Best Home Design Software

My wife and I are planning to build a new home in the next year or so. We have lots of ideas about what we want, but have not seen a pre-designed floor plan that checks all the boxes. What are some good software packages that can help us get to the floor plan we want? We'd like to be able to visualize within the software as well. I know we will have to have an architect complete the plans for us, but the more we can do, the less we'll have to pay the architect.

TIA

 

@1UPPER

 

I use Chief Architect. We designed our house in it 16 years ago, and I continue to use it for remodels and sketching ideas up for people. It’s not cheap, but very full featured.

current version has VR integration too, which is very useful for visualizing the feel of the space.

https://www.chiefarchitect.com/

 

Oh, it looks like they have a “home DIY”version too

https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/

https://www.chiefarchitect.com/home-designer-DIY/

 

I didn’t know this existed. Getting this would likely save me ton$ over what I’ll pay an architect to translate all my graph paper drawings. Thanks!

 

Yes, this is pricey, and from what I read it also has a steep learning curve. I checked out the home designer and it's pretty much the same story.

Since you have used it, what are your thoughts on it? Have you kept it up-to-date?

Thanks for your response!

 

Yes, I keep my seat of it current. It was expensive to buy, and maintenance on it isn’t cheap either, but I use it often enough that I can justify it.

It does a ton of stuff I don’t even know how to do, but I did spend a good few days just watching tutorials when I first started. One nice thing with Chief is the libraries of “symbols” for different manufacturers of things from cabinets to appliances to furnishings. I very literally fully worked out my cabinets for my kitchen remodel down to the right part numbers using Chief.

I still had to pay someone to generate our permit drawings when we built our house just to make sure everything was up to code, and we had to make a few tweaks in the process. But it saved me SOOO much headache and money by being able to mock things up for my wife to see it in 3D before we made up our mind. And each time we’ve done a minor remodel since, I go back to the same file (which I keep current) to draw it up for her to see first.