MadMacks

OK, I think I got it...I had to completely rebuild the roof. Doing that removed the roof over the porch. I was then able to select the "short" roof edge and pull it down over the porch area. I now need to add a beam and extend the posts for that area so the new roof line is sitting on the beam, but that shouldn't be to difficult. Awesome!

So, not sure how I can grab/select the "roof plain"? Sometimes I can click and it will select the desired area, but most of the time it only selects a rafter or the room. As I see it logically I have a north side roof plain (top of image), and a left south and a right south plan (bottom left and right). But I am unable to select any of them to delete or drag around...What's the trick?

I've got a Ballon Frame cabin designed that looks fine, but...when I added a porch overhang to the front door area I somehow messed up the roof structure. The Roof Frame image shows the framing perspective...which shows the roof rafters. The Attic Roof image shows the framing, but is missing the roof framing over the porch and bottom left of the roof. The First Floor image has the missing roof framing. When I built the porch it originally didn't have any roof over it, and the roof plane over the cabin showed properly in the roof plane. When I extended that part of the roof over the patios, and added the beam and posts to support it, that section of the roof apparently moved to the "first floor". I didn't really care as it all looked correct in the 3d framing perspective, But now that I'm sending the different framing layers to layouts, I'm seeing the Attic and First Floor as shown in the images. So I apparently screwed things up when I extended the roof over the front patio, which is causing the problem. So, how to I fix this? I've tried rebuilding the roof framing. Didn't fix anything. I don't see anyway to manually send that part of the roof (showing in First Floor) to the actual roof layer. Any ideas?

As I wasn’t using the objects in my plan I didn’t think to go reset the defaults…but that was the solution. Thanks again…

Opened the plans, opened defaults, selected the same thing as the default, saved the plan, reopened the plan and layout, and the error is gone. Thanks!

I gone thru several upgrades over the years with my HDP software and am currently running Pro 2023. I have a couple of layouts that link to plans, and when I open them I get the following error: When I click on details I get: I have two options on the error screen. One is to ignore the error and not show it any more during the session. The other is to always see the error. What I want to do is FIX IT. But, as the Layout is opening a Plan, and the Plan doesn't actually use any electrical outlets, I'm not sure how to resolve the error permanently. Is there some way to reset or reconnect my Pro 2023 application with the Libraries, and/or remove the "110V/Ceiling Mounted/Outlets/Duplex Ceiling Mounted" from the plan? It's not a show stopper but I'm tired of clicking ignore all the time...

Wow! THANK YOU SO MUCH. I really appreciate that you took the time to do that video, it helps immensely! I'm currently living off grid in a "rough" cabin (with internet of course) and am completely snowed in (4 miles of unplowed dirt trails to the nearest paved road) and won't be getting off my property for at least 4-5 days, so I'll have plenty of time to work thru the changes I need to make for my actual "cabin" plans. Really appreciated! You make it look so simple, and I guess being very knowledgeable about the application does help. I need to submit actual house plans to the county I live in by mid March, and I now think I might make that deadline! If you're ever in Virginia City, Nevada I owe you an adult beverage of your choice...

I've tried doing the above, but somehow I must be missing something. First step was to draw the exterior walls (no rooms) and set them to use 14' studs. Fine, I get a really tall big room. Then I added interior walls for all 4 rooms, and set the ceiling to be at 10'. The entire house shrank down to 10' rather than creating the balloon framing (I had balloon checked). I expected the celling and the joists to drop down to the 10' height. I've checked and unchecked anything I can find that says "balloon"... I'm hoping someone that had done this can provide a step by step, or point me to some training video that helps explain...ugh...

I've tried multiple ways to achieve what I would think should be a fairly simple process, the build out of a basic ballon frame, single story cabin with an unfinished attic. Unfortunately I can't find a complete example of how to achieve this. My goal is to have a simple 4 room cabin (main room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom) that uses 2x6 exterior wall studs that are 14 feet long. The interior ceiling height of each room should be set at 10 feet, with the attic using the balance of the 14 foot exterior wall studs via a balloon frame set up. I've looked at the Users Guide and the Reference Manual and do find references to "balloon frame" options, but I guess I'm too simple mined to actually figure out how to make it happen. Is there some step by step example somewhere? Is there a YouTube training video that can guide me a bit? I've looked but I haven't found anything, and I'm driving myself crazy trying different ways using the application. HELP!

I have Pro 2023 and have had issues (nothing wrong, just more difficult than I’d hoped) with sending things to LAYOUTS. Are there significant updates and/or enhancements to the layouts capabilities of Pro 2024 vs Pro 2023? I don't see much listed in the change list, but it seems like the manuals do show some updates? If you can help clarify it would be very appreciated… I posted this previously as an “add on” to another persons similar question but while he seems to have received an answer, I didn’t. I need to submit plans to my local building department so getting plans into layouts properly, and still being able to tweak them if needed based on their feedback is a big deal. Right now, for me at least, if I have to make plan changes after sending them to a layout, it becomes a significant process. I understand moving to the real “professional” version resolves this issue, but I simply can’t afford a couple thousand dollars right now…

I have Pro 2023 and have had issues with sending things to LAYOUTS. Are there significant updates and/or enhancements to the layouts capabilities of Pro 2024 vs Pro 2023? I don't see much listed in the change list, but it seems like the manuals do show updates?

