Tina Johnson, right, says the Chief Architect software helps ease her concerns about the major changes David Merrick has proposed for her home. (Michael Robinson-chavez -- The Washington Post)

Find the Right Tool for the Job

Home-planning software is a valuable tool for people looking to build or renovate a home. The programs help you instantly see the impact of moving a wall, adding a new doorway, installing new windows or even placing larger furniture in a room.

Architects, developers and builders use several home-planning software programs to help communicate better with their clients. Other products, usually less technical, are designed to be used by consumers themselves.

Here are some of the home-planning programs available:

• Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer,
  www.homedesignersoftware.com
• Chief Architect,
  www.chiefarchitect.com

Tina and Nick Johnson moved into their Cape Cod in Silver Spring three years ago. Ever since, they have been struggling to find ways to add more space for themselves and their 10- and 7-year-old daughters.

Their goal is to create a bigger kitchen, larger bedrooms, more storage space and better work areas for their home offices. The problem is, the couple still doesn't know how to best accomplish these tasks.

"Nothing is obvious about this project," Tina Johnson said. "We have a large lot and can build on any of the four sides of our house. We can also build on the second story if we'd like. It's good to have these options, but it's also a challenge to know which option is the best."

The Johnsons have an ally, though: home-planning software.

In September, the family hired David Merrick, owner of Merrick Design & Build Inc. in Kensington, to draft a series of remodeling plans for them. Merrick has done this with the help of Chief Architect, design and drafting software that has allowed the Johnsons to see highly detailed three-dimensional home plans that show exactly how each room will look depending on the choices they make.

For example, the program allows the Johnsons to see what an expanded bedroom would look like with floor-to-ceiling windows versus smaller ones. It shows the difference hardwood floors would make in the kitchen and the impact a center island would have. It gives the couple the chance to see what the house's exterior would look like with additions on its left or right. The program even allows the Johnsons to see if a queen bed would look better than a king bed in their bedroom.

The Johnsons have pored over six plans that Merrick has created on Chief Architect. And though the family is still searching for the perfect solution, they credit the home-planning software with helping them winnow their choices.

"I think this software will help lead us to a solution," Tina Johnson said. "This is a challenging project. We want to accomplish a lot. Because of that, the software hasn't magically solved our problems instantly. But it clearly is much quicker than having [Merrick] continually draw new plans with pencil and paper. And it certainly helps us to better visualize the plans. I know it's helped ease my concerns being able to see what impact our choices will have on the way our house ends up looking."

Home-planning software isn't new. But the products are gaining fans among consumers looking to build a new home from scratch or to remodel an existing residence. The reasons are clear: Home-planning software allows people to see instantly the impact of taking away a wall between a kitchen and living room, choosing cabinets made of dark wood versus light wood and adding a new window in the living room.

This is important because many people struggle to look at a set of blueprints or renderings on paper and then visualize exactly what all those lines and boxes will look like once construction is done. With home-planning software, this uncertainty disappears.

The programs are also a boon to builders and architects, who find that programs such as Chief Architect and ArchiCAD eliminate many misunderstandings with their clients before construction even begins.

Merrick, for instance, uses his software to create initial sales drawings, his working drawings for every project and the plans he uses when applying for permits. He has the software on his laptop, and he fires it up when discussing design and construction options with his clients.

"The home-planning software is really a valuable tool for me," Merrick said. "You have to be able to communicate to your clients what it is you are doing. And it has a powerful effect on my clients. The customers immediately begin to feel comfortable. So many people say they can't visualize what something is going to look like. When they see their plans pop up on the screen you can see they are riveted."

Home-planning software has existed since the early 1990s. The programs, though, have advanced over the years and have become more important to developers, builders and architects.

For an example, look at Chief Architect, which has been around since 1992. One year later, the designers of Chief Architect created a second product, one exclusively for consumers. Today, these products -- Chief Architect and Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer -- count more than 1 million users, said Scott Harris, vice president of sales and marketing for Chief Architect.

"We've certainly made up a lot of ground since 1992," he said. "There is still a little bit of computer phobia among some architects or builders. They have the fear that a program will be too difficult for them to understand. But professionals now realize how important these products can be in not only helping them create their own blueprints and plans, but in helping them communicate information more easily to consumers."

Berny Hintz, an architect and owner of Davidsonville-based Berny Hintz, AIA, Architects Ltd., has been using home-planning software for about four years. The program is especially important to him because he specializes in building custom-designed factory-built modular houses.

By using his planning software, Hintz can show his clients exactly how their new homes will look with certain pieces of furniture in them, with hardwood floors or with certain brands of windows. The program helps clients understand, too, how large or small rooms will appear. It's one thing, after all, for clients to be told that a master bedroom will measure 6 feet by 15 feet. It's another thing to actually see, on a computer screen, how large that room will look once its owners move in a canopy bed and the loveseat they just purchased.

"Besides churches, really, residential work is the only time I am dealing with clients who are emotionally involved in what I am doing," Hintz said. "My clients are always bringing their own furnishings to a house, so often I am designing the space around these pieces of furniture. With this software I can make corrections and changes on the fly. I can walk through each room with them step by step, making decisions as we go."

John Rosenthal, owner of Rosenthal Homes in Potomac, recently met with clients who wanted to add living space to their Montgomery County house. The couple didn't know how to best add this space. To solve this problem, Rosenthal asked them what they would most like to see in an expanded kitchen, master bedroom suite and great room, and what type of furniture they planned on putting in these rooms.

Armed with this information, Rosenthal created three proposals. The clients studied these and are now moving ahead with the design phase of the project.

"It can be a challenge, especially in a renovation project, for owners to visualize what something is going to look like when it's done," Rosenthal said. "By using these programs it takes so much of the stress out of the equation for my clients."

Home-planning software has paid off for homeowner Javier Caballero.

Caballero, his wife, his 5-year-old son and his 1-year-old daughter live in a 1,000-square-foot rambler. To add room for their growing family, the Caballeros hired a builder to create a 900-square-foot addition to this home. Construction crews began work in late summer, but only after Caballero's builder used home-planning software to explain his plans.

The software helped Caballero and his wife make many of their decisions. In one case, the couple contemplated whether they should install extra-tall cabinets in their expanded kitchen -- ones stretching 42 inches -- or instead go with standard 36-inch cabinets and place small windows above them.

After viewing both options on their builder's home-planning software, the Caballeros decided on the 42-inch cabinets.

"The software really helped us understand what we were getting," Caballero said. "And everything moved so quickly because of it. We didn't have to wait a week for our builder to draw up new plans every time we decided to move something around. It really sped up the process."