House Design Tools

Magazine Scrapbook

• The first tool you need for a good house design is to create a scrapbook or wish list of ideas you want to incorporate into your design. It is better to have a physical scrapbook you can pass back and forth between the individuals who are involved in the design process. Simply clip photographs from books and magazines or computer printouts into a thick notebook or scrapbook.

Pencil and Graph Paper

• An important first step is to begin sketching out your ideas for the rooms in your house, as well as the house's exteriors. This is best achieved with graph paper and a simple formula for scaling. A typical method is to have one square on the graph paper equal one foot. Draw out each room in the house with the sizes specifically detailed so your architect and builder have a clear understanding of the scale of the house you want.

Templates

• Once you have the basic rooms and their sizes, you will want to use templates to begin figuring out how you want the rooms to be oriented. There are a number of websites with free templates that represent furniture, appliances and other building essentials. As you lay the rooms out with templates, you may find yourself adjusting the size of the room to better fit the objects that will eventually be located there.

House Design Software

• When you have the rooms sketched out and a fairly clear idea of what will be in each, use design software to create a 3-D rendering of your designs. These software design programs are relatively inexpensive; good ones cost approximately one hundred dollars and are available at most office supply stores. Certain software programs can create actual blueprints you can take to a builder. Or, you may choose to take the designs to an architect who will then draw up final plans. One example of this type of software is Home Designer Suite 10, a $99 program with many features. Another choice is the software program Total 3D Home Design Deluxe, which typically retails for around $40, and in addition to home design features, also offers decorating templates and color schemes.