You know you watch too much HGTV when...

[spacealien_vamp]

Ordinarily I would wait until my weekend was over to post an update, but this has eaten my entire day, so I decided I ought to share.

I've been planning for a number of improvements to my house and yard, and it's always complicated to try explaining my vision clearly and understandably to someone else (like my parents, who will be helping). I was watching various designers on HGTV using computer models to show their plans to their clients, and it struck me that I could do the same thing, so I splurged and bought a home design program.

It's a little tricky to use, but it's strangely addictive. I spent all morning putting together a basic floor plan of my house (mostly accurate, except I didn't bother to include the closets). It's a bit frustrating because the default wall widths are 4" and 6", while my walls are 5", so it's hard to get the measurements to add up properly.

I then spent the remainder of the afternoon rendering a detailed design of my kitchen. (For comparison, here is a shot of my original kitchen, before megory painted everything--and I bought a new stove.) There are things I just couldn't seem to adjust properly--for example, it won't let me alter the width of the sink, and the stove refuses to show up as stainless steel no matter how many times I try changing the material setting--but overall I think it turned out remarkably well. (I imagine the upgraded professional version of the software has more bells and whistles for getting the details exactly right.)

It should be fun using the program to knock down walls and move appliances around to design a better kitchen.

Comments

[sara-tanaquil.livejournal.com]

Very cool! I've always loved the idea of using that kind of software, but lacked the patience to see it through. There definitely seems to be a learning curve.

[spacealien-vamp.livejournal.com]

I was sold on it when I read one of the reviewers mention that he used it to design dungeons for his D&D gaming sessions.

[mangaroo.livejournal.com]

At first I thought the detailed design of your kitchen was supposed to be the detailed redesign of your kitchen. "But it looks exactly the same!" Nice job. I'm sure the program will make it much easier to communicate to parents and professionals alike what you're hoping to achieve.

[spacealien-vamp.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I definitely look at it as an investment. If it can save me from some kind of costly miscommunication mistake, it's worth the price.

[manga-crow.livejournal.com]

Very cool! (and I actually know someone that uses a similar program to do D&D dungeons, so that bit is true^^)

[megory.livejournal.com]

It's a super idea. No matter how well someone describes an image to me I end up picturing it differently. This program really aids in communication.
I can see where the frustrations come if the dimensions can't be changed.