Jo_Ann

You need to re-read that kb article.

Thanks Matt. Glad it worked for you. Mick, I used a soffit because it was quick. Although, it would have been just as quick to copy/paste the altered cabinet countertop, and resize as needed. I don't know if Suite has been given the ability to add molding to soffits, so in some instances it would be wise to copy/paste the existing countertop. Reason being, some templates (Mediterranean Infuence) have molding already on the countertops, and a soffit would not match that. You can see that in the example pic, done with the Mediterranean style cabinet. P.S. Any base cabinet will work.

When you have sorted out your floor heights... This is how I did the stairs.

Almost forgot... I'm curious why the countertop is showing through the stove burners?

Keith, There is also a broken wall on floor 2, and the front bathroom has a wall overhanging the stairs. The stairs on the right side have no stairwell.

Mick. You could do that...but what a pita. Dragging the cabinet up to non-existance is quicker.

Use a base cabinet set as a peninsula base. In 3d window, drag the bottom of the cabinet all the way up to the bottom of the countertop. Open the cabinet dbx/front tab. Select and delete the toe kick. Only the countertop should now remain. Use a soffit for the narrow rectangle extension.

Open the front wall of the porch, roof tab. Set the pitch to 4/12. Check the upper pitch box. Set the upper pitch to 8/12. Set the in from baseline to whatever depth the porch room is (8' ?)

It sounds like you are getting confused thinking that you have to build a 'new' 2nd floor above the garage. The 2nd floor already exists. You just have to draw OVER the existing 'attic' walls with new exterior walls, or the program won't recognize that space as a usable room. Open the new room, and set the finished ceiling to '0', and uncheck 'ceiling over this room'. Rebuild the roof, and it should now still look like an 'attic', but is ready to be used as partitioned rooms by adding knee walls and interior walls. This works any time you want the roof eaves to rest on top of floor 1.

"At present I have the basement drawn as floor 1, which I believe is the preferred method for a walk out." If this is what you believe, then you must not have viewed the user guide, reference guide, or any of the knowledge base articles. You are setting yourself up for headaches.

I think the only solution for that, is to use wedge shapes from the library, and cover it up.

Your real house pic and your program 3d image do not look like they are proportionate to each other. Did you measure correctly? I reset the ceilings back to default, but it still doesn't look right. I set the main house roof to 32 degrees (your program pitch looked w-a-y too steep). This method involves a little bit of program trickery, but if you do it right, you will get the results that are shown. FIRST: Set the roof overhang to about 75mm (reduced) on each of the 2 kitchen gable walls (wall dbx / roof / overhang). Follow what's shown in the floor plan pic, as this will create a room separation between the front porch and the main house wall (and back room, and the main house wall). The grey area is the 'new' room. Adjust the depth of the room (you want the high shed roof overhang to barely touch the main house wall). When you are certain that you will NEVER have to rebuild the roof, you should turn OFF 'auto build roof". It is then safe to delete the invisible wall. This will allow your ceiling to build correctly, and the roof should remain the same.

You manually build them as 'rooms' on the 2nd floor (separated from the main floor by invisible walls, and with a normal ceiling height). Not auto dormers. The roof will then build around them, but not in front of them.

http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-01197/52/Home-Designer/Roofs/Creating-a-Prow-Roof.html

Keith, You have posted the plan in various stages of progress. Just download your previous posted plans to compare what changed.

Example #3, using one custom countertop, and 2 cylinder shapes (plus the duck).

Keith, So, the flooring fix ultimately came down to the 0mm floor finish? You can change SOME of the default stair materials under the edit>default setting > 'materials' (ballasters,railings, tread). Mick, I have the Pro 2015 (trial), which matches Keith's version. Remember, the Pro 2016 (trial) wouldn't even launch, for me. In Pro 2015, the landing is sitting slightly too high above the 1st staircase (not on the floor). In the Pro 2015 version, the room dbx 'materials' tab shows 'floor structure' material.....UNTIL a floor finish height is set in the structure tab. THEN it changes to 'floor finish' in the materials tab.

The bathtub I used, wasn't from the HD library, so that's what I thought you meant. You can still use the custom countertop to do exactly what you are showing.

Never could understand why you had 'footers' on a boat bottom! (but eliminating just the footers wasn't effective)

Try it and see if it works for you. You have nothing to lose. If it doesn't work for you, just close the plan without saving! Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Keith. Do a doll house view of level1, and zoom in on the staircase as if you were starting up from the floor. Notice that the landing doesn't look quite right? Like Mick said, there is a bad connection, and specifically it is the landing. Zoom in on the landing (2d) and fix it. You can now open the offending staircase and alter it's materials, and they will change.

Keith, When you open the room dbx and select the materials tab, did you notice that the floor designation says floor structure? Back in the structure tab, the floor finish (k) is 0mm. Isn't it supposed to be 12mm? Change that and when you open the material tab, the floor designation has now changed to floor finish. Choose your plan material and all is good again. ALL the floor finish (k) on the plan has changed to 0mm. Haven't figured out the stair thingy yet, but something is screwy with the walls and ceiling on floor2. The stair room is supposed to be 'open below', but not showing that way in 3d.

I'm not getting those results (using the last plan file that you posted). Did you change some defaults? Exactly HOW did you go about changing the room floor finish?

I knew that, Mick!

THEN......I would designate that room as a 'slab' if you want the floor surface to be lower than the roof surface.. If you want the floor surface to be flush with the roof surface, I would make the floor finish (k) to be 6". On the 1st floor room, check 'ceiling over this room' and 'use soffit surface for ceiling'. I would then increase the ceiling finish (j) to 6". How does it look?