Home Designer Suite

I purchased the program but did not get around to activating it until after the 30 day return window closed. Trying to get in now is impossible. The company says the problem is with Amazon. I cant seem to figure out how to access Amazon past the 30 days.

Great for any type of home design of any style size or shape, also you can import your own floor colors and styles as well, highly recommended for anyone who has a particular home type in mind, you can even import floorplans as well.

Awesome ! I bought as I read it was addictive so I figured if it was addictive is was really good. I love this thing! It takes time to get used to how to use the tools and later floors with the correct dimension info. I learned a lot of basic construction just by playing with this software. I had an issue with the 3D functions and after a few chats with the tech support I learned my computers video card needed to be upgraded. The tech sent me a link to get the right upgrade for my computer - he went above and beyond software support and it works without any flaws now. Amazed by this software. Take the time to watch the tutorial videos on line and save often as you experiment with the tools.

I have used various iterations of Home Designer in the past and for the price it gives you quite a bit. It does take a bit of time to master, but after that you can literally design a dream house. Chief Architect has several levels. With this level you can design a house with a lot of detail, furnishings, wall coverings, etc. However, you would then hand that off to an architect to create real plans for permitting and construction. Or, you can buy the Pro version ($500) and put even more time into it and create your own plans that will probably be good enough for permitting. OR, you can go with their highest level (Chief Architect) for something like $3200 and permit / build anything. With the $129 version though, you should be able to design and see your idea. It comes with more than enough features, furnishings, wall coverings, etc. to get very close to a real vision of what you are designing. In the past I have used it to plan my interior designs in my past couple of homes, and this time I am using it to design a whole house from scratch that we will build or have built. As I progress with my design, if I decide that I will build most of it, then I will upgrade to the Pro ($500 but $400 when upgrading) version to get the extra features and details required for accurate construction plans. Even this version though will give you a cost list of all of the materials (2x4s etc) to build your design. You really dont need more than this version when you are in the initial design stage. It is loaded with functionality.

We are building in the spring and I am loving this design program. It is very easy to learn to use, has lots of practical features. I started working on it today and already have a basic floor plan that we can continue to tweak over the winter.

As the other reviews say, this software is difficult to learn and use. It is more cumbersome than many other softwares, but that is not the reason for the low score. They do offer many videos and step by step guides on how to use and once you get started learning it, it starts to flow easier. You just need more experience in home building to be able to use this. The reason for the lower review is that everything I read said you can install this software on multiple computers at once, which is true. But what they dont tell you until after you buy it, is that while you can INSTALL it, you can only activate it on one computer at a time. Every time you want to use it on another computer, you have to deactivate the key and activate it on the other computer. If you want to use the software on 2 computers without deactivating, you have to have another key, which will cost you another $100. But no where in their advertising does it say this.

It is a good program but takes time to learn.

Still learning my way through it

Not as user friendly as an older model that I used.

I purchased this download from Chief Architect’s site on 6/27/19 and have played around with it every day since. It’s easy to use and the online guides are pretty helpful. If I can’t figure something out on my own I Google it and there’s always an answer from CA in the form of a guide. I’m still trying to figure out the functions and I wish I could designate hot keys, but I can cope without. I’ve been using the Sims 4 to satisfy my architecture and interior design hunger and this is a step up.