CA for future home builder/owner

[plwitt79]

I would like to thank everyone for your insight and knowledge. I know I capable of learning the software and producing plans...i wouldnt let myself fail...the whole part about truely designing a space...i would agree that would be my downside. I know when something looks good and inviting...but not sure if i can just visualize how it all should look. I know my wife and i wanted someone to do the interior design cause we are not great at that part...but was thinking that we may be able to take ideas from architectural or design magazines and reproduce them in the model. So yes we have some things to think about in that department.

Completing the design...creating and printing drawings...getting the permit...my dad and I being the general contractors...seeing it go up...being the most cost effective...moving into our dream house...that sense of accomplishment...YEAH i think it all can be done!

I downloaded the trial version of CA last night...didnt get much time to work with it...so i am gonna try that out...so out intuitive the program is for me...and go from there. More than likely i am going to purchase the software sometime in the future...probably get through the holidays here and then talk about it some more. Might need something to do on Snowy Cold winters here in Nebraska!

Take Care everyone! Be Safe!

Preston

[ivancyr]

Hi Preston,

Just want to encourage you to dive in and have fun. I literally fell into CA. I trained to design GPS approaches for airports and I studied to utilize the full Adobe suite to layer, our engineering data, mapping, and print. I completed this without formal training and on my own time. I unfortunately was transferred after our shop (at the real job) was closed up. Seven years later, and a move across the country I utilized those skills to solve some problems for my brother-in-law who had 3 nagging problems. I did this in about 3 hrs of work enjoying his company watching a hockey game. About a week later he asked me if I could fix another problem and suggested I use CA X4. I dove into it full throttle, spent 3 wks with 2-3 hrs sleep a night (plus kids, plus full time job) and was able to get "product" out to a developer after 3wks that he was happy with. I DO NOT do architecture...I simply use CA as a 3D modelling tool. You can see some of my latest work 6 months later (I did start with HD Pro 2012 and upgraded 3 months later after HD couldn't handle the file sizes and was limited in its export functions) on an earlier thread today.

Which brings me to the only advice I can give. Go through all the tutorials and work from there. Ask all the dumbest questions you want on this forum....people are great...and there are a few champions (Like Lew B. and others) who go over and above for you.

A suggested Order of manufacture:

1. External Walls.
2. Internal Walls that define different floor and ceiling heights.
3. Set those heights in 2 above along with roof zones (and internal walls if required).
4. Remainder of Internal walls.
5. Roof
6. Windows, doors, etc.

...and go from there. Others may have a better idea or suggestions though....most of us here are constantly learning better and more efficient ways.

....and from the #10 motto from Lego Robotics First Lego League (my son loves it)....

HAVE FUN!

[Rickt1962]

It falls back on your construction knowledge and Building codes that are required where you work. I am one of those few that have done both. Been building homes since the 70's and when the first home PC's came out in the late 70's was also learning how to use them. I started out with Auto Cad 10 the dos version wow it sucked typing in the command lines for x and Y for a single line to be drawn ! When i picked up a version of 3D home a Architect and loved it ! Is when i researched if ther was a more powerful version out ther ! Is when i started with Chief back in the late 90's. Chief classes back then with AL who was a home builder that worked for A.R.T which was Chiefs name before they changed it. Went around the country promoting the use of CHIEF for builders to cut out the Architect. Just so long you have the knowledge of spans of lumber and steel and you will do fine !

[William H Lynch]

Builders with the napkin plan mentality usually create the worst plans of all. It will result in a plan that is easy to build but not easy to live in.

I beg to disagree, many of my plans start on the 'napkin' so to speak. One of my 'napkin' plans has been built and sold well over a hundred times. A simple, well designed plan that is easy for the builder to understand is what I strive for..., And it sells big time. I can't tell you the number of contractors who asked me to redraw their plans because they are so full of sh**as* details that make the plan unreadable.

Note: I always respect the rights of the original copyright holder in this process, and never reproduce anything without their approval, amazingly I have never had a rejection....

