Using home renovation
software helps with planning and the estimation
of cost
If you have decided to
take the plunge and start making some
well-needed home improvements, you will find
that you have a few ideas but are not sure what
to do with these ideas. The problem is that
while these ideas may seem great in your head,
in reality they may not be feasible. You need
to figure out estimated costs as well as whom
you are going to hire - if anyone - to complete
the work. If it all seems a bit much to deal
with, you will find that there is home
renovation software available which can help
with the early planning stages.
There are many free
options for home renovation software, but many
of these only provide basic help. By spending a
few dollars on a professional version, you will
have a lot more choice and it will become an
invaluable help during the initial planning
stage. Of course, ot depends on how serious you
are about the project. If it’s just a bit of
fun then spending money on one of these
programs will basically be money down the
drain.
However, if your plan
includes hiring a team of professionals, it
will be very worthwhile investing in, unless of
course one of those professionals will be
organizing it all for you as he will already
have his own software.
What you should look for
when buying home renovation software
Many people feel that
completing home improvements is worthwhile and
very rewarding; it still needs to be very well
planned and thought out. Using good quality
home renovation software will help to guide you
through every step of this process. You can
actually see what the end results should look
like on your computer. You can cost everything
and the software will even give you a list of
which materials you need before you start –
perfect for a novice!
Once you have worked out
all of the final figures, you can always go
back through the software cutting back where
appropriate to lower the cost. It will give you
a good idea as to whether or not your ideas are
affordable and whether you need the added cost
of hiring a professional to finish the work.
You will know before you even step foot inside
a DIY store whether your project is doable,
affordable and generally a good idea.
Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 8.0
Amazon Price: $97.99 Average Customer Rating: 4.0 Review (rating: 2): software of this scope and customer base should be first and foremost user friendly. I used other CAD software before. i believe the developer should hire someone that would actually try to make this intuitive. This program is supposedly designed for a regular Smith to buy and help design his home and garden. It does not work that way.
Every little task requires a trip thru a whole lot of menus and sub-menus. It does not have to be that way. I struggled with the even most basic features - set up the size of your yard is a total pain.
This is a good software with the worse user interface I have ever seen. It has a feel of being designed in early nineties, not in 2008.
I should add that the plan selection for garden design is somewhat limited.
If you look for help in designing and decorating your house and garden and you are not CAT uber geek - stay away from this software.
Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 7.0 [OLD VERSION]
Amazon Price: $73.99 Used Price: $44.89 Average Customer Rating: 4.0 Review (rating: 2): They list this software as Vista compatible. Their vision of compatible is the software runs 10 minutes then crashes - if you can finish all your work in 10 minutes, you'll be fine.
The drawing tools are weak, doing a simple 45 degree bend in a kitchen island is impossible. Doing something simple like putting a sink where you want it on a countertop is impossible - it always centers the sink in the space provided. If you're used to even the drawing tools in MS Powerpoint, this will be a big disappointment.
Punch! Architectural Series 5000 V12
Amazon Price: $279.99 Used Price: $460.14 Average Customer Rating: 1.0 Review (rating: 2): This would be an excellent product if it only worked ! I am a software developer and have significant experience with CAD tools. I spent a few weeks working with the Home Designer. The features this product attempt to implement are excellent (topography, foundation, roof, electrical, plumbing, decks,....) but the implementation is terrible. I had particular trouble with the most basic features. I could not define a lot size other than rectangular, the 'Topo Designer' would not build a sloping lot plan, rendering of designs would fall apart, zooming controls are extremely weak, could not build an elevation plan.... Once you build your architectural footprint, the remaining functions (electrical, plumbing,roofing, landscaping, and interior control) are more robust. This product reminds me of Microsoft's first version of windows..... a good idea that needs to mature. Punch support for the product is also very poor. I may reconsider the product in a few years....
Punch! 5 in 1 Home Design
Used Price: $15.00 Average Customer Rating: 2.0 Review (rating: 1): I have experience with CAD drawing and other engineering drawing programs. While they all require a learning period before they are easy to use, this program never achieves that status. It is as if they took a bunch of different modules, each with different commands and vocabulary and slapped them together in a package.
Examples: The "Landscape" editor insists on slapping the landscape clean through buildings with basements. Roof pitch is a compound series of menus hidden in different parts of the program. There is no "Grab and move" feature to allow control of the roof line. It's nearly impossible for you to get interior walls to meet the inside of a roof without projecting through or missing entirely.
Common door styles are missing and if you want to update any inventory items you get to download a 176MB file hoping that what you want is in there. Walls don't snap square. The video "Help" is primitive and never completely covers a topic. The help index is missing almost everything you need help with.
In short... a huge waste of time and money. Do it with a ruler before you buy this program.
Bob Vila's Home Design
Used Price: $1.50 Average Customer Rating: 1.0 Review (rating: 1): not to be bought they are not saying that this software is for Windows "95
not worhted.
