Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 Aug 14, 2017 9:36 am I'm bought a 1/2 acre block of land. It has a decent slope to it so I will be going to a specialist builder as I can't go to a project home builder. I'm paying down the land for a year or 2 before I look to engaging any professionals (codes etc change, so I don't want to design something and then have to make changes when I go to start). However, I'm impatient so I'd like to tinker with designing a basic layout and appearance of my home. I'm guessing this will also help when I go to engaging professionals as they'll have an idea of what I am after. Does anyone know of a fairly intuitive and easy to use program that I can use to design a house? I've tried a couple and didn't find them very intuitive. Also, they didn't seem to have the features I want to integrate - eg I want a vaulted ceiling in my living room and kitchen, also I need to "build" on a sloping block and I didn't see any that had that option.) (Floorplanner - can't do sloping blocks; Room sketcher - fairly easy to use and can do vaulted ceilings, but again no sloping block option) Does anyone know of another option? I'm even happy to pay for a program. (I'd prefer to stay away from CAD as I know that can be quite difficult to use. My brother uses it and eek! ) Re: Program/app for designing home 2Aug 14, 2017 11:50 am I'm not aware of any free software that easily handles topography (i.e. your sloping ground). You *might* be able to do something in SketchUp, but that kind of thing takes a bit of learning, and importing accurate site levels will be painful, if not impossible. Honestly, some of the more "CADdy" home designing programs can be used without getting too much into the technical CAD side of things. I used Home Designer by Chief Architect to do our initial planning - I found it quite easy to use, and it did handle topography (a bit painful getting it in, but in the end I got there). The downside is that you'll need to pay for it, but depending on what you need there are various price levels, and you can download free trial versions to see if it works for you before you shell out. Whatever software you use, or even if you just use graphing paper and pencil (and I have one friend who even designed their house in Microsoft Excel by using square cells and playing around with borders!), I'd certainly encourage you to tinker with layout and appearance - that year or two can go by surprisingly quickly (as it did for us)! The more experience you have with what works for you (and, more importantly, what doesn't work), the faster the final "professional" design process will go (and you'll get a better result, too). Re: Program/app for designing home 3Aug 14, 2017 11:50 am Google ketchup. You can scan in your land survey to get your levels and construct you design. It will get the creative ball rolling for you and it's free. Re: Program/app for designing home 5Aug 14, 2017 3:49 pm The trouble with computer programs is they can 'lock you in' to a layout before you have thought through some of the issues. It is often best to start with a Bubble Diagram a method that architects often use when discussing ideas with their clients, The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Program/app for designing home 6Aug 14, 2017 4:13 pm allie181 I also recommend sketchup Plenty of resources available Videos on youtube Sketchup channel and 3D Objects 3D Warehouse Advantages in using 3D Building Information Technology (BIM) over cad 1. You are actually building your house with elements ie wall, slab roof,etc objects 2. You can extract data and useful information ie , areas, volumes, heights,etc 3. Python scripting language allows you to automate the processes 4. My Favourite is 3D Models are great for running fea simulations, ie energy, construction, costing, etc 5.The model data can be uploaded to Google sheets,forms and mobile devices for use via the cloud 6. Sketchup is free, Sketchup Pro Costs around $1000 Goodluck Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Program/app for designing home 9Aug 15, 2017 1:36 pm Home Designer by Chief Architect is a good choice which will cost quite a bit but worth it. You can import CAD drawings as reference to draw up your slope. If you go this path, you will need the most expensive version (Pro). There will be a learning curve in getting the slope details into the program/drawing, but once that is done it'll be much easier to work. Another option is Sketchup. Again, there will be quite a bit of learning curve for it, probably steeper than Home Designer. Since you already have your block, it might be a better ideal to understand more about your block first. A contour survey and soil test will give you some idea of what is possible and tell you the reality of your block, especially the contour survey. By the time you have that on hand, you will know how many builders will run away. And together with your soil test, you will have some idea how much you need to put aside for site work and what is left for your house. Re: Program/app for designing home 10Feb 04, 2020 1:00 am A pencil and paper. Gives you total freedom to express your desires without the hassle of conforming to software constraints and without the "learning curve". You've lived in houses before, right? You know what works and what doesn't work for you. Break free of the psychological limitations our society builds into us that we can't do it ourselves, that we must use excessive technology or "professionals" to do everything. Re: Program/app for designing home 11Feb 08, 2020 10:47 am I have to disagree RuffTuff. A pencil and paper may be fine for initial sketches to rough out ideas but CAD is everywhere and so easy to update plans. It sounds like the OP is basically going to do most of the drawing themselves before getting quotes or ideas about costs so the more they can provide to builders the more accurate any of those costings will be - at the initial stage anyway. Sending digital files via emails is also a no-brainer. Stewie Re: Program/app for designing home 12Feb 08, 2020 8:02 pm I guess if you're not actually building it yourself ie; engaging others to do the work, then they would most likely prefer computer generated plans. However if you are genuinely doing it yourself then hand drawing the whole lot will give you unprecedented familiarity with the details that you're going to need to be aware of every day. I started out "drawing" my plans with SketchUp which gave me lovely print-outs but kind of removed me from the nitty-gritty of it all. I'm more than 18 months through a two year build and very happy with my hand drawn plans and the resultant building. Re: Program/app for designing home 15May 15, 2020 11:32 pm Even topnotch architects are currently using SketchUp just for everything - from basic house plans to advanced 3D models illustrating engineering, roofing, electrical and plumbing layouts as well as interior design, all supported by BIM plugins and automated 2D layouts through SketchUp Layout. "One ring to rule them all" Having said that, I have also seen architects to stay in love with Revit and ArchiCAD too. Revit is really powerful tool and has built-in BIM capabilities. 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