Home Design Software

last year

Good Morning. I've been wanting to build a home for some time. I'm planning on reaching out to an architect, but I wanted to go ahead and map on the general flow of the rooms, because what I want is pretty specific. For instance, I want the garage connected to the mudroom, to the utility room (where washer and dryer are), connected to our master closet. I want the fireplace in the master and the fireplace in the living room to share a chimney, we need a one level because we have a child with a disability and have certain things we need, etc....... So I'm looking for software that would make this easier, where I can pick up whole rooms and move them around, maybe even one that will help me configure it? Does anyone have any suggestions? TIA :)

Featured Answer

PRO

Charles Ross Homes

last year

last modified: last year

Except for a topographic survey of the property and a photo or two to help convey your preferences in interior and exterior style, I suggest you not bring any visuals--especially plans--or even a bubble diagram to your architect. Focus on articulating your lifestyle needs in a way that doesn't pre-suppose a particular design or dictate a room arrangement. Then work in collaboration with your architect and your builder to develop the design following a process like Architectrunnerguy outlined. Contrast these two approaches:

Typical Approach: We need a large, 16'x 18' kitchen with an island that's 4' x 8' minimum with a granite top to accommodate at least 5 bar stools facing away from the range (I don't like people looking at me when I cook.) We need a 10' x 12' round or octagonal breakfast nook to accommodate our existing table (which was my grandmother's and we can't part with it.) We're planning on installing some big hunkin', guest-jaw-dropping appliances that I've been saving for over the past 10 years. I'm really having a hard time deciding between the 48" model A and model B range and whether to go with stainless or paneled appliances. Of course, we wouldn't install panels on the range, unless we could find coordinating metal panels with the antique glazed look that I crave and a sliding door so we could look in the oven window without opening the door. I picked out the granite 10 years ago, too, so check that off the list. I'm thinking to do painted perimeter cabinets with the island in a contrasting color. I want a double-bowl under-mount stainless steel sink with a 10 hp model XYZ disposal for each bowl (one would function as a back up in the event of a failure and both would be capable of grinding tree stumps so we can save on site clearing cost.) I desperately need a pull-down faucet that's long enough to fill pasta pots on the stove across the kitchen (that should save money compared with a dedicated pot-filler faucet.) I want my cabinets to have a traditional look, and I want one of those curved French Country range hoods maybe in copper if that's not a budget buster. And I want a walk-in pantry big enough to qualify for its own zip code and a butler pantry between the kitchen and formal dining room. And I've carefully planned this out on graph paper with 1/4" squares so all you need to do is "draw it up."

Alternative Approach: We are pretty informal people. We're not gourmet cooks (the microwave is the most used appliance in our kitchen,) we don't host formal parties (our existing dining room is a museum) and we tend to gather around our kitchen island for most meals. We'd like the kitchen designed to have lots of natural light, and to take advantage of the views toward the rear of the property. We'd like the kitchen design to consider our aging in place and the special needs of one of our children who lives with us. We shop for, and stock up on staples and paper goods on sale, and we'd like adequate storage for those items.

Comments (11)

PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
last year
Explain your "pretty specific" needs to the architect you have chosen and have them design the house with you that meets your needs and fits your site. That is part of their job description. By presenting a floor plan to an architect you are crippling them and not taking advantage of their creativity and expertise. Most architects have been challenged by 'pretty specific' needs in their experience of designing homes and other building types.

Most software worth using has a long learning curve. I use pencil and paper, and have about 60 years experience with it.
PRO
Virgil Carter Fine Art
last year
Your description is not "mapping the general flow"! You are proposing very specific architectural solutions. Mark is right (as usual). This is something you and your architect should do sitting around a table and doing "what if" sketch explorations.

Good luck with you project!

