New to HDPro - general feasibility questions re: home addition

[Breeze91]

Good day all,

I am new to Home Designer Pro and am hoping to use it to design an addition to our home. Could anyone confirm if a couple things are possible?

 

First, briefly, I plan to attach our garage to our house (6' apart currently) and add a sunken living room.

 

To this end, is it possible to:

 

1) Model the addition separately from the current existing house and garage?

2) Derive a materials list only for the new building materials needed for the addition?

 

I checked through the writeups but didn't find specifics on these, so thanks in advance for any input.

 

[DavidJPotter]

Yes, on remodel projects, I commonly model the existing home and call it "As Built" and then save-as a copy of that and name it "Version One" or some such. Then to the copy of the as-built I add the additions. 

 

An important note on the "Materials List" tool, it is programmed to measure how perfectly you 3D modeled the structure and is as accurate as YOU can exactly 3D model the structure and not an iota more (Most new users do not bother to learn the software well enough to do that). I am just trying to be realistic relative to a professional grade materials list using this software.

 

I do NOT recommend any Home designer software except Home Designer Pro because it contains the most choices and the least barriers to getting it right. But again, the bottom line will be determined not by the software but by your willingness to thoroughly learn the software BEFORE using it for production work. It is your choice to make, the software is an intricate tool but will NOT do it for you without your competence being present.

 

For remodels you would use the Polyline Materials List tool and draw the closed polyline around only the addition.

 

DJP

[solver]

11 minutes ago, Breeze91 said:

1) Model the addition separately from the current existing house and garage?

 

Yes. The addition model will be completely separate and cannot be connected to another model.

 

If this will be used for permitting etc, you will need the existing house and the addition in a single plan.

 

12 minutes ago, Breeze91 said:

2) Derive a materials list only for the new building materials needed for the addition?

 

Yes.  

[Breeze91]

7 minutes ago, solver said:

 

 The addition model will be completely separate and cannot be connected to another model.

 

 

Thank you both for the help and swift replies.

 

Eric, in your comment above, is this based on an assumed separate plan from an "as built" plan, as described by David above, or through some other method?

 

Thanks,

[DavidJPotter]

Under Materials List tools in HD Pro you can selectively select a materials list from a "Room" (a space enclosed by walls) or all floors (which would include the as built as well) or for an "Area" by using that tool to draw a poly-line around just the area you wish to measure for a materials list.

 

DJP

[solver]

7 minutes ago, Breeze91 said:

Eric, in your comment above, is this based on an assumed separate plan from an "as built" plan, as described by David above, or through some other method?

 

I don't understand the question. 

 

15 minutes ago, solver said:

Model the addition separately from the current existing house and garage?

 

And I don't understand this either

 

What is "separately"? 

 

An addition needs to be drawn in the place it will be built. In your case, draw the house and garage, then add the new structure between.

 

It's always a good idea to draw the existing, save that plan as a backup, then start a new plan with the addition.

 

To get a materials list, I would make another copy of the complete plan and delete everything but the new work.

[Breeze91]

Perhaps I'm envisioning functionality which may not exist.

My curiosity is whether you can "lock" everything but the addition from further edits, yet still keep that completed work visible.

 

 

 

 

[DavidJPotter]

You can "lock" layers but such locks are global, not selective by area or room. Even Chief Premier cannot do as you ask unless (can only be done in Chief Premier) create custom layers and then lock those. That cannot be done at all in any Home Designer software title. (Chief Premier costs about 3K compared to HD Pro at just under 500 dollars)

 

DJP

[solver]

6 minutes ago, Breeze91 said:

My curiosity is whether you can "lock" everything but the addition from further edits, yet still keep that completed work visible.

 

No, but you don't need to.

 

I can do it in Premier using locked layers, but Home Designer lacks that ability, and it's not something I ever do.

[Breeze91]

Got it-- thanks!

[ricatic]

Ok...I will stick my neck out a bit...you have received advice from two of the most generous helpers on the forum...Their wisdom and experience have helped so many... I, on the other hand am a “constructor” first and a software user with developing skills...as mentioned earlier, the accuracy of your model will absolutely determine the results of your material list...

 

You do not tell us your experience or skill sets...they are extremely important to obtaining your definition of success...learning how the software interprets your inputs is the great trick...I have been building for over 50 years and designing on the drawing board almost as long...when on the board, I control the “ construction process” using my experiences to drive results...you will find that this is not how the program works...the info you enter for defaults is paramount to getting the model to look as you wish...my advice is to practice with the program with simple box building and change defaults to see their affects...you will likely have a few “ why did it do that” moments...use the contextual help offered by the use of the F1 key...it provides instant information about the operation you are attempting...

 

Good luck , remember it is a dumb tool you are using and have a bit of fun

 

Regards