Multi-Level Foundation Issue...

[KParenteau]

Greetings!  I am new to Home Designer Pro, so still learning!  Okay, so I will do my best to explain my issue...

 

I have a slab that is already poured (photo attached).  I need to get Home Designer Pro to work with this somehow, but not sure how to do it.  As you can see by the screenshots, I have the slab created to the exact measurements of the currently poured slab.  GREAT!  But what I am confused about is how to make the walls look like the rendered picture from a different program called Live Home 3D which was used to create the concept of the addition before I discovered Chief and Home Designer Pro.

 

The rendered picture shows a drop down where I will place stairs into the living space.  What I need to do is have a wall that sits on top of the elevated portions of the slabs.  You can see where I added a wall and it goes right through the raised slab area.  Essentially it looks like the wall is binding to the main slab, but the raised slabs I created seem "invisible".

 

Maybe I need to make the slab differently to reflect the elevation change on the walls?  The transition will go from 8' walls, to 10' walls, etc., but the wall headers will remain the same level.  Also you can see the small rectangle on the lower right corner where the Home Designer version is raised, but actually need it to be a 6" drop to match the slab, and I can't get it to do so.  Any assistance would be great!

 

Thank you,

Kevin

 

[KParenteau]

Added to my signature, and also familiar with Forum etiquette.  Hopefully I can get some ideas on what I can do to accomplish this design soon.  Thanks!

[solver]

I'm going to guess that you created your foundation manually, maybe using the Slab tool.

 

The program does not know you want that to be your foundation, and there is no way of telling it to use what you have drawn as one.

 

I'll suggest you watch the latest Home Designer Getting Started webinar on YouTube (link above) to get an idea of how the program is designed to work.

 

There is also a tutorial linked under the Help menu you might want to follow.

 

Come back with questions -- in a new Topic please after you have gotten started.

 

[KParenteau]

I started by building using the foundation wall tools and then used the mono slab build option to place a 6" slab over it.  I will definitely watch and continue reading some guides, etc., however maybe a better question would be the following:

 

Given that the foundation is already poured, can I even build this into Home Designer Pro so I can use the existing measurements and foundation as a starting point for the build?  Or do I build the walls and layout first, then work the foundation/slab afterwards?  Do I need to consider an upgrade to Chief to accomplish this?

 

Essentially I am seeking a proper workflow process for how I should build it in Home Designer Pro since I have an existing foundation I need to work from.  Thanks

[solver]

Watch a video or two and you will see how the program is intended to work, and will be able to answer your own questions.

 

Having an actual foundation gives you dimensions.

 

Here is what I would do.

 

Using the CAD tools, trace the exterior of your foundation. 

Copy that line to a new plan.

Draw walls (they will snap to the CAD lines).

Build the foundation.

Adjust things as required filling in interior walls etc.

 

But first, I would watch that video so you understand the process (big picture).

[KParenteau]

Thank you for that rough sketch of tools/process you might follow.  That is very helpful so as I am watching the videos I can understand the big picture better with that in mind. I appreciate the guidance.  I will likely return with more specific questions but I will open a new thread for that.  Thanks!