solver

Use something you can shape -- custom countertop or slab. If you need a molding, place a thin soffit against the side.

Is there a reason you are not letting the program auto build the foundation? You cannot apply changes to wall defaults to previously drawn walls. You can just trace over them using the new wall type, or you can select them and change the wall type in mass. You could also redefine the 10" wall type definition to be 8", and I believe the program will adjust existing walls of that type to match the new definition.

That's a long standing bug that only a soffit can squash. You can make the exterior casing 1", add interior casing, and color both to match the trim. This often works.

No mulling/grouping/blocking of windows in Home Designer

Look in Defaults>Dimensions You can control where dimensions locate there.

The software will not allow windows and doors to span across 2 wall types. The easiest solution, and one that will clean up the gaps as well, is to use the same wall type on the exterior, and a solid (soffit or slab) placed on the outside of the exterior wall to produce the thick corners. You will then be able to place the door as needed.

A doorway between rooms will have the trim wrap around the opening if there is no casing. Not if it opens to the outside. Add a soffit to each side of the opening and apply molding to match the room.

The titles are all forward compatible, but not backwards, so Pro can open and use plans developed in any of the others. The fireplace would look just like you modeled it. There is how it looks, and how it is built. A fireplace like that would typically be built with concrete block walls faced with stone, a wall you could define and use to draw the fireplace structure. You would create a CAD detail to show the specific construction details as needed. You could also use a tool like SketchUp to create a fireplace and import it. As long as your plans are complete, a contractor would be able to build from them. I would visit the authority responsible for permitting and ask about what they require.

I think you need the previous version of SketchUp. Chief seems to only sync up with the latest SketchUp version when they (Chief) update their products.

If you build the wall framing you will see the doubles are supporting walls. I rarely do framing, and cannot run Pro to investigate further. I do believe you can manually frame the floor structure however you like, or you could auto frame the floor, turn off auto framing and edit what was generated.

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I'll ask the obvious -- you are drawing the railings on the proper floor, the floor the deck is on and not the floor below? This was discussed sometime in the past 20 months, but I could not find anything via a quick search. Might be time to post the plan, or at least part of it (Edit>Edit Area>Edit Area (All Floors)) to cut out that part of the structure.

Suite lacks the tools to make this easy. With Pro, for example, you could group all the individual parts, and copy them as one up, choosing how many copies, and how far to move them. Are you working in an elevation view? You could change the snap grid/snap unit settings so your parts would snap into place as they were moved up. Might be a bit confusing as you have parts that would be behind other parts. If starting over, I would build the back legs, place one slat (the one on the back). In elevation copy the base and slat up. Then add the second slat, and back in elevation copy it up. Repeat until done. Then do the front legs.

Need to know which railings you are using.

Marking the dividing walls as No Room Definition will let you see everything, but may cause other problems.

Are you asking about doing an electrical plan, or wanting to place a garbage disposal under the sink?

The simple solution is to cover it up as you probably will when you reach this part of the project. You can shape a soffit and place it around the opening -- think of the soffits as render. You could create a new wall type, adding a layer of drywall to the existing exterior wall, and use it in places to cover the exposed brick, if you are planning to do that.

Visit a Lawyer who specializes in IP (intellectual property) law. Are you concerned that a builder will take your plan and build from it, or use ideas contained in it? Is your plan for sale? Is your plan that good that a builder would want to build it for someone else? You taking months to create a plan does not equate to a professional doing the same thing. Is your plan complete -- all construction drawings and checked as required by professionals (an engineer for example), and ready to build from? Trust is key to a successful custom build, and if someone came to me with the attitude I was going to rip them off, I'd hand them off to a competitor. That's not the type of customer I want.

The stairwell needs to be defined as Open Below on the second floor. That 13' ceiling on the first floor -- you will need a wall to partition that as a separate space. I would remove the break between #2 and #3.

Roofs are controlled by the walls (overhang, pitch etc) and ceilings (height) below them. To raise the roof, raise the ceiling.

David gave you directions -- follow them