Draw a building plan online on paper. How to draw a house plan on a computer yourself: choosing a program, step-by-step instructions, tips and tricks

Before you start building a house, you need to make clear calculations and draw up a map of the future premises. To do this, many specialists and professional builders first create a plan. It helps shape the future room and correctly distribute free space. Design and planning of any housing facility is an important stage. If this is not done, then the first problems will begin to appear when building walls or laying a foundation.

General information

The construction of any house occurs in stages. This allows you to correctly formulate all the work and accurately calculate the costs of the necessary material. Those who start building any type of real estate on their own must also adhere to a clear plan. This will allow you not only to quickly and correctly construct the necessary objects on the ground, but also to accurately calculate the costs of performing these actions.

On the Internet and on various forums you can often come across the question of how to draw a house plan on a computer yourself. This is quite a difficult task. However, developers are constantly improving applications and introducing new design tools that allow you to cope with such a task quickly and without a complex level of training.

It is worth understanding that any project is not only a manifestation of one’s own imagination. It is important to calculate the height of the walls, number of storeys, and correctly design the roof and attic. Before starting such an interesting activity, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the basics of construction and select several suitable options for yourself.

About the house project

You can even draw a house plan on a computer using a standard graphics editor. However, the accuracy of the entered parameters will be practically absent. In addition, it is important to consider the house design in several planes. For this, there are special tools in applications that allow you to create images of a future building in three-dimensional and two-dimensional space.

The side view makes it possible to calculate the height of the walls and look at the future house from each side. At the same time, it will be clear how to correctly position windows and all exits in this type of room. A top view is essential for interior design. This is especially useful if you are developing a house plan that will consist of several floors.

Then the plan on a two-dimensional plane will describe a number of rooms at each level in the house. Inside such a project, door and window openings are usually depicted. After this, the main area is used to fill the rooms necessary on the floor, for which partitions in the form of walls are installed.

How to make a house layout yourself on a computer if you don’t have a clear idea of which rooms you need?

It is important to rely on the following basic indicators:

Drawing up a plan begins with establishing a vertical axis along the load-bearing walls relative to the ground (foundation).
The number of floors of a house for a family of up to 8 people is no more than 2.
The height of the external walls is 2.7 - 3 meters.
Floor thickness - up to 45 cm.
The thickness of the walls is up to 0.75 meters (depending on whether insulation will be used).
The doorway is 1.9 meters high and 1.5 meters wide.
A standard window opening with 2 sashes is 1.5 meters high and up to 1.8 meters wide.
Roof height up to 2 - 2.5 meters.

At the initial stage, this data will be enough to proceed with the project using the software.

Internal layout

How to draw a house plan on a computer yourself so that you can make precise markings for windows and doors? This task is not an easy one. The parameters presented above will help determine the external dimensions of the building. However, please note that some parameters may be changed. This largely applies to windows. If desired, they can be installed in any shape. Therefore, you should first decide on their type. You can find out the exact sizes from the company where they will be purchased.

The internal layout is formed according to the following principle:

The locations for the main and additional entrances are being determined.
A place for a sanitary unit is marked. The bathroom area is usually taken to be up to 5 square meters. meters. Toilet area - up to 3 square meters. meters.
The location for the placement of boiler and boiler equipment is determined. They require a room of up to 10 square meters. meters.
Space is allocated for the kitchen (up to 15 sq. meters). Often in residential buildings the kitchen is combined with the living room, so the area can grow to 30-50 square meters. meters.
The remaining space is allocated for a hall of up to 50 square meters. meters and a guest bedroom up to 15 sq. meters.
The rest of the space is a corridor, a hall and a staircase to the second floor.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that an example of a house project on 2 floors with a total area of up to 180 square meters is being considered. meters.

