to get some guidance from people here about building with volume builders vs custom builders.

We've met with lots of people and so far its very confusing and hard to compare.

In terms of volume builders - we have narrowed down to Arden Homes due to their smaller size, flexibility in changing plans, higher finishes etc. We originally started with Symonds and find Arden a lot better. Plus some of the horror stories about Symonds swayed us.

However we also feel like if we want to do this right and properly - to last a long time - we should consider a custom builder. We feel like we're not getting informed views and opinions about what we SHOULD be doing for our home (e.g orientation, layout etc.) from the volume builders. It's more we have an idea and they go yep we can do it, without challenging and telling us how to do better.

I know customer builder costs can range dramatically depending on finishes and build quality. It seems hard to find a decent custom builder who will do plans and build a home of decent quality and above average specs for less than $600k / $650k.

Any suggestions or opinions on the above would be most welcome. Ask any questions if I can clarify something that can help get your view.
Really appreciate anyone's assistance.
Cheers