House plan software

[stillmovingforward]

OK all you equally nerdy people, I need to draw up some house plans and want to do it myself. I'm looking at adding walls, removing walls, a whole interior redo. So not just moving the furniture. What inexpensive program do you recommend?

[oped]

To an existing house? Do you know which walls are load bearing? 

Sorry, I just work on paper and then take them to an architect, so i'm no help  

[stillmovingforward]

Yes, I know which are load bearing, how to calculate loads, etc. (I'm an engineer, love that kind of thing). For the final, I'll have a set done officially. But I don't want to pay for someone to 'play' with our layout. That's expensive. 

[Lizard Queen]

The software tends to be expensive. This is what my last class used:
www.autodesk.com/products/revit/overview

[stillmovingforward]

May 29, 2021 14:34:20 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

The software tends to be expensive. This is what my last class used:
www.autodesk.com/products/revit/overview

Yup, that is what the architect I spoke with uses. It can do 'fly throughs' and everything. It's really cool. 
DH just got seriously hurt so money is an issue right now. But we need to go ahead and plan for aging in place here and now his disability. Hence the plans. I'm lazy and don't want to draw it out by hand. I can/understand do 3D views and projections so I don't need the bells and whistles the architect was describing.  His ideas were over the top. I mean, there's only so many places you can put a bedroom downstairs and not move exterior walls (which I am not allowed to do by the covenants of where we live). 

[Lizard Queen]

May 29, 2021 14:43:40 GMT -5 stillmovingforward said:

May 29, 2021 14:34:20 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

The software tends to be expensive. This is what my last class used:
www.autodesk.com/products/revit/overview

Yup, that is what the architect I spoke with uses. It can do 'fly throughs' and everything. It's really cool. 
DH just got seriously hurt so money is an issue right now. But we need to go ahead and plan for aging in place here and now his disability. Hence the plans. I'm lazy and don't want to draw it out by hand. I can/understand do 3D views and projections so I don't need the bells and whistles the architect was describing.  His ideas were over the top. I mean, there's only so many places you can put a bedroom downstairs and not move exterior walls (which I am not allowed to do by the covenants of where we live). 

Yeah, its fun to play with, but a bit much for something simple, and a lot much  money-wise. Otherwise,  there's Autocad.  My dad was an engineer and used a really old version he got from work back in the day. Autocad is also pricey,  from what I recall. Honestly,  I'm old school and find pencil/paper the easiest for a first draft. Its the details and tweaking that make using a program worthwhile. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Unless you have a bootleg copy of AutoCAD, it does have an expensive subscription.  I briefly thought about buying it, Solidworks and CATIA to maintain my skills.  The idea of plunking down $15k/year for a subscription was a no go.  

I should go delete all this stuff off me desktop.  The software is still taking up space, I just can’t access it.

[tcu2003]

www.3dsourced.com/rankings/best-free-3d-software/

I would probably try TinkerCAD or Sketchup. A couple of high school groups in volunteered with a few years ago used Sketchup for the building design project they were working on and liked it, though as an industry advisor/mentor, I didn’t use it so I don’t have first hand knowledge.

I’m assuming you don’t use any of these programs at work? DH and I both have access to Autocad and REVIT at work, so for our basement remodel project to finish it, he worked on the plans in Autocad during lunch/after work.

[stillmovingforward]

Thanks tcu203! I will look at those two.
I'm very familiar with Solidworks but since I've moved into Quality, I only have read access.