The internal layout on the second floor is as follows:

Bedroom markings. For a family of 4 people, the number of rooms can be 2 or 3. Parent's bedroom with an area of up to 20 sq. m. meters. Children's room - up to 40 sq.m. meters or each 20 square meters.
A bathroom (3-5 sq. meters) and a bathroom (5-7 sq. meters) are required.
The rest of the place is equipped as a free-use zone. If desired, you can allocate a dressing room of up to 15 square meters. meters or personal account.

It is also worth emphasizing that the thickness of the internal walls usually does not exceed 30-35 cm. If it is necessary to make a plan for a one-story house, then its area is reduced to 160 square meters. meters. 2-3 living rooms are added, which are connected via a corridor. The doorways inside are identical in parameters to the entrance ones.

Making your own plan

Having decided to independently draw up a house plan on a computer, the user must be prepared for the fact that this process is quite time-consuming. This is not related to the complexity of the project, but depends on the fact that for technical calculations it will be necessary to enter each parameter manually. Not all of the programs presented have the ability to create accurate engineering designs.

The general plan of action for working in the program will look like this:

The land plot on which the house will stand is designated and its area is entered.
Vertical axes are installed (perpendicular to the plane of the site). It is advisable to have an idea on the diagram of the location of the cardinal points in order to know where the sunny side will be. This is necessary when planning interior rooms.
When creating a house project on 2 floors, the total area will be approximately 180 square meters. meters. Therefore, on the land plot there is a main box of external walls in the shape of a rectangle or square.
Knowing that there will be 2 floors, and guided by the parameters presented above, the height of the house along the walls and floor is set (2.7 + 0.45 + 2.7).
The central and additional entrances will be indicated.
On the ground floor there is space allocated for a boiler room and a boiler room.
Next are the plumbing rooms and the kitchen.
The remaining area is formed based on the wishes of the compiler. A space for the entrance (at least 5 square meters) and a flight of stairs to the second floor of up to 3 square meters must be allocated. meters.
Doorways are selected based on preferences and interior design of the room.
On the second floor, an exit is formed from a flight of stairs up to 3 meters.
Plumbing rooms of 3 and 5 square meters are allocated. meters.
The remaining area is allocated for the bedrooms of parents and children, as well as household premises.
Window openings are installed on two floors, according to the location of each room.

The roof is being completed at the last minute. Its inclination must be at least 45 degrees to ensure a smooth slope of objects falling on it.

How to draw a house plan on a computer yourself and transfer it to life size? This question is also relevant. However, do not forget that the diagram being drawn up is needed to evaluate future real estate in terms of square footage and costs of materials. Without the proper level of knowledge in the construction industry, the construction of a house should be entrusted to professionals.

Having decided to draw a house plan on a computer yourself, it is important to adhere to the basic tips and recommendations that designers and engineers always share on thematic forums dedicated to the construction of residential premises.

The main ones are as follows:

When drawing up a site plan, it is necessary to rely on the budget to avoid a budget deficit in the middle of building a house.
The number of floors should be no more than three.
Each room must have window openings. This increases the functionality of the rooms.
The number of rooms should be no more than 4-5 on each floor (this depends on the area of the house itself).

In addition, it is important to design the roof accurately. It must be functional to use.

Programs on PC

Modern and multifunctional software will help answer users’ questions about how to draw a house plan on a computer. There are many different digital projects that will help even an inexperienced PC owner quickly draw up a diagram and house plan.

Each application has its own level of complexity and set of tools for creating object calculation schemes. Below we will present the most popular programs for creating houses in two-dimensional and three-dimensional planes.

Google Sketchup

This program knows how to draw a house plan yourself on a computer, without a sufficient level of training and experience. The developers made the software accessible and adapted the work with it for ordinary users. Software is more of a design project. Here you can think about the appearance and type of design of your future residential property.

The main advantages of the program include a convenient menu and the ability to create walls and other objects in the house from various materials. The application base contains more than 1000 different combinations. You can make a plan not only for the inside of the house, but also for the outside. The program supports loading additional elements for various modifications of the structure.