PS: My curosity has gotten the best of me--why is it important that a fireplace in the MBR and in the living room share a common chimmney? I've never heard that one before...
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Reno has a good summary of the development of CAD/CADD from the mid 80s or so. AutoCad, for example, started as a 2-D drafting program for engineering applications. It was much later that they bolted on programs that would allow 2-D architectural applications (for example, the intersection of intersecting walls in plan view with the intersections deleted). 3-D came much, much later for AutoCad, and initially consisted of an add-on program from other vendors, if I remember correctly. Early 3-D programs were mostly wiring diagrams which were hard to see and visualize, much less solid 3-d pictures. DataCad and other early programs were designed from the beginning for architectural design; the 2-D and 3-D was integrated earlier, but these vendors lacked the financial and marketing resoures of AutoCad. Then European software vendors entered the marketplace for both engineering and architectural users, with advanced features like finite analysis and light-ray applications. As the market developed, and low-cost computing emerged, applications began to focus on data base/relational applications and designing for architect in 3-D, rather than starting in 2-D and merging to 3-D. All of this is probably far beyond this forum for consumers interested in building their own home! The good news for most who visit this forum and thread is that a few of the major software manufacturers of engineering and architectural software have also marketed simplified versions of their software that will do 2-D and 3-D applications ranging from decks, to landscaping to fully integrated house design at reasonable expense. The bad news is that none of the software is "smart" enough to prevent mistakes and errors in the input process. It still takes substantial experience and judgement to make these computerized tools work efficiently and effectively. Good luck!
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Build the basic shape of the house, including the roof, then add the windows, then add the roof eaves, rakes, trim, then the materials. Sketch Up is not an assembly of pre-designed parts, you draw as you would with a pencil and the surfaces form when three or more points lie in the same plane. It looks like a sketch but it is very accurate. You can tell which direction you are drawings by the color of the line and type in the length after picking the start point and choosing a direction. To align the ends of lines touch the another point and then move the cursor until a dotted construction line appears to signal the alignment. To match the slope of a line, start a line and then touch another line with the cursor and then move the cursor until the new line turns pink. Press the shift key to constrain that line in the new direction. The mid-point of a line is signaled when a blue dot appears. The best tool is the push/pull tool that allows you to drag a surface in or out. It allows you to stretch a roof shape across the house or push a door back 4 inches. The "follow me" tool allows you to do a similar thing but the shape follows an edge so you can extrude trim along a curve, like adding a bullnose to a curved kitchen counter. This is a 3D modeling program; it is not made for drawing 2D plans for construction although the new Pro 6 version has a Layout program. I do a layout in a CAD program and then import it into Sketch Up, then draw the walls, then the roof. It is a design tool but when the design is working well I often show it to a client. The full Pro version is quite sophisticated. It can be tedious to make a lot of changes so I wait until the basic shape is good before I add the details. Others, often architects, make objects and put them on the internet for others to use. Some are quite unbelievable.
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You'll get many off target suggestions unless you clarify your needs. Do you want it to be 2D or 3D? Will this be used to prepare the documents used by a builder? Will you design more than one house? Will you want to make presentations from the drawings? Will you need to share the files with others or send them by email for review? How much do you want to spend?
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Hi Guys, I'm using sweethome3d to generate floorplans and 3D visualizations of our space. It's free and it's java based so it will run on windows/mac and linux (which sketchup doesn't support, so this was key for me). It's not perfect and you have to go through a lot of hoops to do complicated things (slanted roofs with skylights specifically!), but if you screw with it enough you can do some pretty powerful things. Their lighting model isn't ideal (really? No diffuse and specular surfaces at the same time!?), but it's fairly easy to use. here's some shots of the layout I did with it (arrows and text were added after in another program) And the current work in progress rendering of the new space: Here is a link that might be useful: SweetHome3D
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PRO
Kristin Petro Interiors, Inc.
last year
Constraining an architect or a designer with a fully-formed floor plan is generally not a great idea. Clients tend to become attached to the plan they created and have a more difficult time seeing beyond it...even when presented with more suitable and/or superior options. Using software without the education or experience of home design leads to basic or elementary results and you may spend valuable time and money for a qualified pro to correct or alter it. If you know you will eventually engage an architect, spending your time creating a list of wants and needs for the home is a better starting point.

And to answer your question, unfortunately, I do not have any experience with home design software other than AutoCad and the learning curve and cost is definitely too steep for what you want.
res2architect
last year
I use a computer to layout the existing conditions of a renovation then use that as a background to sketch on tracing paper

Generally the use of a computer program for schematic design of a new house would be a serious impediment to creative design

After arriving at a rough schematic plan I try to find a suitable exterior massing using SketchUp software

I try mot to show a client a CAD plan until the design is pretty far along because it tends to limit everyone’s imagination

thats been working well for me ever since SketchUp was released in 2000
Architectrunnerguy
last year
last modified: last year
I agree with RES. For initial conceptualizing, somehow the flow of a pencil on bumwad (tracing paper) on multiple overlays for exploring options is more fluid than the stiffness of the computer screen. That doesn't mean design software isn't a great tool but it's best when I know where I'm going with an idea, not for, like I said above, the initial conceptualizing.

Here's an example I posted here a few days ago only because I have the convenience of it still on my desktop:

One of the initial design sketches of maybe a hundred:

Then, basically done concurrently which is difficult to show here, hardline concept drawings and 3D development using SketchUp mentioned above:

And under construction:

I know this doesn't answer your question as to software but I hope it helps. The others above questioned the need to take a plan to an ARCHITECT. And those comments are valid but if you believe you already have and have explored all the best ways to spend your money yourself then I'd forgo talking to somebody creative and look for a permit drafter.
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
last year
It may not answer your question, but it is a very good answer.
Liz Ot
Original Author
last year
Thank you all for your responses. I have been in touch with an architect. She told me to send her the house plan I had looked at, along with any changes. Well 18 pages of pictures and notes later, I realized the house I want is going to need to come from scratch, because I've yet to find a house plan remotely like it, and I felt like she would be overwhelmed by all my "wants" so I thought I would figure out a way to map it out to have something to bring to her besides my babbling. Maybe I'm over estimating my ability and underestimating hers.

As for the fireplace, I would never consider putting a see through fireplace in a master, that's weird. I meant for them to share a chimney, which I thought would be more cost efficient, but again is going to restrict the layout.
cpartist
last year
As other's have said, you don't need to take a plan to the architect. If you do, then I'd seriously question her skill set and her creativity. I'd also question if she's truly a LICENSED architect with your state.
res2architect
last year
2 wood burning fireplaces are not permitted to share a chimney but the 2 chimneys can be housed in the same enclosure whether that’s drywall or masonry. For direct vent gas fireplaces the 2 vents must also be separate whether they run horizontally to an exterior wall or vertically to the roof
In all cases the exterior terminations must be separated by a certain distance.
In general, combining any of these elements is of little or no benefit.
This is why you should let your architect take the lead.
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
last year
^Nor do they want the risk of a potential copyright infringement suit.

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