Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Software Review

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Bathroom design software If you are particular about details and want full control over your bathroom design choices, you may want to design your bathroom with Home Designer, a software package developed by Chief Architect. This program allows you to design your bathroom – and all other parts of your home – using a wide selection of styles, themes, fixtures, and furniture.

The program has both 2D and 3D features, allowing you to follow a systematic process from floor planning to interior design. Whether you are designing a small, practical shower or a sprawling relaxation area, Home Designer will take you on a step-by-step plan to help you put together bathroom that perfectly suits your needs and tastes. It even offers design tips, provided by Better Homes designers and editors, specific to your type of bathroom. There are space-saving tips for small bathrooms, as well as recommended features that best work for your layout and location.

Home Designer comes with over 1,500 2D templates for floor plans, which you can edit, resize, and alter to match your actual bathroom space. The HouseWizard feature makes great a starting point for those who lack design ideas or want to look at different options. If you want full control over the design, you can also start from scratch, setting your bathroom's shape and measurements and adding flooring, wallpaper, fixtures, and other features as you go along.

After finishing your floor plan, you can design your bathroom's interior using Home Designer's extensive library of wallpapers, floor designs, doors and windows, furniture, and bathroom fixtures, all in full 3D detail. Your choices go far beyond showers, toilets, and tubs – you can add jetted tubs, whirlpools, cornices, various window and curtain styles, and custom-sized racks and counters. All these will help you put together your dream bathroom, realistically rendered in 3D. If you are working with an interior designer, you can present your finished plan to give them a clear idea of what you want.

If you are working with a plumber or contractor, you can use the program's building tools to plan out your piping, electrical wiring, or heating system. It also allows you to estimate costs using a materials checklist, and offers complete computer-aided design (CAD) tools to help you with architectural details. Afterwards, you can run your plan through PlanCheck, a feature that checks your design against existing safety standards.

Home Designer comes with online help files and tutorial disks for first-time users. A help manual is included in PDF format, and a free working demonstration can be requested online. It also offers efficient product support and customer service. Installation tips and answers to common problems are posted on the company website, and the HomeTalk customer forum allows users to post questions and get tips from fellow home designers.