Adding a basement or 1st story to a plan that you have already started

[DavidAndrade]

How do you add a basement or 1st story to a plan that you have already started? I don't mean to add a foundation, but a new story without starting over. 

 

Also, Can you upload a cad plan from Auto Cad and then convert the plan to walls in home designer Pro 9?

 

Thanks

[Jo_Ann]

?????

[DavidAndrade]

Are you saying you don't understand the question? I don't get the ???? help

[DavidJPotter]

If the "story" you already have is on "Floor One", you then build a "Foundation or Level Zero" floor under floor one. The software defaults to "Floor One" when starting a new plan. If you managed to start with "Floor Zero" (Very unlikely) the process would become more complicated, why do you ask? This is explained in the "Users Guide or Tutorial Guide",  the "Help Files, Reference Manual and Video Tutorials" also clearly state this.

 

DJP

[DavidAndrade]

5 hours ago, DavidJPotter said:

If the "story" you already have is on "Floor One", you then build a "Foundation or Level Zero" floor under floor one. The software defaults to "Floor One" when starting a new plan. If you managed to start with "Floor Zero" (Very unlikely) the process would become more complicated, why do you ask? This is explained in the "Users Guide or Tutorial Guide",  the "Help Files, Reference Manual and Video Tutorials" also clearly state this.

 

DJP

I saw the video and I even tried  the foundation trick, but all the properties are different. The walls are concrete on the first level as well as indented slightly. When I do the 3D it doesn't look like it would if I had done two levels to begin with.  The "basement" or lower level is not finished and not visible from the street, however from the back side it looks like a regular two story stucco house. I made a mistake when I started drawing it as one level. So now I'm having trouble adding stairs to the lower level as well. I was trying to avoid starting over. Ill check the videos again. Perhaps i missed something. I see its quite easy to add a 2nd level, but that doesn't help with this situation. Thank you for your time. i am grateful for any help I get here. As you well know you can spend hours on this program, albeit  mostly fun hours. :0) 

[Jo_Ann]

I still don't understand what you are trying to do, or what you are having a problem with.

[a5uperman]

Having just started using this program a couple of months ago, I can say there is nothing wrong with starting over. You have probably learned a lot since you started, and will do many things differently the second or third time re-making this. If you just want to get to the finish line, fixing a broken design over and over is OK, but you will get in to bad habits if you intend to use this program a lot. For instance, the first thing they show is how to set the defaults on your plan, and that really does make building what you want far easier in the long run. You might not know exactly what you want to do the first go around, but after messing around with your first design you probably have a better idea what you want and can set some defaults the second time. Although from your signature I see you're a General Contractor, and probably might not have the time or money to continue to mess around with the plan over and over again.

 

But if you put the time into the first few jobs and learn the program you will be much better off in the future.

 

Also, If I get stuck on how to do something, I'll make a tiny home (one or two rooms) with the feature I'm trying to learn and mess around with that as a test. It's easier to figure how to fix things that way than to mess around with a huge floorplan you have done a lot of work on. Some things you want to do will have multiple ways to do them. And each way will have an impact on something you do later on.

 

Using this program is addictive for sure! I've looked up a couple nights to find it was 3 or 4am. LOL

 

I have one design I think I've started over maybe 6 or 7 times, and every time was better than the last and fixed cascading problems that were starting to build up from earlier decisions made earlier on in each version. And each restart went quicker to get to the same place in the design process than the last try.

 

I have a background doing 3d animation from years ago, and those are things I found from working with those programs. It looks like you have a good foundation with your background in autocad?

[solver]

I'll make my guess.

 

You drew a plan on level 1. You want to move it to level 2 and then draw a new level 1.

 

Why not build on the foundation level 0? It sounds like you have a walkout basement.

[DavidAndrade]

On ‎3‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 4:14 PM, solver said:

I'll make my guess.

 

You drew a plan on level 1. You want to move it to level 2 and then draw a new level 1.

 

Why not build on the foundation level 0? It sounds like you have a walkout basement.

Ill try that. 

 

Thank you!

[DavidAndrade]

On ‎3‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 4:00 PM, a5uperman said:

Having just started using this program a couple of months ago, I can say there is nothing wrong with starting over. You have probably learned a lot since you started, and will do many things differently the second or third time re-making this. If you just want to get to the finish line, fixing a broken design over and over is OK, but you will get in to bad habits if you intend to use this program a lot. For instance, the first thing they show is how to set the defaults on your plan, and that really does make building what you want far easier in the long run. You might not know exactly what you want to do the first go around, but after messing around with your first design you probably have a better idea what you want and can set some defaults the second time. Although from your signature I see you're a General Contractor, and probably might not have the time or money to continue to mess around with the plan over and over again.

