Archive for January, 2010

Makes A Good Home Design

January 25th, 2010

A home design from an architect’s point of view is not just brick walls painted with expensive colors and finishes. There are many factors involved while designing any architectural building.

Architect’s prefer two types of approaches while designing a home building. In the first type the architect focuses on the requirements of the client as far as number of spaces, style, budget is concerned. He may discuss various aspects with his client and come up with a unique home design that is the best possible solution for the needs of his client.

On the other hand some architects think the opposite way. They first visualize the complete form of the home building and then “fit” the necessary spaces inside this form in the best possible way. One of
the best examples of this type of designs is the “Guggenheim Museum” in New York designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

This museum designed has been derived from an inverted cone form pointing down at the ground. The rest of the museum spaces have been very creatively “fitted” in the cone shape without disturbing the
massing of the cone itself. This type of design practice requires a great deal of command on visualization and designing of circulation spaces within the building.

So which of the above two is the correct method? Both are correct methods, that is because the success of any building design is not dependent upon the methods of design but the comfort levels of the residents.

If a home building can not provide basic comforts to the residents like fresh air circulation, ample sunlight, clear circulation spaces, then it can be said to be a failure. Fulfilling these basic requirements of a home design is not at all dependent on expensive construction methods.

Even a low cost home building can be a great design that makes full use of all the natural resources to make the residents comfortable. That is why a good design does not mean “expensive design”. In the
modern contemporary design styles simplicity is the key to better design and interiors. The design that can solve the basic functional problem as well as triggers the emotional impulse in the user is considered a good design

3D Home Designing Software – Home Designer Pro

January 25th, 2010

Although it does come with quite a high price tag, Home Designer Professional Edition is definitely a worthy investment. Serious designers and professional builders alike will realize that the $495 required to purchase this piece of software is actually going to prove to be money well spent in the long run. Below are some of the reasons why Home Designer Pro has been named as one of the best home design software in the entire industry.

At a Glance

Designed, developed, and published by the renowned home design software company Chief Architect, Home Designer Pro is a program that has been specially created for serious home and design enthusiasts. The latest edition of the program is version 9.0 and similar to its predecessors, this too contains the same cutting edge tools that are used by actual professionals for various purposes including interior design, home remodeling, landscaping, deck design, and even cost estimations.

This program basically combines all the main features of other Chief Architect-designed programs such as Landscaping and Deck Designer, Interior Designer, and Architectural Home Designer. Plus, it also includes a myriad of the most advanced CAD tools available in the market today. With Home Designer Pro, users are given the power to create blueprints, roofing, manual framing, and a whole lot more. It’s pretty much like an all-in-one program that definitely justifies its seemingly high retail value.

Professional Level

As mentioned earlier, one of the best features of this particular program is that it is able to produce outputs that are of the professional level. This capability is brought about by none other than this program’s advanced tools that are cutting edge in every sense of the term. Users can create floor plans that are accurately scaled and within minutes, automatically produce 3D models. Home Designer Pro also makes use of high-tech 3D cameras that allow a multitude of different user views such as Cross-Sections, Elevation, Framing, Doll House, and Glass House. Aside from creating a scaled representation of one’s dream design before actually building it, users are also given the chance to take a virtual tour to ensure that they are more than happy with their plans.

But Still User-Friendly

Although Home Designer Pro makes use of design tools that are highly advanced, it does not fail to keep the program’s overall user-friendliness in mind. In fact, this program makes it a point to ensure that users will be able to navigate through the program with as little complications as possible. For instance, there’s the Quick Startup Options Guide which serves as an excellent source for “how to” tutorials that cater to all types of projects. The pre-installed House Wizard tool is also a great feature that makes home designing a lot easier for the less experienced users.

A multitude of landscaping and actual home design templates are also available for users to choose from if they don’t wish to start from scratch. These templates even come complete with decks, cabinets, colors, and much more. Should users encounter any more issues with the program, they can either make use of the online help system or watch the dozens of tutorial videos which both offer excellent support and guidance

Better Homes & Gardens Architectural Home Designer

January 25th, 2010

Whether you are considering a quick and gentle garden makeover or a total home design, the Better Homes and Gardens Architectural Designer package from Chief Architect will be of great use to you. The package can be purchased at different levels according to whether you want a more professional or more basic version. At the moment you can chose from suites 6, 7 or 8. Check carefully to ensure that you hardware will support the package that you chose and also make sure that you will be getting all that you need. Likewise, check that the suite that you choose does not have too much that is unnecessary. This can sometimes complicate an otherwise simple task.

The Better Homes and Gardens Architectural Designer has been compiled by people who are very experienced in the world of property design and the concept has been taken from professional design software. Because of this you will be getting a product which is specifically for your needs. It is not a game and you will be impressed with the professional results.

The software is easily installed and within no time at all you will find that you will be able to draw the basic walls and home design. There are over 30 instructional videos which give step by step instructions to help you and if you want to be completely guided through the process then you will find that the Wizard is invaluable. With the Better Homes and Gardens Architectural Designer you will be able to use one of a number of templates to create your ideal home. If none of these are what you are looking for then you can easily start from scratch and come up with a design which is totally unique and incorporates exactly what you want. Even if you use a template you will be able to personalize your design and make adjustments. Windows, doors and walls are all easy to move and rearrange and you will find that advice is given throughout the whole process.

Once you are happy with your initial design of the building, you will find is easy to start adding the other essentials of your new property. Kitchen planning, room arrangement and bathroom facilities are straightforward to add and then alter. Better Homes and Gardens Architectural Designer does not expect you to come up with a perfect design with your first ideas. The whole concept is that you can move things around, change room sizes and add and remove structural walls.

You can imagine the time and money that you can save by using Homes and Gardens Architectural Designer for the initial design work of your new property. If you were to ask a professional designer to alter your plans for the 30th time you may find that you are running up quite a large bill. Also, it means that you do not have to compromise with your design. Within the restraints of building feasibility the design can fulfil you dreams.