Better Homes and Gardens Home Design Software Products can help you create your dream home.
Click on any number in the image below to see How We Did It. *
1. Dormers
Opening the Dormer Specifications gives you all kinds of options to create dormers of different sizes, materials, and styles. In this case we chose to use a Barrel Roof Type to give it a curvy look. This is easily done by opening the Dormer Specification, and under the General Tab there is a drop down called Roof Type. Using a Barrel Roof Type helped us here to balance the visual style with the rectangular windows below it, and some curvy windows on the other side of the house. The tall rectangular windows on the dormer help to point to the interesting Barrel Roof Type shape, and having the trim on the dormer and its window match that of the house help to tie everything together with a classy look.
2. Vaulted Ceilings
High ceilings can make a space feel much larger. You can create this dynamic ceiling look easily. In the Structure tab of the Room Specification dialogue, uncheck Ceiling Over This Room. In this case we have made a Gabled Roof Type, which is done by opening the Wall Specification on the two walls which you want to support the roof, and checking Full Gable Wall under the Roof tab. This gives the ceiling on the top floor a unique shape as it travels up towards the center of the house. Try different Roof Styles, and you can achieve many different types of Vaulted Ceilings.
3. Ceiling Heights
It’s easy to change the height of the ceiling in a room, which can help you make decisions on what you want to use space for in your plan. Open up a space with higher ceilings, or utilize space for smaller bonus rooms and storage. Simply open the Room Specification, and under the General Tab there is a dialogue box named Ceiling Height. Change this measurement to your liking and view it in 3D too see what it looks like!
4. Curved Stairs
Curved stairs may look difficult to create, but they are as easy as point, click, and drag in Home Designer! From the Toolbar, in the Stair Tools you can select Curve To Left, and Curve To Right. It’s as easy as it sounds; simply click where you want the base of your stairway to start, and drag your mouse to the next floor where you want your stars to end. That’s it! Try using curved stairs to create interesting ways to access other stories and give one of your rooms a great visual quality.
5. Invisible Walls
With the ability to specify a wall to be invisible, you have the power to peer through walls and get great views of multiple floors. This tool can help you to make interesting renders where much of your plan can be viewed. Just open the Wall Specification and under the General Tab check Invisible. You can also use invisible walls to specify different floor materials within the same room. To do this, simply draw walls enclosing the area you wish to change the floor material on, change the walls to invisible, and in the Room Specification of your new small room under the Materials tab, change the Floor Covering to a different Material. This looks great where Kitchens connect with other rooms.
* The information in this article may not apply to all titles.
For more information see the Support Help Database at www.HomeDesignerSoftware.com/support/database.html