Any Chief Users in NW Chicago Suburbs?

[Jim Steigert]

Mike,

It's great hearing from another CA user within the area. Like Nick, you can feel free to E-mail me at jsteig@sbcglobal.net. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Jim

[MikeF_2]

Hello Jim and Nick, and all other Chief users from the NW suburbs-

A little bit about myself: I've been working in home renovations and property management for about four years now. Oddly enough, I was a graphic designer for six years previous. And for most of my life, I've pursued drawing and painting as a side interest.

NEVER in my life did I picture myself doing construction work.I'd always considered myself mechanically DIS-inclined, and was about the most un-handy man around. Though as my dad was reaching retirement, he decided that he wanted to stay active and busy, so he and I sat down and started talking about buying a house and flipping it. Long story short, he taught me everything I needed to know- from plumbing and electrical to drywalling and flooring. Ironically, I love what I do so much that I've often found myself wishing I would have started on this course 20 years ago.

After awhile we recognized we had a good thing going, and our property holdings also took quite a leap. So we (very recently) decided to incorporate our business.

Over time, my interest in building and architecture grew exponentially. Another long story short, I'd been wanting to purchase Chief Architect for a few years now, so not too long ago I went ahead and made the investment. One of the best decisions I've ever made. In fact, I will say somewhat reluctantly that I think I'm becoming a little obsessed with it... I wake up early before work, do a few hours of CA. I get home from work, do a few hours of CA. I've been measuring up the properties we're currently working on, then building them in CA. My girlfriend is starting to send me emails entitled "We need to talk..." I don't think I need to explain what THAT means.

I think this discussion group is a great thing. My work schedule is hectic right now, so I'm sure you'll understand if I seem a little slow to reply. Okay then, I'm gonna get back to Chapter 12, "Foundations"! Take care, fellas.

[Jim Steigert]

Mike,

Great story. It's good when you find something that you love doing.

I've worked with Chief every day now for about 4 years so I'm beginning to get the hang of it. Most of my work is designing home additions and Chief is a pretty powerful tool despite the occasional glitches that I run into.

If you run into any problems or simply want to know how to do something with Chief your more than welcome to contact me. I'd be more than happy to help.

It's good to find other Chief users in the area and I understand perfectly if your slow in your responses. My work schedule is likewise frequently hectic. Not only do I design homes but I'm also a Trustee for the Village of Algonquin and sit on a Hospital Board as well.

Anyway, good to hear from you.

Jim

[nvirgilio]

Just purchased X1, joined Chief Talk, read the NW Chicago Suburbs posts and suddenly they stopped in July. Has the idea of a Chicago area users group faded? I live in Bloomingdale and get up to the Crystal Lake area every couple of weeks. I have been doing kitchen and bath design and remodeling for 24 years, and bought Chief to replace a tedious combination of TurboCad and 20-20. Just learning it, but am liking what I see.

Would be interested in hearing from you others.

Nick

[Jim Steigert]

Hi Nick,

I can't speak to the interest level of others but if I see a posting from someone I'll respond. Quite frankly, I don't know how many Chief users there are in the area. It would be nice to see more interaction among users in the Northwest suburbs.

Anyway, congrats on getting Chief X1. It a very powerful tool. If you have questions or problems feel free to contact me. If your up in this area I would be more than happy to walk you through any problems you may encounter.

Best of luck,

Jim Steigert

[nvirgilio]

Jim,

Thanks for the reply and the offer of assistance. I will take some additional time during the holidays to train on Chief. Have a happy and prosperous new year.

Nick

[Jim Steigert]

Nick,

Enjoy the holidays to explore Chief. Any problems you may also reach me at jsteig@sbcglobal.net or 847-658-0536.

Happy New Year to you as well.

Jim

[Animal Haus]

Hi All,

I just picked up Chief X1 a month ago. It's a love/hate relationship since I'm still in the training mode. I live and work in Chicago in the Stone & Tile industry as an Account Manger for a high-end supplier. I have a passion for good design and architecture, yet do not have much formal training. I find that industry experience and expertise in my field has taught me more than I need to be successful at what I do.

I recently acquired my first interior design project outside of my full-time job. It's a great project, renovating a 4000 sqft home built in the late 1900's in Wicker Park. The materials and construction budget of over $250,000. My project involves all aspects of renovation, so I found the need for a rendering and space planning tool. So far, it's been very helpful, but I do find that some of the details can be frustrating. Attached is an elevation of the master bath vanity area. It's just a start, I know I have much more to learn.

I look forward to hearing from other users and creating a larger network here in the Chicago area. There's got to be more than a few of us out there.

Jennifer

[Jim Steigert]

Jennifer,

Hi and welcome to this forum. First off let me begin by congratulating you on the very nice project you picked up. I'm somewhat in awe that you are doing this project on the side while learning Chief Architect. Your pretty gutsy.

I'm also impressed with your bathroom elevation. It reflects considerable sophistication.

Anyway, it sounds like you have your hands full. Chief Architect is an incredibly sophisticated piece of software with a wide range of capabilities. I've been using it daily for several years and have yet to explore all of it many dimensions.

If you run into any problems, please feel free to contact me and I'll help walk you through them.

Best of luck,

Jim

[ctcustom]

Hello all,

new to the chief talk forum. I have been using CA off and on for the past 4 years. Started with 9.5 and currently using v10. Just wanted to get into this thread to let everyone know about another CA user in the NW 'burbs. it's good to know about other chief users in the area.

Tom

[Jim Steigert]

Hi Tom,

Welcome. Looks like we're relative neighbors. I see your in Elgin. I'm from Algonquin. It is good to see others nearby.

Hope to hear from you again.

Jim

[Landbuilder]

I am in Wayne, IL. Don't do much drawing work. Develop and sometimes build.
MD Construction in Roscoe does good work with Chief.

[Jim Steigert]

Hi Dennis,

I see your fairly close by. I'm located in Algonquin. How's the construction business doing these days?

Jim Steigert

[Building Vision]

Hey, I don't check in too often, but the buzz about X2 has got me back on the discussion group. I'm a GC in Evanston, moving slowly into offering clients some design capabilities. I am still very much a novice CA user, but am looking to make it a core technology of my business. I'm interested in networking with architects who are using CA and recognize the sales value of renderings. Also, very open to teaming up with liscened architects on some of the larger design work that beyond what I can handle in house. Anyone move on to X2 yet?

Paul

[Animal Haus]

Hi Paul,

I just started working with Chief four months ago and have found it very useful when selling my design concepts. I'm currently working on a 4200 sqft home in Chicago and would love to pick up more projects. I am not a licensed architect, but an interior designer with vast knowledge of kitchen and bath remodels. If you are interested in discussing a joint venture, let me know.

Good luck!
Jennifer