ᐅ Recommendations for Land Planning Software for Home Building
Created on: 14 Feb 2022 21:23
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HoisleBauer22
I am looking for property/house design software that meets the following criteria:
- DXF import/export
- Garden with shrubs, trees, etc., at least available as a plugin
- Includes garages, carports, and patio covers
- Photovoltaics included
- Intuitive operation
- Many templates, e.g., for bathtubs, doors, front doors, stairs, possibly also furniture... (+ option to download more)
- RAL colors, for example, for windows/doors
Does anyone have a recommendation? What do you use? I haven’t found any recommendations in the forum so far...
Also: Has anyone received a DXF file from their builder of an empty model or standard house to plan with? I think this should be the standard...
- DXF import/export
- Garden with shrubs, trees, etc., at least available as a plugin
- Includes garages, carports, and patio covers
- Photovoltaics included
- Intuitive operation
- Many templates, e.g., for bathtubs, doors, front doors, stairs, possibly also furniture... (+ option to download more)
- RAL colors, for example, for windows/doors
Does anyone have a recommendation? What do you use? I haven’t found any recommendations in the forum so far...
Also: Has anyone received a DXF file from their builder of an empty model or standard house to plan with? I think this should be the standard...
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HoisleBauer2215 Feb 2022 10:14haydee schrieb:
It doesn’t make sense for laypeople to simply move walls around. Structural integrity, wastewater, and so on. Well, you could define load-bearing walls as non-movable in the software. And an intelligent program could, for example, flag wastewater issues as errors. It could also offer optimization suggestions, like a piece of code saying, “If the distance between the toilet/sink and the wastewater pipe is greater than X, then alert: ‘Warning, costly toilet plumbing ahead,’” or something similar.
If we can manage something as complex as autonomous driving with software today, then smart planning software is definitely doable. It would be expensive, though. But the construction industry has been receiving huge amounts of funding in recent years. You buy it once and provide users access through a licensing system.
haydee schrieb:
Ideally, you should have enough spatial imagination and manage without 3D. That’s certainly helpful advice. Leaves no questions unanswered 🙂
WilderSueden schrieb:
In the professional sector, licenses start at around 1000€ (about $1100) each. That’s steep. Is there no more affordable software that meets the criteria I mentioned earlier?
What software do forum members here use? That was actually my original question.
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HoisleBauer2215 Feb 2022 10:22SoL schrieb:
For example, we were able to test our (quite specific) house color directly with the general contractor (GC) in their program to see if we liked it. Is the program available on your laptop/PC/in the cloud, or were you only allowed to look at the screen with the GC consultant?
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WilderSueden15 Feb 2022 10:25We had screen sharing sessions. However, I need to correct myself regarding the price: ArchiCAD does not cost 1000€ but rather 2000 to 4000 dollars, depending on the edition.
I have used Sweet Home 3D, but it can barely do what you want. However, it is sufficient for a layperson to get a basic idea.
Professional software can do a lot but is on the one hand expensive (although some offer free trial versions). For laypeople, the learning curve is much too steep. You would first need 50–100 hours to get familiar with the software to create what you want, and then possibly another 100 hours to work on your actual floor plan. In the end, it’s just a sketch that a professional will still have to revise. It’s really not worth it.
From a company’s perspective, it’s even less worthwhile because it doesn’t save any time. It’s most efficient to take your room layout and requirements list to an architect and then go through three to four planning rounds with them.
Professional software can do a lot but is on the one hand expensive (although some offer free trial versions). For laypeople, the learning curve is much too steep. You would first need 50–100 hours to get familiar with the software to create what you want, and then possibly another 100 hours to work on your actual floor plan. In the end, it’s just a sketch that a professional will still have to revise. It’s really not worth it.
From a company’s perspective, it’s even less worthwhile because it doesn’t save any time. It’s most efficient to take your room layout and requirements list to an architect and then go through three to four planning rounds with them.
HoisleBauer22 schrieb:
What software do forum members here use?The software is usually called Architect. 😉HoisleBauer22 schrieb:
Is the program on your laptop/PC/in the cloud, or were you only allowed to look at the screen with the general contractor’s consultant?Screensharing. As others have already mentioned: This is all professional software that you would have to learn thoroughly yourself. The effort required is not proportional to the benefit.