The disadvantage of the program is that it does not allow accurate calculations. It will not be possible to draw all the blocks, walls and openings for typical purposes and get an accurate calculation of the area using software.

AutoCAD

You can see how to draw a house plan yourself on a computer and calculate all the necessary engineering parameters in the AutoCAD program. This is a popular application all over the world, used by both amateurs and professionals. This is due to the fact that the software has thousands of different filters and tools. There are different versions depending on what type of project you need to create.

Another advantage is that the application can immediately transfer an object created in a two-dimensional plane to three-dimensional space. There are filters that allow you to create buildings and various types of premises in accordance with the established parameters in GOSTs.

However, there is one caveat - all versions of the program are completely paid. Another important feature of the program is the ability to create objects of arbitrary shape and at the same time obtain their exact parameters. This will be convenient if you need to create a project for a non-standard house.

Floor Plan 3D

If you are interested in the question of how to draw up a house plan yourself on a computer in a two-dimensional plane, then this application will allow you to do it in just a couple of hours. There is also an addition to the program that makes it possible, when entering the necessary parameters into the house plan, to obtain its image in a three-dimensional field.

The software features include:

Possibility of designing the facade of a building.
Interior decoration.
Complete interior design.
Possibility of calculating the volume of materials and their cost.

Additionally, the program's database contains many interactive planning tips. It is worth noting that many construction companies use this program.

ArCon

You can draw up a house plan on a computer using the program in design mode. The entire project is assembled in blocks by fixing each part. This is quite easy to do. If necessary, you can get a final calculation for each of the indicators.

Most often, the application is used for detailed planning of a site and the object standing on it. The software base contains more than 3,000 types of building materials and more than 1,000 ready-made solutions.

The operating menu is clear and simple. Each element on the work panel has a graphical display. If necessary, tips and short lessons appear on the design and calculation of the required object.

Envisioneer Express

The program allows you to draw up a house project at a professional level. For this, there are several operating modes in different planes. There is a complete system for viewing the premises and the appearance of the building from different angles.

All objects look quite realistic. When installing walls and other main structures of the house, you need to enter precise parameters. This allows you to immediately get a house according to the necessary calculations. The database contains various interior decoration options and furniture items. Using building materials, you can calculate the costs of constructing a building and see what it will look like.

Conclusion

When considering the question of how to draw a house plan on a computer yourself, it is worth observing the basic requirements associated with calculations. It is important to understand that each type of interior space has already built-in dimensions. By installing a wall or partition, a new room is designed.

When planning the basement floor, it is important to calculate the exact load. If the house has two or three floors, to strengthen the structure it is necessary to install additional columns and beams in the basement. The remaining parameters can be calculated automatically during external planning of the object, based on the established indicators.

Many users may need to draw online. This can be any sketch, diagram, plan or technical illustration that needs to be created on a PC using the appropriate tools. At the same time, the computer may not have the programs necessary for this, which will prompt the user to search online for resources that can help in creating the project the user needs. In this material I will tell you how to make a drawing online, and what services will help us with this.

The best online services for drawing

Let's move on to a direct description of online network services. I note that these services for creating drawings have rather compressed functionality compared to professional programs, which, however, may be enough to solve many basic problems.

GLIFFY online editor

This visual editor GLIFFY has a fairly wide range of tools for creating drawings and schematic images, including many templates and diagrams for architectural projects, flowcharts, network diagrams and other relevant purposes.

To work with this editor, go to cameralabs.org, log in if necessary (authorization through a social network is also available). After this, you will have access to the editing screen where you can create your drawing.

Working screen of the GLIFFY editor

On the left are tabs for various templates (you can expand a tab by clicking on it), on top is a toolbar, and on the right there will be a direct field for creating a drawing.

To save your work, you will need to click on “File” - “Save” (or “Export”) at the top.

Draw.io service

The English-language service draw.io will help you create a drawing online by drawing various graphs, diagrams and charts.

To work with this service, go to the draw.io website. The resource will ask where to save the works you created (select “Device” to save to your hard drive).

