Home Designer Architectural

Very Easy to use, Good amount of features that you get for the money. I use this program for fun and to design homes and other buildings. Budget friendly, went through chief architect to upgrade from a previous version. Love the new rendering engine for 3D views. It will take some time to get the lighting just right but once you get the hang of it very easy from that point on. Followed manual and you will be up in no time. I highly recommend this software. Five Stars. Thank you for taking the time to read my review.

First of all it takes quite some time and effort to learn. I would say there is very little that is intuitive. You get a lot of fluff options such as kitchen gadgets and light fixtures. However REAL features such as two different roof pitches is not possible. You also cannot change defaults on roof types. I hope you want a hip roof because that is the only default roof there is. Again really? a simple gable roof is not a choice as default auto build roof? I made the mistake of buying this twice, learn from my experience, and dont buy once.

When youre already paying $199 for a product, you shouldnt be nickled and dimed for additional content, particularly when the additional content doesnt even contain what is advertised. I paid an additional $4.99 for Docks and Waterways, and after I downloaded it, I realized that it didnt contain anything about adding docks and nothing about waterways. A complete waste of my money and time.

Using the product to remodel and expand a 1940s era home. The training videos are really well done and are absolutely helpful in becoming familiar with all of the various things one can do with this awesome planning tool. I am really having fun both learning the tool and creating meaningful plans for my vision for our house. A++ in my book.

Chief Architect Home Designer packages are great, started with most economical package and then upgraded to next level. Easy to use and you can just layout your fantasy homes or work on serious designs and remolding. Now retired I enjoy drawing with it and it won’t break the bank like some drawing packages.

Overall, I really like this software. For the money, it is a bargain. The one thing that you should do is be prepared for a bit of a learning curve...itll likely take a few hours of studying, primarily watching videos to get started. Additionally, make sure your computer meets at least the minimum requirements to run the program.

I usually dont write a review but I decided to do one on this product. I have been buying this product since 2007 and upgrading when new ones come out and have enjoyed using them. But along the way they have gotten rid of alot of their stuff in their core catalage which now you have to purchase. I upgraded from 2021 to 2023 and was not inpress with the product. I would not pay the full price for this product.

Crashed my computer

I have had program for 5 months. It is difficult to change a plan once you start it. If you spend considerable time on a house plan but then want to modify it such as change terrain, modify walls, delete a basement etc it is a very cumbersome process and often easier to start over. Modifying stair riser height is not available so matching stairs to lofts is difficult. Having said that there are many great features in the program.

I’m always exploring new construction ideas and this is by far the best tool to do your preliminary drawings. Super easy to use. Very great value!!