DavidJPotter

This software always considers that whatever is in the .plan file is a new construct, So it is then on you to manually adjust the garage's floor lever in the case where the garage has a lower floor level than the house. Then setting the second floor requires the same sort of planning in that if the main house has a different floor height than the garage per floor you leave the Default Settings Floor for ceiling height where it was for the floors of the house, setting the garage relative to just the garage. This is done before roofing the out structure or garage. The software will try to apply the main structure's default settings to all structures in the plan file, So you must take steps that this is compensated for by you. I would recommend that you manually draw the secondary structure's foundation if your software allows it, otherwise you set the garage's foundation setting in the Garage's own Room Specification Dialog box - Structure Tab before ordering the building of the foundation. This is not complicated to do but when creating more than one structure in a .plan file YOU must step in and help guide the software to a specific result, the software is merely a mechanical contraption that runs on settings and control provided by you. DJP

What I do when I have transom windows is to stagger the window labels , depending upon what software title you have the window labels should be selectable in plan view and left-click-select-dragged so that they are not on top of each other so anyone can then see that there are stacked windows and what size they are. DJP

The only way I see is to place a floor outlet in plan view and then using the "Offset from Floor" to raise it to the ceiling (instead of the floor), there is no "Ceiling Outlet" in Suite. That would be better than nothing. DJP

No, software (any software) does not "DO" anything other than what it is directed to do by the end user, always. You can with some difficulty and patience create curved and even domed roofs using just Home Designer Pro (I have not done this in years but have done it years ago before Chief Premier obtained the ability under End User control to create curved roofs by way of roof specification dialog settings). What you must do is to manually create manually segmented roof planes that follow a curve. The way I used to do it was to draw an arc in an elevation camera as a guide and then draw a short roof plane section altering the pitch of each segment to adhere to the drawn 2D arc line. Each new roof plane segment is set to the prior roof plane's "ridge". This way you mimic a curved roof segment. You then "Transform-replicate" that constructed segment however you need to complete the curve and then finish up the edges using the "Join Roof" tool on both sides of the segments sides. This is NOT for the faint of heart but can be done by being methodical and intent on succeeding. DJP

Do a Google Search for such programs please. DJP

How are you using "Transform-Replicate" to check the spacing? (You first must do the math to set up the transform-replicate tool before using it) I do not understand why you seem to be making a simple layout problem complicated. I am not a carpenter, I have never built an actual deck myself but I have drawn plans for countless decks and other structures.You allow enough space for the planks and that is all, keeping in mind that dimensional lumber is not as "perfect" in the real world as it may seem in a virtual environment of a computer. It is quite common that once my plans are printed that the builder and or client then do something slightly different. It is not terribly important as long as the planning of the plan is generally followed. I haven't posted until now because I fail to understand the need for perfection in an object that is inherently imperfect. You have a target dimension of the deck (x and y), do the math and then layout the framing, done. DJP

Being that you have a 2014 title you cannot download and import the latest version of .skp files, Try some earlier version Sketch Up .skp files. You would have to have a 2018 HD title to use the latest .skp files-that is your answer. DJP

I do not see why you could not draw a Porch creating a Room Specification Dialog, set up the outer wall and side walls as per the "Roof Styles Tab" of the "Build Roof Dialog", make sure the porch room dialog has "Ceiling and Roof over this Room" checked and then auto-generate a shed roof over that defined porch or as Eric suggested just manually draw a shed roof. Either way you really need a porch area defined over which to create a shed roof. DJP

First of all you do not actually "import" symbols from the library Browser you simply click-select them and then left-click to place them on any floor you wish. If you are speaking of imported symbols from some place like 3D Warehouse then yes you import those into your Library Browser for later placing in your plan on whatever floor you choose. DJP

Look in "Default Settings - Camera Defaults". Just about everything in the software goes through "Default Settings" to get anything done. DJP

Sorry you cannot. You can flatten the terrain a little where the car sits but you cannot rotate the car. DJP

The best tool for doing remodeling is Home Designer Pro due to its ability to manually edit and create roof designs and ability to manually edit and create framing members. All other HD titles consider the entire structure to be a "new construct" as opposed to only part of the construct. The materials list is also so programmed to measure the entire construct (not just part of it), so as Eric suggested you can just build the add on by itself (again hard to do with anything but HD Pro as aforementioned) but is possible. What you must understand is that the "Materials List" just like the software in general measures the entire structure. It measures what you did and not necessarily what you intend to do in the field. If your .plan file EXACTLY mirrors exactly what you will do in the field only then will you get an accurate Materials list and not otherwise. This requires great advanced skill in terms of the .plan file and its creation. I rarely am hired to create such a .plan file because of the additional time and care that is required to create such a discrete construct. It is more a matter of your own personal skill, creativity and intention as opposed to what software you use. The right software just makes the job easier to do but does not determine whether or not such a job can or can't be done. DJP

Go look at some existing B&B layouts near where you live. Search on line (such places often have floor plans of existing rooms to view and evaluate). Use your own creativity in terms of what you would find acceptable in such a room, create it in your software and evaluate what is good and bad about the result. Such a room needs to serve the comfort and purposes of both traveler and landlord-manager in terms of cost and maintenance, just think it through and act. DJP