Click on “Create New Diagram”, select its name, as well as the corresponding template to create on the left.

Click on "Create New Diagram" to create a new drawing

Select a blank starting diagram (Blanc Diagramm) or any of the existing charts, Engineering, Flowcharts, layout, maps and other types of templates

Once you have selected a template, click on “Create”.

The left and central part of the editing screen of the “draw.io” service

To save the created drawing, click on “File” - “Save as”.

Service drawisland.com

The drawisland.com service is a simple English-language service for drawing on the Internet. After switching to it, you will be greeted with a screen for creating a drawing with a rather limited set of tools. On the left there is a toolbar, on the top you can select the size of the drawing and rotate it 90 or 180 degrees, and on the right you can select the diameter of the drawing tool, as well as switch between layers.

Working window "drawisland.com"

To save the drawing you created to disk, click on the “Save” button on the left.

Service knin.com.ua

This service is designed to create a technical plan for a construction project, which can later be saved to your PC. Like most similar services, this service has a set of built-in graphic templates that make the process of creating a technical floor plan practical and convenient, allowing you to easily draw a drawing online.

To get started with this service, go to knin.com.ua.
Specify the dimensions of the room at the top right, and then click on the “Create” button.
If you need to add another room, then specify its dimensions again and click on “Create”.
After all the necessary premises have been created, click on “Continue”.
After this, various graphic objects will become available to you on the right - windows, walls, interior items, and so on, which you can place on your object.
Next, once the site plan is created, you can save it to disk by clicking on the “Save” button below.

Working window of the service “knin.com.ua”

Service sketch.io

"Sketch.io" is another simple English-language resource for constructing simple drawings, creating graphic sketches and sketches. The functionality of the service is quite simple, and is suitable primarily for beginners in creating drawings.

To work with the service, go to sketch.io.
On the right is a toolbar with which you can perform all necessary operations.
After the drawing is created, click on the “Export” button (floppy disk on top), then on “Save” - “Download”.

Drawing programs

Also, when describing online services for creating a project sketch, one cannot ignore a number of popular programs created specifically for such purposes. However, most of them are paid, since the functionality of free programs may not be enough to solve professional problems.

"Autodesk AutoCAD" is one of the most famous computer-aided design (CAD) systems designed for creating various types of drawings, diagrams, and graphs. Allows you to create 2D and 3D drawings at a highly professional level, has rich functionality, copes well with rendering 3D objects, and can work with a 3D printer. Supports working with drawings in DVG, DWF, DXF formats;
"Askon Compass" is a whole range of software solutions for drawing and diagramming, which are quite popular in the Russian Federation. These solutions support many formats of electronic drawings, have a large database of attached libraries, and are quite simple and easy to use;
"nanoCAD" is a free program for beginners, which includes the necessary set of basic tools for designing and creating drawings. The program is aimed at creating mainly 2D drawings, supports working with DWG and DXF drawings, the advantage of the program is the fast output of objects, working with DirectX and so on.

Conclusion

In this material, I reviewed several popular services that allow you to implement online drawing. They all have quite different functionality, generally inferior to their professional desktop competitors (for example, Autodesk AutoCAD). If you are just trying your hand at drawing, I recommend using both the online services I have listed and the mentioned free program “nanoCAD” - the tools described are perfect for gaining basic skills in creating the drawings you need.

In this article we will introduce you to several software options for designing a private house. These designers will allow you to create a graphic sketch of a living space yourself, gradually improving the surrounding area with landscape design elements, “attaching” a bathhouse, garage, gazebo and modeling an interior that fully meets your needs. For those who want to do everything with their own hands to the maximum: both build and design.

Free software for designing a private house will help you become an architect of your own home, with which you can create projects both for each room separately and for the entire site. Let's try to start our virtual construction.

Programs for designing houses

There is no need to tell FORUMHOUSE users how important the working design (with the corresponding drawings and calculations) is when building a private house. Its importance is clear to everyone. But not everyone understands that for construction you need to do an architectural design project for a house.