Bill

[java tom]

Thank you for proving my point. You have sold the same plan a hundred times. I'll bet it is the builder and not the homeowner that thinks that is a good idea. Your selling it over and over because it is cheaper for them to do it that way. Ask your self an honest question. Have you ever had a home owner walk in your office and say "I'm interested in the plan that builders have decided works the best for their interests". A plan like that has its place in production houses but not for custom homes. By the way, congratulations on success with that plan. It must indeed be very easy to build.

[Rickt1962]

LOL All my homes are custom.. period... Actually I have had many customers come to me because they want to build a new custom home that fits them and ther budget after they got sticker shock from an Architect. So i really wouldnt want to open that subject. After 30 plus years of building custom homes and have been published. Very happy with Chief and since pretty much been with them since the beginning. Has been a very valuable tool just like my Cat 953 moves alot of dirt fast and Chief can draw a plan in hours.

[lbuttery]

I love the Kohler commercial where the couple enters the "high-end" architects office
while he is touting all his awards etc

He then asks with a smirk "what can I do for YOU ???"

the lady hands him the Kohler faucet and says "can you build a house around this ?"

Lew

[alan11]

Hi,

I'm actually doing exactly what you're planning to do, and I started with Home Designer Pro about 2 years ago and then graduated to the professionals version, CA X3, after 6 months and am now using version X5. I did a lot of research before choosing to buy Chief Architect and I have to say it's lived-up to it's calims; it's probably the best package out there. It's rich in features which means it can take some time to learn everything it's got to offer, but there is a raft of help as well including videos on how to do just about everything and the help you can get from this forum, by just asking, is tremendous. I've managed to develop numerous designs for our next home and it's easy to archive base designs and then look at variations. You can produce full plans and drawing sets, but I do agree with one comment in here, that once you've got the design you're happy with, give it to a professional architect and structural engineer to make sure it can by built and stay up. But at least you've done most of the hard work and had the satidafction of knowing you've created the design yourself.

Alan

[beachcomer]

Alright! Somebody opened pandora's box

[tompapa]

I know for a fact that you can do this in California. It is neither illegal or unethical, in direct contradiction to what some of the people on here are saying. I've done the drawings for every structure I've built over the last six years since I bought a copy of chief. It's easy to find structural and civil engineers who are happy to review and stamp your work. They will require that you meet their standards, but you want to do that anyway. Not even remotely a problem here. Most of the engineers I know don't even do their own drawings anyway. They sub it out. You can do this in the city or out in the country, doesn't matter at all.

[tompapa]

By the way Preston, it took me a couple of months to learn the program well enough to do my first set of plans. It was a very custom house though, so if yours is easy to build it will be easy to draw. The program is really simple to learn, it's just that there's a lot to learn. I'm a builder with 35 years experience so that may have given me a leg up but if you look at a set of plans that has all the necessary information on them for guidance you'll be able to accomplish this easily. You probably don't really need chief though if the design is straightforward. Doing construction documents is pretty basic whereas a big part of chief is the rendering and such, which is helpful when dealing with clients. Not really necessary in your case.

[lbuttery]

I know for a fact that you can do this in California. It is neither illegal or unethical

the key is the level of supervision

Lew

[perryh]

I've been doing it for almost 40 years now and every plan I do, uses a structural engineer.

[moak]

Lew is right.
Getting away with the infraction does not make it legal or ethical.

[bbbuilders]

A know a local semi retired architect here was essentially rubber stamping drafter set plans. About two years ago he got a letter from the state requiring him to have "Direct Supervision" over plans he stamps, or they were going to pull his license.

However, that is very different from sending a set of plans to an engineer for their review/red-line, making the red-line corrections and then having the engineer stamp the plans. We use this process all the time with two different engineers we work with.

With regards to design, in general I would agree that a good designer and/or architect can add a lot off value to a project and we often work with them on projects and value their input and ability to add value and flow to a project. On the other hand the title of designer or architect does not mean your good at it. Over the years I have seen terrible plans from designers and architects. We have also seen great design ideas from homeowners, though most of the time they don't have the time or knowledge to put those ideas into a working set of plans. I got into the business 20 years ago by drafting and building my own first home with very little construction experience, and no design or drafting experience. If you have an eye for good design, a desire to do the project and you are willing to seek and take advice there is no reason you can't do your own plans. That being said, I'm not sure it will save any $ in the long run but it can be an enjoyable project if approached correctly.