I opened my copy of Architectural 2018. Built a garage, set the Room Type to "Garage". Went to "Edit - Default Settings - Foundation" and set the foundation type to "Slab on grade" then ordered the foundation to be built. I then did a "Framing Overview camera view" and I can then clearly see a bottom plate, studs and two top plates in that view, easy as "1-2-3". I wonder what you did that A monolithic slab does not have "a single row of block". My point is that the software does NOTHING but what you tell it to do by way of Default Settings and other settings. Things only come out right when you cause them to by your own intention and control not by magic or chance. DJP

You create a screen capture of what you wish to communicate/share (on Windows Machines the keyboard command is "CTRL-Print Screen". Then you open the created image as necessary in Windows Paint or some other image editing software and add any useful text annotations. Then when ready you employ the "Drag files here to attach, or choose files" command provided in the Forum reply dialog. If you want to share a copy of your plan file you close your HD software and then using the same command: "Drag files here to attach, or choose files" command after first compressing the .plan file into a ".zip" file (Every Windows Operating system provides such a utility by right-clicking on the .plan file icon and choosing "Send to...compressed archive" command. You then attach the file you intend to share (either image or .zip file) so others can better understand what you are facing. DJP

I learned this software while designing for a remodeling firm. I have always used two plan files: 1 is the home as it is before remodeling and then 2. As many versions of the proposed remodeling version. the one my clients then pick goes into the final printed plans along with the "As Built" so a permit authority can graphically see what changes are proposed to take place. That is the way I now do it quite successfully. I also apply this to custom home design, saving each version until the client is happy with a particular design which is then used to create the printed plans. I found out to my dismay that sometimes a person will say to me "Now that I see this version I think I like the version we worked on last week" so If I had not saved that version, I have more work to do on what I did save. DJP

In terms of a purely 2D detail this is rather easy using Pro's 2D CAD tools to add that feature for a cross section or "Wall Typical". It becomes a bit harder to do in terms of 3D as long as one is not too insistent on precise reality of Soldier courses and masonry sills especially in terms of classical slightly slanted brick and stone sills. There are two ways to do this in any Home Designer title: 1. Use manually shaped and located cabinet soffits shaped like soldier courses and straight (not slanted) sills. 2. Using a custom made object in Sketch Up one can emulate a slanted brick sill symbol for importing into Home Designer, assign a brick soldier parsed material to those soffits and or custom symbols. The thing about symbols imported from Sketch Up is ideally they are precisely sized in Sketch Up before importation into Home Designer because to resize them once in HD tends to misshape the object and lose the reality of appearance once imported and located in your plan file. DJP

Understood, Best of success to you! DJP

In Architectural you select the "Elevation" camera, left-click outside the side of the building you wish to create an elevation view and then drag your cursor in the direction you wish the camera to "look". There are different camera tools for differing purposes. As a new user you would be well served to fully read your included "Users Guide" and then refer to your included "Reference Manual" (both found under "Help" dropdown menu), the Reference Manual has detailed and specific help to explain all the tools and settings you need to understand to get products. DJP

Commonly in the USA Gable ends especially non-street facing ones usually have a lighter weight material like siding for the structural reason Eric pointed out. While designing a custom home a person is wise to take the home's building costs in mind and spend your money where it serves you best. Once you finish your design you might show and discuss the project with several experienced builders who may have additional suggestions to make along this line of reasoning. Welcome to our forum, I wish you nothing but success! DJP

Post an image of exactly what you are seeing please. DJP

Often times the auto roof generator is limited in your ability to set up the walls and dialog boxes to create automatically certain roof designs automatically. I usually start with the auto roof generator and then take what it produces and edit the design manually. Manual roof editing takes lots of practice since the burden of creativity is all in your hands but is the make-break of whether or not you get the look that you need and want. First learn your basic tools: roof dialog, Build Roof Dialog, local room dialogs-ceiling heights and the roof tab where you can try to create roof returns (sometimes these auto settings can fail to produce a specific outcome and you then have to step in manually to create what the auto settings missed). As a new user you tend to lean on the software and its settings but to become truly competent you must learn how to manually manipulate things to exactly what you need and want. Studying the Reference Manual is a great place to start in terms of finding out what settings and where those settings are. But a next essential part is putting into action what you just studied so it fully becomes usable knowledge and not merely just word significance. The words are there to communicate "actions" so it is your responsibility to make sure the words a fully understood by you (words have usually several definitions and can be easily misunderstood if you are missing the definition intended by the author to communicate what are the precise actions involved. As Eric has pointed out you will probably fare better with useful answers at Chief Talk than here. Chief has MANY more features and tools than any Home Designer applications. DJP

Unfortunately no Home Designer titles have this ability. This can be done in Chief Premier and Chief Premier Interiors only. DJP

This You Tube Video may be of some help to you: DJP

If I were you, I would ask a local Structural Engineer or Builder your question. DJP