I’m designing my own house. I would like to try design software. Can anyone recommend any software, or perhaps point me to a comparison of the various packages? Thanks.
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Hit the advanced search button to your left screen and type in words like design, software, Cad, Cadd, Softplan, Chief Architect, Vectorworks
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I suggest that you leave home design to the experts and hire an architect. If you can't afford a full design fee, you could get some consultation.
I am familiar with both AutoCADD and Microstation, but they are both high end soup to nuts software packages, and not really suited for home design.
Hi Josh,
I would suggest playing around with software, if you want to get your ideas on paper, but please look into getting an architect to advise you on your plans. We have done some remodeling to the house and my DH was convinced that we could do it all. After some frustrating months I finally found an architect whose work I admired and who was very happy to work with us on an hourly rate. Her contributions were extremely helpful and money-saving. I know that you are thinking that an architect is just one more way to spend your money and that you would rather spend the money on the hardwood floors or nice appliances or whatever you like, but a good architect will give you the best plan possible for your budget and site considerations. You need to start with a solid plan so you will not waste time and lots and lots of money by making decisions as you go along. you can make some very expensive mistakes very easily.
Our architect listened very carefully to our ideas and paid close attention to the photographs that we gave her. Within a few weeks she returned with two wonderful plans giving us exactly what we had asked her for. Then she showed us two more options. These plans were why we had hired her. She took exactly what we said we needed out of the space and gave us much much more than we had expected. She was able to give us exactly what we needed and wanted, but we did not think was possible.
Mer did you and your husband play around with the design software? I think that's what I would do- play with the design toy, but hire a pro. I wonder if the design software can help define otherwise vague ideas, or perhaps bring dreams into realistic dimensions. Wouldn' that make it easier to work with the architect when you got to that point?
we played around with a couple of the design software programs available. All in all, I found it to be a waste of time. My best advice is to compile a LOT of photographs of things that you love and an equal number of things that you hate. Discuss them with an architect.
I found that when I worked on the software programs that they weren't as good as I had hoped for them to be- plus they weren't as easy to work with as I had hoped. We aren't novices- my DH designs software himself, so we know what we are doing. I also found that once you find an idea that you think works, it becomes increasingly hard to think "outside the box". I did not enjoy working with the software as much as I had hoped that I would. We spent a few months with the software as my DH was convinced that we didn't need any outside help. Every night after work, we would sit and debate this, that and the other.
While DH and I worked on this, I continued looking for a professional. I looked at interior decorators, kitchen designers, architects and home remodelers.. You have to know what you need and we quickly realized that we needed an architect. (I actually started to hate all kitchen designers. I have no idea how they are certified. ACK! I just wanted to run and scream from two of them-- but I was patient and nice to their face.)
Finally I found this great architect who was excited to do a smaller project (she was just involved in the ideas and drawings,- we didn't have her do structural drawings or do product management etc.) Anyway, as soon as she got on the scene, our project really started to go forward. I really feel that we wasted quite abit of time thinking that we could do it ourselves. But, you do need time to find the right architect for you. With any type of service industry, you either click with the person or you don't. She was probably the 11th person that I spoke with or interviewed. Immediately, I knew she was the one for us. She was perfect.
Thanks for such a detailed response. You should send IH a note about collecting photographs of what you love and hate. They don't seem to have a "Tips" section going yet, but I'm sure it will happen. That sounds like great advice for anyone planning a rebuild or remodel.
I wonder if this whole topic-- using design softeware-- is one that the editors may explore in a future issue.
Hey Mer, can you elaborate on why you are starting to hate all kitchen designers? I'm thinking about moving into that field and am curious to know what things would tick people off! I do know that certification doesn't mean all that much except that they have worked for a number of years.
We had a good experience when we designed our kitchen, but we used a design/build firm that was run on the creative end by an architect.
BTW, I saw your pics in Cooks Talk, it looks great already! Isn't this a fun stage, when you can see it all coming together?
