How to make columns

[BraveUserMike]

I have a 16”x16” poured concrete column in the structure of my house.

I’m recreating the plan for my house in HomeDesigner Suite 2019.

What’s the correct way to create this column in the plan?

 

[BraveUserMike]

I've already created half walls to enclose the planter and enclosed the front porch with a room divider.

This probably isn't the right way to lower the height of the front porch slab but it's all I could figure out.

 

 

 

[y-g-m-n]

Many ways. kind of depends on size and construction.

Yours actually look like a normal column maybe made from 4 4x posts in corners then conencted with sheathing and then covered in Stucco.

 

I would make a new wall definition by copying the STUCCO 4" stud one and just removing sheetrock from interior surface.

 

Then make a small room with exterior stucco dims matching your 16x16.

It will make a room can you can call it UNKOWN type.

 

ANother way is to make it a slab 16x16 w/footer and make thickness whatever itneeds to be to hit structure above be it 97.5" or 107.25 etc.

 

Then yet again look in columns for one might be stanard ones do not have what youhave but maybe they have library for sale that does.

 

Another way is make it from 3D shape.

 

I bet there are 3-5 more ways to make it - get creative and what works best for you.

[BraveUserMike]

Hello,

Thank you for your response.

I think what you are saying is it can't be done.

It sounds like you are describing making something that visually looks like a 16x16 poured column.

I was afraid that would be the answer.

I was hoping there was a way to draw structural columns so they show on the plans like they would on a stamped set of plans and add the correct materials to the materials list.

I don't actually know what a 16x16 steel reinforced column looks like on a stamped set of plans but I was hoping the software did.

 

 

This column is actually probably block.

There are some decorative stucco elements on the front of this house but this column isn't one of them.

You can easily hear the difference between stucco over concrete and decorative stucco wrappings.

Now that I'm attending to just this column and not the overall exterior, I just remeasured and it's 16.5"-16.75" that matches block with stucco.

 

As far as getting it to line up the column with the half walls and the room divider the tiny room method you described worked best.

I'm afraid of what happens when I build the roof.

 

[BraveUserMike]

[Rookie65]

I don't know if Suite has "shapes"? If it does, you can use a closed block and make it whatever size you need. I don't know if shapes will go to materials list. Maybe under you general framing DBX, you can select "post"? Make it the size you want, and the materials you want. If you want it to look like it has rebar in it, go back to shapes, or CAD circles, and make a diameter one the size you think the rebar would be. You can then place those on the top of the post so it "looks" like rebar in the post.

Please, spend some time going through your reference manual, or the help menu available on each screen.

[BraveUserMike]

1 hour ago, Rookie65 said:

Please, spend some time going through your reference manual, or the help menu available on each screen.

 

Oh, I am.

Doing a search in help for column brings up results talking about making selections in the display column, nothing about structural columns.

Same thing in the user guide.

Almost the same thing in the reference guide.  In the reference guide there is one reference to columns in the millwork library.

No explanation is given about how to use said library object.

If there is any explanation about how non wall objects are incorporated into walls I've failed to find it and I'm looking.

None of the columns in the library resemble my column but I'll go play with one anyway and see if I can't figure out how they work.

 

It's hard to believe this isn't documented.

This must be done fairly regularly.  Have HomeDesigner suite users had to give up using columns?

How am I going to add the pole barn I'm planning after this?

 

 

[Rookie65]

It's a post in the general framing, if suite has that?! If not, upgrade to Pro or something, as this project seems to be outside of the simple things Suite can do and you're just going to frustrate yourself. Did you look for shapes? Go the library browser and search for "Closed."

[BraveUserMike]

I'd be willing to purchase the current version of HomeDesigner Architect but it doesn't look like that would be much better.

It seems like you really need Pro to avoid these hassels.

 

I found shapes in the library and that proved a much cleaner solution.

I still had to pull all three walls back from their intersection for the software to let me put the box there but after I placed the box I was able to put the walls back together inside of it.

 

 

[Jo_Ann]

In your previous posts, you were progressing well.
Now you are regressing.

Some of the advice given recently, does NOT apply to the "Suite" product.

The product is mostly meant to provide a visual 3D image presentation.

 

Your real house is already existing.

Use a soffit or a closed box shape (library), sized for the column, and add stucco material to it. DONE.

Why would you EVER use half-walls to create a planter, which is now a "room"???

Once again, use a soffit or closed box shape to create the planter. DONE.

[Jo_Ann]

The room divider wall closing off the porch is ok.

[BraveUserMike]

Hey Jo Ann,

 

I'm trying Jo Ann I'm tryin 

 

Okay, so I deleted the half wall in the front which was defining my planter as a room.

Now the slab for the porch/patio/entry is extending all the way across despite my leaving the half wall in between.

While we're talking about it...I actually need to lower the porch/patio/entry floor.

The chattahoochee is 4.75" lower than the porcelain tile of my main floor.

 

 

 

 

[Jo_Ann]

It is OK that the porch slab continues to the west side wall. You can cover that up with a new "planter".

 

The room divider wall has now made the porch a "room", and that is correct.

Open the room dialog box, and lower the floor of the room.

 

No one should need to tell you this.

That is what the video tutorials, knowledge base articles,  and reference manual is for.

 

[BraveUserMike]

12 minutes ago, Jo_Ann said:

It is OK that the porch slab continues to the west side wall. You can cover that up with a new "planter".

 

The room divider wall has now made the porch a "room", and that is correct.

Open the room dialog box, and lower the floor of the room.

 

No one should need to tell you this.

That is what the video tutorials, knowledge base articles,  and reference manual is for.

 

 

 

 

Maybe I'm just dense.

I had already looked at the structure in the room dialog and it didn't make sense at first.

I think I have it figured out now.

This is slab on grade construction.  There is no stem wall but I think what it's doing is calling the slab a 4" stem wall.

So it won't let me change the height of the stem wall.

So I think changing the stem wall top under absolute elevations equates to changing the grade under the slab.

Putting -4" there worked.

 

I think I have this set up in Jo Ann fashion now.

I used two closed boxes to make the front of the planter and another to make the slab leading up to the porch/entry.

 

 

 

 

 

[BraveUserMike]

I had to adjust the ceiling height to account to lowered stem wall top.

 

[Jo_Ann]

The porch floor should be extending to the opposite wall.

I'm not seeing that in the pic you posted.

[BraveUserMike]

In real life the planter doesn't have a floor at any depth