Home Design and Architecture Guide

How to draw 2D drawings with Google SketchUp

he other night I realized how easy it is to draw 2D drawings with the free version of Google SketchUp. All you have to do is select Camera > Standard Views > Top to set the view from the top of the model. If you want a side-view of a wall or an end wall you’d just select Left, Right, Bottom, etc, instead of Top. Then select Camera > Parallel Projection and voila you have a 2D drawing from your 3D model. Here’s are two screen shots that show how to do it on a Mac. PC users should have the same controls it just looks different.

I think the Pro version of SketchUp would be great for professionals that make plans and presentations all the time because it would a huge time saver. In fact I think the $495 Google SketchUp Pro costs is a steal of a deal for professionals. But for those of us happy exporting drawings and building the plan documents separately the free version of SketchUp is all we need. I should be finished with the 8×20 free tiny house plans by tomorrow morning and I’m making the plans using the free version of SketchUp.

How to Pick a Home Design Software

For anyone who plans to build a new house, home design software can seem like a dream come true. But with so many programs to choose between, how do you decide? Start by answering these questions.

1. What are your system requirements?
Home design software needs a lot of memory and power. Before you buy home design software, make sure your computer system meets the requirements to run the program.

2. What’s your learning curve?
Some home design programs can be challenging. Computer novices will need to spend time reading the manual and working through online tutorials. For out-of-the-box simplicity, opt for a basic program with a minimum of special features.

3. What do you want to do?
o Dabble, play, and create.
A simple program with basic features is all you need to try out your creative ideas. Before you splurge, experiment with a free drawing program like Google SketchUp or bargain-priced software like the ultra-easy IMSI TurboFLOORPLAN Instant Architect.

o Draw simple floor plans.
If all you want to do is draw simple floor plans, you might not need a high powered graphics program or software for drawing 3D images. Instead, try an easy, free online drawing tool.

o Prepare to build.
Home design software isn’t as powerful as the CAD programs used by architects and engineers. You won’t be able to draft blueprints or construction-ready drawings. With some programs, however, you can create designs with enough detail to give your pro a jump start. Better Homes and Gardens software by Chief Architect® will let you select from a huge library of cabinets, colors, and other features. Choose the Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite and you can also plan complex electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems.

o Add curb appeal to an existing home.
Programs like IMSI TurboFLOORPLAN Home & Landscape Pro will let you import a photo and add new landscape features. However, you really don’t need home design software if your goal is to view paint colors or make other cosmetic changes to your house. Instead, choose a paint color software program or a photo-editing program.

o Create a presentation.
Some home design software has features that teachers and sales representatives find especially helpful. For example, IMSI TurboFLOORPLAN Home & Landscape Pro will let users record voice narratives and create animated views of home designs.

o Work on a school project.
If you’re facing a tight deadline, pick software that’s quick and easy to use. Most school projects don’t require enormous libraries of colors and details. Opt for simplicity over bells and whistles.

What’s Your View?
Have you ever used any of these home design programs? Tell us your experiences!
* IMSI TurboFLOORPLAN Instant Architect
* IMSI TurboFLOORPLAN Home & Landscape Pro
* Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite
* Punch! Software Professional Home Design Suite

What tools to draw a simple floor plan?

A new homeowner would like to draw a simple floor plan to help with remodeling and decorating projects. She write this:

“I figured I could find some simple tools on the web, but all I can find is software intended for 3-D design,” she says. “Most do not make drawing to some scale or designating distance easily.”

Are there simple online tools to help draw floor plans?

High powered home design software and CAD (computer aided design) programs can do many complex tasks and will create beautiful scale drawings. Most home design programs are fairly easy to learn, but all the bells and whistles aren’t necessary if a floor plan is all you need.

Want something even less complicated? Try one of these easy online tools:
* FloorPlanner.com
* Gliffy Floor Plan Software
* SmartDraw
* Classroom Architect

Free Tools to Choose House Paint Colors

Wouldn’t it be great to preview color combinations on your house, before spending a lot of money on paint? You can, with digital painting tools. Just point and click to see rooms, furnishings, and house exteriors in many different colors. The software and online tools listed here are inexpensive, and most are FREE! Keep in mind, however, that your monitor cannot render colors precisely. Use these digital painting tools to explore possibilities, then test spot your chosen paints in a small area.
1. Benjamin Moore Personal Color Viewer
Try thousands of Benjamin Moore paint colors. Use the free online tool to view colors on sample photos showing interior and exterior views. Or, buy the $10 “>CD and try Benjamin Moore colors on photos of your own house. Available for Windows and Mac.

2. Resene EzyPaint
Use the easy, free version on EzyPaint online, or pay to download the more sophisticated version which includes a drawing and mapping tool that lets you fine tune the areas you want to color. The Ezypaint programs are available for PC or Mac, and will let you view thousands of colors manufactured by the New Zealand paint company, Resene.

3. American Traditions Virtual Painter
Select from a palette of National Trust approved American Tradition® colors from Lowes. Try your chosen colors on several online photos of interior and exterior views. Easy to use, but the selection of images is limited. Free.

4. Sherwin-Williams Painting Images Color Simulator
Select a photograph that most closely resembles the style of your house, then choose the Sherwin-William palette to experiment with color combinations. Free.

5. Bob Vila’s Paint Designer
Home repair guru Bob Vila lets you view his Signature Collection paint colors on several different house styles. You can’t import your own photos, but the free interactive Web page includes a color wheel for easy color selection and a handy estimator tool that calculates how much paint to buy.

6. CBN Selector™
Here’s a complex and powerful tool that lets you visualize the appearance of thousands of colors on a variety of surfaces including stucco and concrete. Once you’ve selected your colors, you’ll have a precise CBN Code that will let you order the color mix you want from your local dealer. You can download this software and try it out for 30 days for free.

7. Better Homes & Gardens Color-A-Home
Register for a free log-in, then use the free online tools to view different color combinations on a variety of house styles.

8. Photo-Editing Programs
Chances are, you already have a photo-editing program on your computer. While not specifically designed to work with house painting, most photo-editing programs include tools that can help you in the color selection process. This page from Microsoft Windows XP shows how to do this using Microsoft Digital Image Suite. Other programs work in similar ways.

What Is a Floor Plan?

A floor plan is a simple line drawing showing rooms as though seen from above. Walls, doorways, and windows are often drawn to scale.

When shopping for house plans or building plans, you may study the floor plans to see how rooms are arranged. However, a floor plan is not a blueprint or a construction plan. To build a house, you need a complete set of construction plans that will include floor plans, cross-section drawings, electrical plans, elevation drawings, and many other types of diagrams.

A floor plan, or floorplan, in architecture and building engineering is a diagram, usually to scale, of the relationships between rooms, spaces and other physical features at one level of a structure.

Dimensions are usually drawn between the walls to specify room sizes and wall lengths. Floor plans will also include details of fixtures like sinks, water heaters, furnaces, etc. Floor plans will include notes to specify finishes, construction methods, or symbols for electrical items.

It is also called a “plan” in architectural terms, as opposed to “elevation” which means how the object will look when seen from a side, or a “cross section” where the building is shown cut along an axis to reveal the interior.

Examples:
Although usually drawn to scale, a floor plan can be a simple diagram showing the layout of the rooms. The drawing shown here shows a floor plan from a single-family home