Hi Tessa,
I found that many of the kitchen designers are not as well educated or as well versed as others in the field. All of the ones that I spoke with had many years of experience (one at least 2, others many many more). They all seemed to look at a kichen in basically the same way, there was no thinking outside of the box- there was nothing different. The most frustrating thing was that they all seemed to be associated with a particular cabinet and or appliance place, so it always felt as if they were trying to cram the room with as many cabinets as could be so that they could make as much commission as possible.
I made it clear to all the people that I spoke with that I was interested in making my kitchen as bright as possible and that it was a dark space to begin with. Yet, all of the kitchen designers, home remodelers etc all presented plans that filled all of the walls with cabinets and kept the original small to medium sized window over the sink. The only variations between the designs were the cabinet styles and the size of the island. Oh! and those damned cabinets that are high and low and go up and down and up and down at the top.
After one meeting with a kitchen designer where I had explained my likes and dislikes, a week later she presented me with an initial drawing of a kitchen with the cabinets that are high in the corner, an appliance garage AND a desk in the kitchen. All three items were on my "dislike" list. She spent most of the meeting trying to convince me that I should have these items, especially the desk for re-sale value. By the end of the meeting, my DH was convinced that despite my opinion, that I would actually like having a desk in my kitchen. I knew quickly that she would be trouble if she would not listen to me and she tried to get my husband to agree with her and "convince" me that perhaps I was mistaken.
One of the home remodelers took three weeks to return my call and another two to come visit my house. He said he was busy, but how busy must you be to not be able to return a phone call, or have someone on your staff to call me back?? He came very highly recommended, but when he arrived he was willing to stay only 30 mins, listened very impatiently to my concerns and told me that he was represented a cabinet company and would only sell cabinets from them... There were only about 20 options-- sounds like a lot, but they all looked about the same. He basically figured out what he thought the kitchen needed within the first ten minutes of his visit and was not interested in discussing various changes and options.
Another kitchen designer associated with a veery very high end cabinetry line gave me a plan that I thought was basically good, but not quite exactly what I was looking for. My DH travels quite a lot and I wanted to know if I could have a copy of her initial ideas so that I could fax them to him so we could discuss them. She said that I could, IF I gave her a check for $3,000, to show that I was serious. LOL! These were INITIAL drawings! Nothing special at all. She also would not drive the 4 miles to my house to take a look around without a check for $300. excuse me?? Oh by the way, the first estimate from this place was $41,000 for cabinetry alone.. She said that if I was interested, "we could also talk about upgrades..." LOL!!!
I can't imagine that you want to hear more stories, but I do have more of them..
Now, my architect was a totally different story. She was the third architect with whom I spoke. The first was way out of our league. The second normally designed large houses, but was willing to work with us- but I didn't like his vibe. The third one was perfect. She is a very successful architect who is now working on her own as she has children and enjoys the smaller projects that allow her to have more time at home. She was able to understand exactly what type of design I was excited about and she worked hard to get it exactly the way that I wanted it- it is actually better than what I wanted. She knew that we were willing to tear out everything in the kitchen and start over, and she came over and was the first person to ask to see the basement and the attic to understand which walls were load bearing. She first wanted to know all of my hopes and dreams and expectations for the kitchen- she wanted to know how I cooked, how DH cooked, how often we entertained etc. She asked for lists of things that I liked, loved and disliked. She really believed that a house is a machine for living- form follows function and all that. She understood that I thought that the cabinets that are high in the corners were not at all the look that I was going for. She understood that what I wanted was a 1920s/high modern look. She loved the photos that I gave her and yet was not limited by my ideas either.
She reconfigured the room entirely. On the south wall of our kitchen that faces our private yard, she suggested not putting cabinets in at all, but wanted to install very beautiful large windows that fit in perfectly with the house. She also wanted to replace the window over the sink with a larger window. She understood my dislike for upper cabinets and only suggested four, two around the sink and two around the stove areas. To make up for the loss, she enlarged a small pantry closet and put in a very large walk in pantry. I have always wanted a walk in pantry, so I was thrilled. She knew that we have a movie room downstairs so that the tv watching in the family room will be more casual and for smaller groups, so she shrunk the size of the built in entertainment cabinetry that was there and also designed pocket doors so that I wouldn't have to look at the tv screen when it wasn't on.