By mastering 3D, creating a virtual 3D model of your future individual housing in an online constructor, you decide to build it yourself from start to finish. Moreover, you work out all stages of construction not in reality, but in a computer program, taking into account all the dimensions of the construction project with an accuracy of up to a millimeter. Programs for building houses allow you to identify all the inconsistencies at the design stage. You will be able to design a project and understand in time that somewhere it is necessary to increase the flight of stairs by 100 mm or simply move the window opening slightly to the side in the next room. In practice, everything will be created somewhat differently than was originally intended. But modern software, capable of taking into account the thickness of each plank, will model the object in advance in such a way that after construction you do not have to correct errors by redoing part of the work done.

Today we will present to your attention a description of several free programs for modeling houses, which allow you to create ready-made 3D models of houses and plots, conduct quantitative calculations of building materials, and even draw up construction estimates.

To begin with, let us give you a few tips that will help you when choosing free software:

The lack of a Russian version of the selected software makes it very difficult to study its functionality and further work with the program. Therefore, if you are not familiar with foreign terminology, then be sure to choose a program in Russian;
Before downloading a program, check out its level of complexity and how easy its interface is to use. Try to use reviews from people who have experience with the selected software;
Immediately determine your needs and the need for obtaining 3D images. If you want to see everything in volume, then choose software with the appropriate functionality.

Having detailed, simple instructions and videos for working with the selected software will significantly save time on learning it. Ideally, reference materials should be provided with the downloadable version of the software.

ArchiCAD is a professional software package for creating virtual models

We will begin our story with a description of the shareware Russified program for creating 3D models ArchiCAD, which has managed to win several awards in the category “Best BIM software for construction.” Precisely from it, because it is very difficult to find a program for the virtual construction of houses with such perfect functionality, which allows you not only to design and construct, but also to count building materials, making simple estimates online.

The concept of “shareware” does not bode well for the user. But in the case of ArchiCAD, this definition does not look so hopeless. After all, anyone can install a fully functional version of this software on their computer, and the program for building a house with extensive capabilities will be available for free use for 30 days. Students and teachers of specialized design educational institutions can receive a free license for a period of one year, and during this time they can design an entire city.

Pan9877 User FORUMHOUSE

I downloaded Archicad, registered on the manufacturer’s website and received a 30-day code for the pro version. By registering, you can receive available video lessons for free. Every day they send you a link to the next online video lesson step by step.

There is one more limitation imposed on the house building trial program, but for the demo version it is not significant: you can save and open saved files only on the same computer. After purchasing a license, this restriction can be removed from saved projects (although, in a month you can “squeeze” everything you need out of the program).

Considering that ArchiCAD is a professional program, its functionality is appropriate:

The ability to create architectural and construction solutions in the field of landscape design, as well as in the areas of building houses and designing the interior of a house or apartment with your own hands;
Availability of built-in 3D design technology;
Creation of 2D drawings and 3D models;
The ability to determine the volume of building structures and calculate the consumption of materials for drawing up construction estimates;
Creation of animations and videos that allow you to evaluate what the design of a house and its details look like from different points of view;
In addition, the program allows you not only to design and “build”, but also to take virtual tours of the living quarters of your future home.

Nergedo User FORUMHOUSE

Archikad is a fairly powerful program for creating houses, focused primarily on creating an interactive architectural model. There are tools for compiling catalogs and tables that take into account the number, volume or any other specified parameter of elements. A technology has been implemented that makes it possible to design the reconstruction of a building. You can make calculations of heating engineering and insolation (though not in accordance with our standards). Calculation of structures is impossible, as is drawing up full estimates with costs and volumes of work.

Working with this online constructor, the designer creates a perfect 3D model of the building. He has the ability to “build” a house on a computer screen, starting from the foundation and ending with the roof and elements of the surrounding landscape. For the virtual construction of a building, tools are used that are an exact embodiment of real objects: walls, windows, external lighting devices, building floors, stairs, etc. Using this program, it is impossible to calculate the load on elements of building structures. But programs that would combine such extensive functionality, in fact, do not exist.