I rechecked auto rebuild and that cleaned it up. Question, is there a clean way to make sure "auto rebuild" for all components is turned on? Or do I need to do that for each element? I have a very sloped and uneven plot area that I was trying to model in the foundation, and when I did that I was asked if I wanted to turn off auto rebuild, and I said yes. Apparently that is the root of my issue. I must have inadvertently selected the foundation and floor layers and moved them accidentally, and with auto rebuild off that messed up things.

Wait...I just looked at a framing view and the floor and attic floor are jacked up as well. What the heck did I do?

Your questions helped...I went to the defaults for Foundations and the Auto Rebuild Foundation was unchecked. I check it and the foundation rebuilt properly. I must have somehow grabbed and move the foundation without realizing it. Thank you...

I have an existing house plan that has somehow become detached from its foundation. I've tried several options to have Pro "rebuild" the plan hoping the house and foundation will be "reattached', but no luck. Does anyone have a suggestion on how I can reconnected the foundation? And any idea on how this strange phenomena might have happened?

In the plan already laid out the Wall Structure "Default Wall Height" check boxes are grayed out so I can't change them. How do you unlock these check boxes? I've selected, as and example, all the rooms and changed their height to 14 feet. I now want to set the finished interior ceiling to 10 feet so that i end up with a 4 foot (nominal) knee wall in the attic.

Yep. That's what I'm trying to achieve...

I'm trying to modify and existing plan that has standard height walls to use 12' 2x6 (nominal) boards rather than standard studs. What I want to achieve is a first floor with approximately 10' ceilings and have an attic that has approximately 12"-16" stem walls on all exterior walls depending on the ceiling joist size I need to use. The cabin has a rough exterior dimension of 38' by 16' so I think I'll use 2"x12" boards at 12" OC for the ceiling joists, which will handle the 16' span and loads I need. If I do that I can have a reasonably usable unfinished attic as I'm using a 12/12 roof pitch. Anyway, I tried looking at changing wall heights, and/or ceiling heights, but can't achieve my goal. I don't want to have to start the plan over just to get the default wall/ceiling heights to take hold. Is there a way to modify all exterior walls to use 12' studs, have all interior walls use 10' studs to achieve roughly 10' ceiling heights, and let the balance of the exterior wall stud lengths float into the attic? OBTW I'm using Home Designer Pro 2021...

Yep! Just figured it out... Added the room divider, selected the water heater space and the entry space, set the height to the original, and bingo! I REALLY appreciate your two helping with this. Learned some good things, and will use them going forward! THANK YOU!

If I change the bathroom ceiling height to 8 feet I get this...Because part of the ceiling is inside the main perimeter. There must be a way to indicate that the roof line for the main roof stay the "normal" height, and other the part outside the main perimeter should drop down...

I did split the exterior wall on the right thinking I could change all three selected walls to a shorter height, and that might do it... But it didn't... The problem is that half the bathroom ceiling is high, and half low. So the roof generates a funky indent.... I'd be fine if the ceiling in the bathroom (and HW space) was all the same height at roughly 8 feet.

so if I select the pantry, which is fully contained in the bump out space, that part of the roof drops as desired. But when I select the bathroom, which is partially in the bump out, and partially inside the main space, I get a very interesting result... I don't see a way to "split" the ceiling line in the bathroom so that the roof drops properly. Is there a way to create a split line half way thru the bathroom so that the exterior section lowers properly? See the example image...

that is exactly what I'm trying to achieve. Funnily, as I try different things I get all kinds of strange results...all because I'm learning and don't know the proper way! Fun, but frustrating too... I have s 1 foot overhang on the main roof. I have tried to change the wall height on the bump out, but haven't figured it out properly. And I tried changing the roof pitch, but the only way I saw to do it was have a two pitch roof, one for the top and another for the bottom half. That resulted in a gull wing. I'll try changing the ceiling height and see what happens...

Thanks Solver and Jo Ann...I didn't realize I could grab the manual the way...reading it now! Jo Ann, the bump-out is shorter in the sample image, only shows how the roof should attach to the taller wall...

The main roof needs to be flat all across the plan, not have a gull wing extension. I need all the space for solar panels. The main section if the house should have 10 foot exterior walls (with high ceilings inside as well), but the pop out section should only have 8 foot exterior walls on all three sides. The pop out roof should be a flatter pitch and connect to the 10 foot exterior wall like shown in the attached example image. The inside ceiling for the bathroom and pantry can have ceilings at whatever height, 8 or 10, don't really care.