Second Floor Help Needed

[LandB_Properties]

I am trying to model this house in Home Designer PRO 2018.  I am having difficulty with the second floor and all the roof lines (multiple roof heights, large dormer, etc.).  Any help is appreciated.  

 

 

 

My House.plan

[LandB_Properties]

Hi Eric, Thank you.  See revised post.  Any help is appreciated. 

 

[solver]

Check out the resources I linked above. Maybe spend a few hours going over some of the YouTube videos.

 

It seems common for people to jump in and start on a big first project while trying to learn the software at the same time. Consider using test plans. Draw a one room structure. Add a roof. Add a 2nd floor. Work to understand how the program works, then apply that knowledge to a more complex plan.

 

 

 

I also recommend learning the manual roof tools, especially if you are using the software in a business. This roof would be quick to draw manually. 

 

I don't mind helping out, giving pointers etc, but your plan has no roof.

 

 

 

One last suggestion is to pose bite sized questions. Like: I added a 2nd floor, but when I build the roof, it builds over the first floor, ignoring the 2nd.

 

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Your default exterior wall is marked as a Foundation Wall. Uncheck that.

 

Delete the foundation and rebuild. Check Auto Rebuild Foundation.

 

Delete the 2nd floor. Delete the Attic floor. Add a new 2nd floor.

 

This is obviously incomplete, and will need some manual cleanup, but it's auto built.

 

 

 

 

[LandB_Properties]

Hi, 

Thank you very much for your pointers and assistance!   I'm sorry I didn't have a roof shown, I attempted the second floor many times and when I added the roof it made my model confusing, so I never saved it.  I did watch some of the videos, but all the lessons I found seemed to only show roofs on basic, box houses.  I didn't see any that showed how roofs are used together with the second floor or multiple "sections".  Could you recommend a specific video that would have helped me learn the skills to accomplish this design?  I will try to post more specifically in the future!   Thank you again! 

 

Did you repost the plan or just an image?  

[solver]

Work on the roof one step at a time.

 

After building the 2nd floor, build a roof. What needs to change? 

 

Set walls to gable as needed, now what does it look like? 

 

You will need to lower the roof above the garage. Figure that part out and make that change. Draw just a garage, add a 2nd floor. Learn how build the roof where you want it. Add the dormer etc. Once you understand this, apply it to the larger model.

 

Tip: Ceiling heights control where the roof builds.

 

Tip: Make the bay window and the small bump out in front separate rooms using a Room Divider. Uncheck Roof Over This Room for the bump out, and set the bay window room to use Roof Group 1. Changing the roof group makes the program build the roof as if it were on a different structure. This will need manual cleanup.

 

 

 

 

[DavidJPotter]

 You picked a lulu of a "first project". This design requires advanced skills which take time to develop as a facility. I agree with Eric, take it slow, study-practice in simple test plans. Quit guessing as to what settings to make, open the reference manual and FIND OUT first (guessing just wastes time and makes success harder to come by). 

 

DJP

[LandB_Properties]

Thank you!  This is my house.  I bought home designer to model some facade changes and subsequently build out a deckscape.  It requires me building my house first :)!   I will heed your and Eric's advice.