When you want a new home built for yourself and your family, you may be thinking that you should work with an architect or designer to design the home from the ground up. This is certainly your choice, but there are some reasons why you might simply opt for a standard design offered by a home builder. Many builders will have a number of pre-selected designs they offer to their customers, and these can sometimes be the better choice than starting from scratch; note why that is and why your home builder's choices can be the right option for you.

Energy efficient

You may think that you want to work with an architect to create the most energy efficient home for yourself, but consider that many home builders today offer the most energy efficient choices available for windows, siding, and insulation. The appliances in the home, including the furnace and air conditioner, might also be the most energy efficient on the market. Rather than assuming that a home builder is just using the cheapest choices for these features, ask outright how their home designs are energy efficient and if they will save you the most money on your utility costs.

Their choices are better

When a builder designs a home, he or she will often know the best choices for surfaces in the home, window placement and size, and even the size of the home itself. Your own ideas about these features may have some drawbacks of which you're not aware; for example, you may want wood floors throughout the entire home, but a builder knows they're a poor choice for kitchens and bathrooms. Timber will absorb the moisture from these rooms and then expand and shrink, eventually bowing and warping. You may want large windows for the entire home, but a builder may know that the lot you've chosen doesn't have many shade trees, and oversized windows will make the home seem stuffy. Discuss your preferences with your builder as he or she may accommodate some of your personal choices, but carefully consider their input and offerings as well.

Quicker delivery time

If you have a home designed from the ground up, the drafting process itself might not be the only thing that delays the home's construction; your builder may need to find special materials needed for your custom home, and may need to prepare the site differently than he or she expected. For a faster closing time and faster occupancy of your home, opt for a home builder's design instead.