Leo060147 User FORUMHOUSE

The desire to find a program that will do everything for you: come up with a design and calculate all the structures, draw and make an estimate - this is still an unfulfilled desire.

We will return to the issue of software for calculating loads later.

Google SketchUp is a free program for developing 3D models

Google SketchUp is a professional software designed for modeling, creating three-dimensional models of construction projects, furniture and interiors.

Its main advantage over ArchiCAD is the availability of a completely free version, adapted to the needs of beginning designers, architects and planners. This application has a built-in localization language, so Russian-speaking users can quickly understand the features of its interface. Convenient application. It simplifies the design and construction of a house.

Clearance User FORUMHOUSE

SketchUp is a simple, intuitive and convenient program that even a beginner can master in a short time.

Program features:

Creation and editing of 3D projects (we are talking about projects of houses, interiors, the surrounding landscape and all kinds of architectural objects, designing a bathhouse or designing a garage). The program is intuitive, designing for beginners is allowed.
The presence in the designer of simple tools that may be familiar to users from the interface of the simplest graphic editors: “pencil”, “eraser”, etc.
Ability to convert graphic files and created 3D houses into most common graphic formats: PNG, JPG, etc.
An abundance of detailed reference information and tutorials on working with the program.
In addition, the program is capable of generating statistics on the consumption of building materials, practically drawing up a plan for purchasing building materials needed to build a house.

The disadvantages of Google SketchUp include the lack of functionality for designing 2D plans. Its main purpose is 3D modeling and design of houses. There are other programs for creating.

Leo060147 User FORUMHOUSE

If for myself, then I would recommend the free program Sketchup 8. In it you can create any designs with great precision (millimeters) and with any detail. All this can be created in 3D. If you want to draw flat drawings, you can do this in the free version of the NANOCAD program.

Since we're talking about the nanoCAD program, let's briefly talk about its capabilities.

Free version of nanoCAD

Being the best Russian development focused on automatic design of drawings, the program for creating houses nanoCAD has its own free version, which has quite a wide range of capabilities:

Creation of complete plans and drawings during the design of various construction projects;
Registration of a full package of documents in Russian, included in the detailed construction project;
Ability to work with dwg files, compatible with other applications belonging to the AutoCAD category.

Free development allows you to solve the main problems that arise when designing construction projects and drawings of average complexity.

Specialized program for interior design – Sweet home 3D

The narrowly focused functionality of the Sweet home 3D program is aimed at users who want to simulate the interior of a room in accordance with their needs, but do not want to learn complex professional software. The program has a Russian-language version and a special service for online design. It features a user-friendly interface and flexible settings.

ELITE83 User FORUMHOUSE

I came across such a wonderful design program as sweet home 3D. Yes, this is a program for design, not design, but 90% of the planning can be done in it in a matter of hours, and it has quite full-fledged design functionality!

Key features and functions of the program:

Availability of detailed documentation and training materials in Russian;
Possibility of simultaneous work with a two-dimensional and three-dimensional model of a room;
A huge list of items for designing the environment (furniture, household appliances, doors, etc.) and a wide range of settings (at your discretion, you can change sizes, colors, textures, etc.);
The program allows you to view designs in various modes: “top view”, “virtual visit”, “view from anywhere in the room”, etc.

Free program for load calculation - "LIRA-SAPR 2013"

Since the topic of our article is devoted to the design of a private house, let’s talk about a program with which you can calculate the load on building structures. Load calculation is a task for professionals whose experience and qualifications go beyond the novice home designer. To implement it, you need to know the theories of resistance and construction calculations. Free programs for calculating loads exist, but not everyone can master them.

Rufus86 User FORUMHOUSE

The most understandable calculation systems with a large number of manuals and reference literature are, after all, SCAD and LIRA. They are based on the finite element method, but knowledge of the theory in size - “more or less” is not enough to master them.