 

But if you put the time into the first few jobs and learn the program you will be much better off in the future.

 

Also, If I get stuck on how to do something, I'll make a tiny home (one or two rooms) with the feature I'm trying to learn and mess around with that as a test. It's easier to figure how to fix things that way than to mess around with a huge floorplan you have done a lot of work on. Some things you want to do will have multiple ways to do them. And each way will have an impact on something you do later on.

 

Using this program is addictive for sure! I've looked up a couple nights to find it was 3 or 4am. LOL

 

I have one design I think I've started over maybe 6 or 7 times, and every time was better than the last and fixed cascading problems that were starting to build up from earlier decisions made earlier on in each version. And each restart went quicker to get to the same place in the design process than the last try.

 

I have a background doing 3d animation from years ago, and those are things I found from working with those programs. It looks like you have a good foundation with your background in autocad?

I do use AutoCAD 04 proficiently and I love the program. I've had it for many years. I've had HDpro 09 for almost as long.  I hesitate to upgrade because my desktop which has a 30" widescreen monitor is older and I'm afraid the new 2018 version may be too much for the ol'girl. I also use a Surface pro with the programs and I switch back and forth using both, so I'm still using the 09 version which works very well for my level of expertise ( or lack thereof ).  In the past I've had staff who would do the 3D work.  Now the staff is gone and I'm trying to learn it.  It's much more fun than the AutoCAD version I have. But now it's 10 years later and I struggle with remembering exactly how to do things because I'll sit down for a few hours and work on a project then I might not return to it for a week or two due to my hectic schedule right now.

 

I was fighting a deadline to show the house on this particular project exactly like it is vs the conceptual improvements.  So based on that I was hesitant to start over thinking there must be a reasonable solution to the situation that would save the time I needed to make my deadline. While I agree with you on starting over, I was trying to avoid that this time. Having said that I also agree with you regarding the fact that each time I start over it goes way faster and I tend to learn more. This forum has been a great resource for that purpose.  Sometimes stating the obvious like you have here does indeed make the most sense, however I'm simply to stubborn (at times) to listen to that inner voice when it tells me the same thing you and others have. 

In the end I was able to get the plan far enough along top make the presentation and get the agreement to go to the next level. So now I will start the whole plan over, which is fine because now I have the leeway to do so. 

 

The funny part is, I can build it. I just have a tough time drawing it.

:0)

 

Cheers

[solver]

1 hour ago, DavidAndrade said:

On 3/29/2018 at 4:14 PM, solver said:

I'll make my guess.

 

You drew a plan on level 1. You want to move it to level 2 and then draw a new level 1.

 

Why not build on the foundation level 0? It sounds like you have a walkout basement.

Ill try that. 

 

Thank you!

 

You still have not clearly stated what you want to do. 

 

You drew a plan on level 1. You want to move it to level 2 and then draw a new level 1.

 

Is this it? If so -- it's simple to do.

 

 

[Jo_Ann]

As solver says, you still have not clearly stated what you want to do. 

 

Maybe this knowledge base article will help.

https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00718/modeling-a-sloping-terrain-for-a-walk-out-basement.html

 

Also, stairs are drawn from the lower level UP to the higher level, not vice versa.

[DavidAndrade]

5 hours ago, Jo_Ann said:

As solver says, you still have not clearly stated what you want to do. 

 

Maybe this knowledge base article will help.

https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00718/modeling-a-sloping-terrain-for-a-walk-out-basement.html

 

Also, stairs are drawn from the lower level UP to the higher level, not vice versa.

1st. It seems that I could have given a better explanation on what I have been trying to achieve and in the future I will do so.

 

2nd.  I followed the link you provided and it turns out that you have pointed out exactly what I needed. I saw that somewhere, but don't remember where.  Perhaps the video headings, but I didn't realize exactly how spot on this is for my situation. Solver gave me several tips based on the limited information I provided and I've been planning to sit down and try them. But this is it, this is the feedback I was looking for. Now I wont have to ( get to, hehe)redraw my plan, at least this time.

 

Thank you,

Dave