Creating a Split Material Wall

Reference Number: KB-01956
Last Modified: June 30, 2022

The information in this article applies to:

Home Designer Professional or Home Designer Architectural



QUESTION

I need to create a split wall with two different materials, such as with brick or stone on the bottom, and siding, stucco, or a different paint material on the top. How can I accomplish this task?

3D Perspective view of a split material wall, also known as a pony wall, on the front porch.


ANSWER

Home Designer Pro and Home Designer Architectural both have the ability to create Pony Walls, which is a wall with two separate wall types, one above the other.

If you are using a version of Home Designer which does not have this tool and would like to upgrade to one that does, please see the Upgrades & Discounts page.

If you are wanting to just change the materials on the interior of walls that are defined the same, such as to apply wallpaper or wainscoting, instead use Wall Coverings. Please see the Related Articles section at the end of this page to learn more about using this tool.


To create a Pony Wall

  1. Select Edit> Default Settings  , use the arrow beside Walls to expand this category, highlight Pony Wall, then select the Edit button.


  2. In the Pony Wall Defaults dialog that displays:

    Pony Wall Defaults dialog

    • Set the Upper Wall Type and Define it as needed.

      If you choose a Wall Type that is also used elsewhere in your plan and Define it, it will update the existing walls already drawn in your plan to use the new Type. To learn more about modifying wall types, see "Modifying a Wall Type" in the Related Articles section at the end of this page.


    • Set the Elevation of Lower Wall Top.
    • Set the Lower Wall Type and Define it as needed.
    • Choose how you want the upper and lower portions of the wall to align with each other.
    • Choose whether you want to show the upper or lower wall in the plan, and whether or not you want to hide openings in non-displayed parts of walls.
    • Once all of these values are set to your liking, click OK.


  3. Now you are ready to create the walls by selecting Build> Wall> Straight Pony Wall . With this tool selected, click and drag out the wall in your floor plan view, just as you would with a standard wall.

In some cases, you may realize that you need to make changes to the Pony Wall after it is drawn, such as to change the materials or to the height of the lower pony wall.


To change the Wall Types of a Pony Wall

  1. Using the Select Objects  tool, click on the Pony Wall that you want to change, then click on the Open Object  edit button.


  2. On the Wall Types panel of the Pony Wall Specification dialog that displays:

    Changing wall types for a single pony wall

    • Use the drop-down menus to choose a different Upper and/or Lower Wall Type.

    • Use the Define buttons to customize a wall type such as to change a material from brick to stone.

    • Adjust the Elevation of Lower Wall Top, if needed.

    • If you want just this wall to display differently in floor plan view than your default, you can also adjust the radio buttons here.

    • Click OK when you have completed making changes 


  3. Repeat this process for any other Pony Walls in your plan that need to be adjusted.

    In Home Designer Pro, you can Group Select multiple Pony Walls to open the Specification dialog for them all to more quickly make changes, rather than going one wall at a time.


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