The list of how she helped us goes on and on, but the most important difference is that I feel that I could easily have done what the kitchen designers were doing, which was basically moving around pieces of cabinetry within one room, but she was much more interested in how the room functioned with regard to the rest of the house. We have a highly traditional house, so it really is important to me that the kitchen fit in perfectly. I wanted the kitchen to feel as if it could have always been that way, if not for the modern touches like the appliances. Other kitchen people kept telling me, "do what you want, you guys are young- why not get something streamlined and sleek. You don't have to "fit" in with the house." But that's what I wanted it to do.... LOL
I knew that this is a once in a lifetime project, ( hopefully once every 20 years or so actually, but don't tell my DH!!) and I knew that if I didn't find someone who saw my vision that I would be the one who would get the raw end of the deal. We are the ones paying for it and I am the one who has to enjoy cooking in it. why not get it right?
oh and by the way, my architect was LESS expensive than many of the kitchen designers who knew nothing about structural engineering, windows, electrical or plumbing systems. She actually was less expensive than an interior decorator who tried to get my business!
Wow! Thanks for all the details, I love hearing that type of stuff. I think you are right that virtually all kitchen designers are linked to one or more cabinet manufacturers. Now, that doesn't have to mean that all they want to do is sell cabinets, but it's certainly a risk. I don't think there is any excuse for not listening to all your likes and dislikes though!
Glad to hear it worked out the way it did, your architect sounds like a keeper. You're not in the DC area by any chance, are you?
nope, not in DC, but my family has had a lot of experiences in DC in case you are looking for an architect
Not right now, but I'm hoping to be looking some time in the somewhat forseeable future. I'll be back around then, it could be a few years so no point in getting names now.
As an aside, when I was designing my kitchen, I drew in where I wanted cabinets, how they should function and so on. THEN, I went to various cabinet shops for quotes and recommendations on minor details. Turned out the cheapest quote was the one I took (a medium to large business) and they were on budget, on time and no surprises. Although my general contractor had not dealt with them before, he told me he would recommend them to future clients. A good experience all around.
Cheers,
Peter
The one time I hired an architect turned into a disaster and ended up costing me $10K for unworkable results. I had asked among other things for a design that would cost about $200/sq.ft in 1990 dollars. His "design" came in at over $325/sq.ft.
Totally fed up I decided to do it alone and started with a blank page, pencil and eraser. A year later I handed it to a draftsman to make working drawings (cost = $350.00). I never regretted it and would do it like this again, although this time with the help of software.
Cheers
Wow. That sounds awful. Sounds like a very bad problem with communication. How many architects did you speak with before hiring him?
two
man, that's a whole latta money.. that sucks. But I woud chaulk it up as a bad experience and a bad architect. Please don't think that they all are like that. There are a lot of them out there.
I have to go with Peter on this one, hiring an architect was the worst part of my building experience. We were doing an addition 4 years ago, and out of all of the architects I spoke with, only ONE would do a residential addition. They just had too much business to want to mess with little ole me. He was pretty bad, and now I know why he was willing to do the work. The next time I am designing it myself and working with a draftsman and a structural engineer. I think I can do better than that guy did.
I've used autocad with the architectural add in package. The package is very GOOD at letting someone draw EXACTLY what they want to draw once you learn how to use it, all cad packages are exactly like this.
However, just because the lines are straight doesn't mean your making something that is either pretty or nice. Further, there are standard sizes for many things which if you change may cost you quite a bit more to build. Overall I'm not that sure a software package will bring good results without outside help.
hi try betterhomes & garden software its a 100.00 program that you can come up with rough plans for an architect to work off of unless you are a carpenter or very skilled individual leave the rfinement to someone who knows the mistakes that can be overlooked can be very costly ! i have designed homes with this program and i am going to upgrade to chief architect soon
I bought Chief Architect a few weeks ago. It is simply too advanced for my needs. I should have bought the H&G program. I want to sell. I contacted Art Inc., and they are OK with it, but there will be a $50 registration fee payable to them. Are you interested in buying my copy at a discount? If so, please e-mail me, [email protected].
hi how much are you looking for?? i think i might go to the pro6 version though but if the price is right you never know