Chief Architect Home Designer Architectural 10 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I liked Home Designer so much I bought the Pro version right away and wrote an enthusiastic review giving it 5 stars (see the Chief Architect Home Designer Pro 10 Amazon web page). The Pro version may be a bit more than most home users need but my Amazon review contains some useful tips on getting the 30-day free trial, the PDF User Guide, and the PDF User Manual (very clear, well-organized technical reference manual). Since many of the features of the Essentials, the Suite, and the Architectural version overlap with the Pro version but there is only a free trial of the Pro version, my recommendation for people considering purchasing any version of this excellent product is to download the free trial Pro version and give it a spin using the excellent online video tutorials at the homedesignersoftware.com web site. The tutorial on each topic shows which software versions have that feature. Very useful in deciding what level of product is right for you. And by doing the tutorials, you can already be up and running by the time you decide whether to buy. I also recommend the free version of Google Sketchup 8 as a useful helper program. With Sketchup, you can craft simple 3D objects and shapes if you don't find exactly what you need in the extensive Home Designer library (need to save Sketchup objects in a previous version file format as Home Designer does not yet know about v8 of Sketchup, which just came out).
Home Designer is very addictive and fun to use. One of the best software programs I've ever owned with extensive video help actually showing you how to construct things. If you are drawing home plans from scratch and need measurements, be sure to get yourself a laser measuring device like the one I got Bosch DLR130K Digital Distance Measurer Kit. You'll still need a tape measure for very short distances but a laser measuring device really takes the pain and effort out of getting dimensions and is accurate to 1/16 of an inch at distances up to 130 feet! For $10, a pair of laser enhancing goggles is very useful for taking measurements outdoors in bright light or off very poorly reflective surfaces-see Bosch DLA001 Laser View-Enhancing Glasses
P.S. One of the best reasons for trying the trial version is to make sure you won't be caught short on needed features in the version you decide to get. Here is a link to a detailed matrix of the capabilities of each version. [...](EDIT:since Amazon deletes links, see Comparison Matrix, lower left HomeDesigner site-scroll thru list). Some of the details may not mean much to you until you try the trial version with the tutorials. But for example, I got the Pro version because I have a complicated roof and I wanted complete manual control over roof design.

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Home Designer Architectural 10: Advanced and easy-to-use software for home design, remodeling, interior design, kitchen and bath design, landscaping, decks, and cost estimation for any do-it-yourself user. Home Designer Architectural offers all of the tools you need to complete your next home project. It's fun and easy, start designing today!
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