Randall30 Posted June 10, 2020 Share Posted June 10, 2020 Anybody try the trial version or own Home Designer Architectural who can comment on if you decided to upgrade or if you stayed with Home Designer Suite, and why? I am on the fence (haha no pun intended) deciding whether to pay the $99 upgrade cost (I have Suite 2016). Designing a home that I would hope to build in a year or two, I am not a professional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solver Posted June 10, 2020 Share Posted June 10, 2020 Upgrades are on sale now -- $69 for the latest version of Suite, $395 for the latest version of Pro. What sort of "design" are you wanting to do? I cannot imagine using anything other than Pro, but you may not need its features. Same with Architectural. Upgrade if you need something it offers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawB10 Posted June 10, 2020 Share Posted June 10, 2020 Pro and CA Premier are for users who do that work for a living, that's why they have tools for that work. The lower versions HD are for users who like to do that for fun or as a hobby. Suite can open and edit a Architectural plan and vice versa, I would suggest you master Suite before moving up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall30 Posted June 10, 2020 Author Share Posted June 10, 2020 So I think I will upgrade to Home Designer Architectural. I have a question--- during checkout, there is the option to pay an extra $15 to get a USB backup; is this really needed? Can't I just backup the downloaded zip or msi file for the upgrade and copy it myself to my own external USB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidJPotter Posted June 10, 2020 Share Posted June 10, 2020 I think you are right in that the back up is for those who are not computer savvy. You will do as you wish but I think having manual roof tools and layout sheets to print to is worth the additional funds one exchanges for Home Designer Pro over Architectural or Suite. DJP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidstvz Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 I would like those roof tools, but it's hard to justify the 300 dollar upgrade cost from architect to pro. Plus, I just learned that I can do a lot more with the roof than I thought with the cheap versions. Under Build->Roof, delete roof then build roof. Set a steeper pitch than the default and select automatic build and let'er rip. Then you can customize pitches by clicking the walls below specific sections if they really need a different pitch. I also fixed my porch roof by raising the adjacent interior rooms ceilings to match the porch. Then I thickened the ceiling drywall to 2 feet so it would look correct.... the attic interior won't look right, but that's ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawB10 Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 Why in the world are you building that way? First thing you do is click edit>default settings and set your defaults. Keep auto rebuild roofs/foundation on until the roof is how you want it, then turn them off. For porch ceilings check use soffit surface for ceiling. How about uploading the plan.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now