Next-Generation Design Software

One of the biggest challenges for contractors is to communicate their design and construction vision in a way that clients can comprehend. In recent years, more and more contractors, especially those serving high-end customers looking for custom kitchens and baths and whole-house remodels, are using computer-aided design (CAD) architectural design software to produce designs for client presentations.

Easy Visualization
CAD programs are helping speed the residential design process by helping contractors transform raw ideas into finished designs, 3D models, working drawings and materials estimates.

"They make it easy for clients to visualize projects," says Bryan Soth, co-owner of HighCraft Builders of Fort Collins, Colo., "In the past clients would see a flat view. Now, with the 3D models that these programs produce, they have a whole new understanding of a finished project."

The programs also save time. The traditional design process typically involves a designer presenting ideas on paper and making tweaks on vellum. Then, weeks later, the client will see a new set of drawings. With the software (Soth uses VectorWorks Architect), Soth and his team can project design concepts on the wall of the company's conference room and respond immediately to client ideas and suggestions. They can then build a 3D model, which facilitates the production of working drawings.

Some software also enables contractors to produce 3D project models in minutes, create materials lists and delivery scheduling for estimates or invoicing, and provide blueprints and CAD details for the building process.

Varying Uses
For trade contractors interested in an easy-to-use tool for drawing floor plans for office spaces, facilities, kitchens, landscapes, bedrooms, decks and more, some software programs (such as SmartDraw) provide thousands of templates, shapes and symbols for professional-quality diagrams.

The SmartDraw program, for instance, also includes symbols and templates for electrical engineering, including images for home automation, electrical wiring, switches and hubs, audio and video icons, cable TV, communications and alarm systems. Electrical contractors easily can drag and drop the electrical symbols onto their floor plans.

Software for Beginners
What if you're not a computer whiz? "You can find programs for under $100," Soth says, "and you can get up to speed in about half a day and do a lot of things. But you'll eventually hit a wall when you want to start making sophisticated adjustments." More sophisticated programs can cost more than $2,000, but those typically include a technical support package to help you through the learning curve.

Programs like Microsoft Visio, for example, offer the ability to create floor plans, insert a plumbing and piping plan or electrical schematic as a layer in a CAD floor plan, configure shapes, connect plumbing components with pipes and produce 2D technical drawings.

Outsourcing as an Option
When it comes to developing designs for remodeling clients, should you do the work yourself or outsource it to a graphic design professional? "I prefer the hybrid approach," Soth says. "We develop the initial designs in-house and, if necessary, outsource the time-consuming process of developing working drawings."

But when it comes to using the features of his design software with clients for the company's room additions, kitchen and bath and whole-house remodels, "I can't imagine life without it," Soth says.