Steve_S

I hear what you are saying... I am NOT assuming that this will generate an all inclusive, be all - end all solution... That would be deluded to say the least. This provides the essential elements of what I need... The rest obviously has to be worked out with suppliers and manufacturers. The obvious costs of Nail, Adhesives, Sealants and such are definitely not going to be included.. The Material List is the basis for the full spreadsheet to which the other stuff get's added to... Again, I am NOT building some massive 3500 square foot 2 story Cape Cod Bungalow with 4 dormers and a Greenhouse.... < 1000 sq feet simple lines & roof. (box). Anyways this thread has veered off into something else, the Pro Version Demo which I have downloaded appears to do all the things I need & want and after watching all the available videos on it yesterday & today, I will be upgrading to it. While it won't be perfect, all inclusive or complete, it is far better than nothing and will allow for the fast layout work I need to do for planning ideas and whatnot. Thanks for all the feedback Steve

I've already had discussions with our local Building Inspector and I can submit my own plans which I can upscale to 11x17 @ Staples. Advanced Framing is quite acceptable here and is suggested when possible. Detailed framing plans are required as I am tearing down to foundation and rebuilding back up... It's not a reno. Plus it's a big bonus for me when building it.... Material Lists and the various bits of budgeting are also quite critical for us, as we have a tight budget and can't afford overages or underage's I have downloaded the Pro Demo and it appears to do what I need & want but I am going to fiddle around with it a bit... It's ironic because the next place after this will be built with Stacked Cordwood with log floor joists... quite a different animal in use & purpose, so I really only need this for this and another outbuilding I want to put up.

Essentially, I'm using this to design (draw) the plans for a rebuild of our old cottage (foundation up). As it is a self-design & self-build I have to submit the appropriate drawings to the county. Fortunately the design is extremely simple, single floor, on concrete crawlspace, simple roof & porch. It isn't like I am doing this as a pro or designer, just the guy next door trying to keep expenses down. While I went through the Feature Matrix I wasn't certain of the terminology and I'm trying to be as cost conscious as I can. Seems like I have no other option than to "upgrade" for the features & functions I need such as making those adjustments and printing Layouts (blueprints). Maybe one of the Points on the Selector should say Building & Blueprint Layout Printing capability: [n], [n],[n],[n],[Y] I would draw things out myself but I really suck at drawing and all the "details" that are required for building inspectors and all that are well.... Thanks, Steve

Hi Folks, I posted this in the other Chief Architect forum but that was for Pro... Then I found the correct forum for this. I just purchased Home Designer Suite 2015 and have run into a bit of a quandary. I intended to design my rebuild with this software which I am finding extremely useful and quite good to use. The allowable Wall Choices / Building Methods allows only for predefined Wall-4, Wall-6, Brick-4 etc .. There is no option / mode for Advanced Framing Techniques which I find rather surprising because not only is it Labour saving but Materials Saving & better for the Environment as there is far less wastage and less redundancies. According to "Tech Support" this is not an option in anything less than Pro or Chief Architect which of course is a substantial "upgrade cost" for the software. This is not an option for me as I am within very tight constraints. Does anyone have predefined libraries for Advanced Framing Methods which can be added into / used with Designer Suite ? Can I use the above mentioned method to add in Advanced Framing ? Other Options ? Or do I ask for a Refund as Tech Support Suggested ?? (now that is really LAME, great support there !) Thanks in Advance Steve