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Hello Debbie, Jo_Ann, Kbird1, and everyone who has helped...Here is a specific answer to Debbie, and a general one to all who helped back in 2015. Debbie, I found a designer in Payson who works with my selected builder, a good old local boy who does great work. The designer took my Autocad file output from Chief Architect and did the official drawings. She gave me a discount, so that was great. However, after the drawings were done, I asked if she would do that again, and she said no, since it actually took her more time to correct all the anomalies and little problems she found. To me it is still worth while for someone to take the autocad file from my design to ensure accurate drawings, even if I have to pay the same amount as a from-scratch drawing set. To all, especially Jo_Ann, if you're still online: Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU! The cabin addition is finished and we love it! The kitchen layout recommended by JoAnn was shamelessly copied, and we love it. Two pictures of the completed cabin is attached. It was really cool to do the design, show it to our co-owner, tweak as needed, and then have it used by the drafter, then built. Using the Chief Architect software was great!

The two entrances under the stairs are shown that way because that is the way the cabin is now. We access that little storage area from both sides. Not to say that has to stay that way. To me the remodel of the kitchen is a separate task from the addition. I might get voted down on this, but we'll see! As far as making the kitchen bigger, yes, we had considered this at one time, but what we need most is a downstairs bedroom and another bathroom. If we do too much, we might as well know the whole thing down and start over...don't want that. Too many fond memories of the old place. Thanks for you continued advice. Keep it coming, as long as you have time.

Thank you Jo Ann. In opening your file, I saw several complaints about missing files, but it did open to show your revised plan. I like the idea of showing the addition walls with hatched cross-section, but when I tried this, the tool cross-hatched ALL my walls, and I don't see how to make it apply to only the addition's walls. Shortcoming of 2014 HDA? I also see that my two new rooms had two different ceiling heights. I changed them both to be the height you selected. 98 1/8". Is that a standard value I should have used? I freely admit that my terrain definition is wrong as well as my crawlspace may also be wrong. I haven't delved into this part of HDA yet, thinking that was a detail that the builder would take on...eg the foundation definition of the existing building and then what is needed for the addition. The cabin area is mostly flat, but of course not perfectly. One the left side of the place, there is a hill starting about 10' from the wall, but, again, I didn't think that mattered. In general, I think I can't use your model, since the measurements are slightly off the actual cabin, as you said, and I don't want to look at every single dimension to correct it. Of course all the furnishings and wall coverings are also missing, etc. But I do like the changes you show in your model and have adapted the following to my master file: 1. We love the larger shower in the new bathroom. I have already added what you used to my model. I didn't move the commode and sink to the inside wall, however. We had them on the outside wall for privacy reasons (can't see someone in the bathroom from the back window, blocked by the cabinet we put there.) But now I am wondering if you moved them there for freeze protection? The outside wall would certainly be worse than the inside one. Maybe I should do what you recommend and tweak that window or put in a short inside wall... 2. As mentioned before, I used your ceiling heights in the 2 new rooms. 3. I like the look of your roof line, running below the extended existing enclosed porch roof. I will futz with that to see if I can replicate yours. 4. The kitchen changes are intriguing. I designed it with the sink wall cabinets, stove and frig location like they are now since that reflects the current existing kitchen arrangement. I then added the fancy cabinets (with the lazy susan, etc.) in the opposite wall. But in discussing this with my wife, she agrees with what you did, and now the barn door has been flung open to a complete re-layout of the kitchen. I will shamelessly take many of your ideas. So, in addition to all this, I think it's probably time for me to do a little more careful work with terrain and the foundation. I have no knowledge of how to do this, but, HDA has documentation, and I can look at your file, then figure it out. I certainly need to get rid of the golf course in the background in my file. That must be a default. I like your deciduous trees, but prefer pines. We'll see what I can find. Thanks again. I am deeply impressed by all the help I have gotten from the folks on this blog.

As I understand it, most builders in the rural area where this cabin is will generate their own drawings, probably using pencil and paper. They don't know how to spell CAD, let alone ".dxf". So, I think I need to be able to print these views, or export PDF's, preferably the latter, since PDF's are so easy to send electronically and universally read. I think I will upgrade to the 2015 version of HD...I just haven't decided which level (architectural or pro.)

