Rookie65

Usually the foundation is what the walls of the basement are made from. It is still floor "0". Where the grade sits in relation to it is where you decide if there's room to make it a walkout or just a typical basement that usually has access to the outside through a bulkhead.

Knowing what the circumstance is that it needs to be a walkout basement will help us help you. If it's because of terrain, maybe this will help https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00718/modeling-a-sloping-terrain-for-a-walk-out-basement.html

Or if the basement floor needs to stay at the same level and it's a walkout due to grade conditions, then use pony walls to make that portion a framed knee wall over the foundation. The "upper half" will be whatever your main exterior wall is in (2x6 framing usually). The bottom will stay as concrete and you determine how high above the floor you want the foundation to end. And if it is because of grade, you'll need to change the stem wall for that area also to get it below the frost line out there.

Change it to a lazy susan, then go to "front". uncheck default, then click on the door and at the bottom are the options to show it open. Then you can select the angle you want

change it to a lazy susan

Without trying it myself, maybe using a lazy susan base cabinet re-positioned in size with no countertop? Delete the doors and then use 2 doors meeting as a "V" to make the image look like it? And could you not use the CAPS Lock on your posts? Thank you

Well, you have a main floor at 0. What is the depth of the floor framing? Then, how far below is the garage floor? That is what your setting ought to be, plus about an inch so the garage floor is above the grade. Keep in mind the driveway should be above the grade to be visible. So when you add the driveway, make it 1/2" or so and set the depth to a couple of inches.

Terrain can be tricky, yet think logically with it. Keep in mind it's initially based on the height BELOW the first floor. Keep in mind the garage floor level too when you set it.

Ok, great. Yes, you are making good process. There's a learning curve to this, yet once you learn something, it stays with you.

click on automatically build foundations and do not use the monolithic slab. Again, Suite and all of its limitations is not something I am familiar with. You may be able to get better help from someone who has used it.

Go to your default settings under edit. Look at foundation and framing. See if "automatically rebuild" for foundations is checked. There you can also set your default for the garage stem wall which is something you'll want to look at as well. Of course, with Suite I do not know what all of the limitations are on what you can set.

Do you have "rebuild walls/floors/ceilings" checked? Or rebuild foundation checked? What are your garage default settings?

Not 100% sure on Architectural, though you should be able to go to the "default settings>doors>interior doors>options" and change the default from "determine by size" to "double doors only" if you are looking for a double door appearance.

Very cool. Thank you Eric.

Ok. Never have seen them show up in any of the additional mfr catalogs that can be downloaded from the library. Actually, have not seen any of the major window companies be available for home designer. Good luck.

They probably just exist for the actual Chief Architect program and not for the Home Designer series from Chief Architect. Though you can size the HD Pro windows to the sizes needed, change the label to the corresponding number if desired.

If it's an upgrade, it should only be $99 with your existing product key. So far I like it. Haven't spent much time with the PBR, yet it seems like it's been an area of concern for many with trying to get the settings right, etc. There are some things that seemed to have been changed as to how to complete them now, though once you figure it out, it works fine. Still need to learn the new tricks and will do them as the particular need arises on a project. That's my 2 cents and I am sure others will expound on it greatly.

Put in your grade so you have a reference point. It is done by setting a distance below floor 1. In your case, would probably be whatever the basement level is, then 4" lower possibly to allow for the step down often needed. Then since the garage is its own room, you can drop the level of that to grade. Or if you don't want to have the garage defaults take over, leave the room defined as a "basement" and change the display to show "garage". Then when you open that one room you can drop the floor lower to meet grade.

Probably time to dig into the reference manual found in the "help" tab. When you open the room, concentrate on the floor you are working on. You can change each floor and those dimensions shown are cumulative. Think of it this way . . . the main house floor (level 1) should be at 0 inches. Then your basement floor (level 0) will be whatever height you need (say 8') PLUS the depth of the framing (say 10", which is 2x10 joists plus 3/4" subfloor. Though in Suite you may be stuck with one floor thickness/type only. So you use that. That will set the height of floor 0 below and it should be a negative number.

Rob, In a split level, the lower level IS the basement. As I mentioned, go to your settings and make the foundation "stem wall" the height of what you need the lower level to be PLUS how far below the grade your foundation is (typically 4' here in New England). Then go to the basement level (level 0) and check the defaults. There, you can see the full height of the foundation and then change the finished floor to ceiling height. That will give you the lower level floor you want. Then the stairs can connect level 0 to level 1. Then you can look at the stairs display, see the level that each stair section goes to. Then you drop your front door from floor 1 DOWN to where the landing is. Theoretically it's halfway between the 2 floors. Don't give up. Just do one thing at a time. .

When doing a raised ranch, the lower level will be floor 0 and the main floor level 1. You run the stairs from floor 0 to floor 1 and they should be able to be split. I don't know what suite has, yet pro has U shaped stairs, which make it very quick. If your foundation goes below the floor of the basement, you can adjust the overall stem wall (hopefully in suite?) and then adjust the floor to ceiling to the desired height. Hope this helps?

Possibly the roof on the right is overlapping the siding and cutting it back to the sheathing. Manually adjust the roof so it's just touching the siding.Or change the wall type of that wall if they are not to line up at the ridge.

For what it's worth, you could probably draw a split level yourself that you want to use as a base in the time it will take to find out if there are samples available. If you just want to try out additions, keep the main house you draw as a plan with no additions. Then draw addition versions from there and save each one separately. Plus it's a good way to learn about some of the new features. Don't even need full rooms inside. Draw a box, split the heights with a stairway, put in some exterior doors, windows, maybe a deck and off you go!

Hi Mike, I keep a master plan saved w/all of the default settings I want. Then when I start a new job, I just "save as" the name of the new project I am doing. That way the master doesn't change and the new plan has any new/changed settings specific for that job. It helps an awful lot.

The reference manual is probably the best place to start. Open the program, top of the screen is "help" and it's there.