Thanks to Eric and Mick for the latest answers to my questions. It's getting clearer to me now that I should be able to start talking to builders to get bids, and hopefully move forward post-haste. If they are able to take my "vision" drawings and generate their own construction drawings (whether using pencil and paper, or with a higher version of HD) that will be great. Otherwise, I need someone to take my file and create better drawings. That would either be me, using HD Pro, or a professional designer/engineer using their tool set. Preferably, I will find good builders that can work with my vision and generate their own documents. One thing I will need to do is generate a fairly good set of drawings that I can show the local home-owner association to get their approval of the vision before I get too deep into this. For this, PDF outputs (floor plan with dimensions, elevation diagrams, doll house views, etc.) should work fine. I don't see this as an option on 2014 HD Architectural file output menu, but I do see this capability as part of the advertised improvements in the 2015 version. True? Or, must I upgrade to the PRO version for this?

I will get 2015, if no other reason than to capture what you and Mick are doing. When you say print what I have, what do you mean? I am not sure what to print (haven't thought about what is needed to build, other than thinking about a roll of construction drawings that I have casually seen before.)

Thank you for your response, Mick. Yep, no terrain. I didn't think this was necessary, since I was simply trying to clarify the design and then describe it to my wife and the co-owner. Again, my intention was not to create build-to documents. So, yes, the deck steps are hosed. I thought that would be no-brainer for any carpenter to figure out. Not sure where you are looking for the 45 deg wall? And yes, roof alignment was a bugger for me. I have something that looks ok but no one better try to build it to this exact design or they will be filing beams to keep the roof straight! I am willing to upgrade to 2015 version, so if you have fixed these things I will use your returned file if you send it. (Somehow, I will need to combine yours with Eric's improved roof design.)

Thank You! I prefer your roof design. I had no idea how to connect those two roofs. Did you have to raise or lower the addition's roof to mate with the porch extension? Can you send this file back to me? (I guess I will need to upgrade to the 2015 version to read your upgraded file...that's OK.) So just to be clear, you think I can show some of the local builder's my design on the computer to get them to build what I want? Don't I need to print drawings of some kind? I have had discussions with one or two guys, and they said they needed drawings for them to do a bid for me. (Let alone build.)

Hello all. Thanks to you for your advice on my problem of how to get to the build stage from what I will call the amateur design stage. I especially appreciate Mick and Eric's responses recently. Eric is apparently just 20 miles away (over the hill and through the woods) from my cabin. Eric and Mick have volunteered to take a look at my "design" to see if they have suggestions. I have tried emailing it, and apparently that wasn't successful. Next, I will try to post the file on this site. It meets the 25Mbyte maximum, barely, so hopefully this will work. Baseline Cabin-with Addition-Re-Arranged Living Rm and Kitchen-Rev C.plan

Thanks, Mick, Max and David for your answers. It appears that my version of Home Designer Architectural does indeed have the capability to export .dfx files. I hope that comes in handy to whoever I send this design-to data. I agree that it makes sense to send this through a local structural engineer to get the design cleaned up and then documented with build-to drawings. They would know the local builders, codes, and be able to downscope the detail of the drawings to what is really needed for a privately owned cabin in the woods. I'm glad I don't need an architect. Since this cabin is located near Payson, Arizona, that is where I will look for the engineer. I wonder, though, if I need an intermediate step mentioned by a few of you for someone to review my design before I take it to an engineer. Frankly I would feel more comfortable if one of you did do this for me. If someone is willing, what would you charge, and how do I get the file uploaded? I am an engineer myself (retired electrical) and I learned a long time ago that multiple eyes on a design results in a better product.

Thanks, Mick, for your quick response. I think you are assuming that my design is good enough to auto-generate drawings using a higher version of the tool set? That would be nice, but I think I need more intelligence than that to take my design to a practical set of build-to drawings. I would characterize my design as good design-to information, but not to be trusted as build-to data. There are too many assumptions I make that look good on paper but probably are not practical for a real build. A few examples: my dimensions have lots of fractions, and therefore may be difficult to build. Another example: I fool around with the roof dimensions manually to make it look good, but I really doubt that what I have on paper is the best design. So, given this, does this change your answer?

I am a first time poster, have looked briefly for an answer to important question but see no one addressing this. I have completed a decent design for an addition to a cabin. I have used it to flesh out what we want in the design, and communication with our co-owner. The program (Home Designer Architectural 2014) has worked nicely for this, but I don't trust the design to be built properly. I would think that a real architect or knowledgeable design/drafter will need to take my input and do a real set of drawings before I can get bids from builders. Right?? Please advise about this, is this necessary, and do I need a full blown architect, or can this be done by a drafter? Will the chief architect file be useful to them? I would hope so...