The freely distributed version of the LIRA-SAPR 2013 program allows you to solve many problems related to the calculation and design of buildings:

Calculate objects with different numbers of loads.
Create and view design diagrams and models.
Access the designer's help system.
Gain access to program help and training materials.
Create working drawings automatically (stages of CM, QL, etc.)

Material calculation

If designing doesn't interest you, or all you need is to calculate the amount of materials that will be needed to build a house, garage or other structure, then mastering the use of complex software is not at all necessary. To solve such problems, there are many free interactive services (construction calculators) that can be found through any search engine. They will help you plan the purchase of the necessary materials.

You can find out more by reading the opinions of FORUMHOUSE users in a special section of our website. After reading, you will easily learn how to work in one of the most popular programs for 3D modeling of houses, plots and interiors. A thematic video from FORUMHOUSE will help you understand why a properly designed house allows the future owner to receive a lot of advantages during construction.

3D projects for creating designs for houses, apartments and other premises are traditionally created in AutoCad. This is a professional 3D modeling program. You can view the prices for this product and buy autocad here. If your profession is not related to design and architecture, then the free online program on the website will be enough for you www.homestyler.com

Pros of online house design:

There is no cost to purchase a special program,
All design work is done in the browser,

The main disadvantage: you must understand that this is not a professional program, and one way or another, you will be deprived of all the features that AutoCad offers.

Registration is required to use the program. Without it, you will not be able to save your project, and some functions will not be available to you. You can create your projects on your mobile phone. Special applications have been developed for this; download links can be found on the website.

This is what Autodesk online design offers us:

Click on the “Create Project” button from the top horizontal menu and start volumetric modeling.

You will be offered 3 options:

start from scratch
loading background image. This could be a diagram of a house,
select a project from the gallery.

First, we “build” the walls of the house and create a general layout. In the toolbar on the left, you take objects (rooms, partitions, walls, openings) and drag them onto the work area. Here you can rotate them, change their size and proportions.

We add bulges, balconies, loggias using the “stretch with room enlargement” function - we add these objects to the perimeter of the room.

We change the scale of the project using the mouse wheel or using the magnifying glass from the top menu.

The 3D viewing function will be very useful to you; you will also find it on the top toolbar.

When the house is “built” - all the rooms, partitions, floors have been added, it’s time to move on to interior decoration. Click on the “home” icon on the left side of the program, and a hidden navigation will open in front of us.

Private construction is a complex and rather lengthy process that cannot be completed without a properly drawn up project. It’s quite possible to create the latter with your own hands. But for this you will have to study all the features of designing individual buildings. And, believe me, there are a lot of them.

We are planning individual housing construction - let's start small

Now many specialized companies offer to design any house. It is very comfortable. But, unfortunately, such services are not cheap. Therefore, private developers often try to plan a home on their own, without having sufficient knowledge to do so. We will try to correct the situation by describing the main stages of designing private housing construction with our own hands. With the right approach to the matter, any motivated self-taught master will be able to perform most of this operation without the help of specialists.

Designing a house always begins with determining what kind of building we want to get in the end. At this stage of work we need to find out the following:

Will the house be used year-round or is it planned to live in it exclusively in the summer (seasonal cottage outside the city, dacha).
How many residents is the house designed for? This is necessary in order to accurately determine the number of bedrooms, as well as the size of the kitchen and living room, where the whole family will often gather.
What part of the land plot will be optimal for building a private house. It can be located in depth or at the beginning of the available free space.
What outbuildings are planned to be built? You need to think about where to install an autonomous septic tank, equip a well for water supply, build a private bathhouse, a garage for a car, and so on.

Based on such data, we will be able to preliminary draw a plan for the future home, make a schematic marking of the existing plot of land, rationally and harmoniously placing all additional buildings on it. After this, you can begin to solve more serious problems.

Design stages - we adhere to a certain scheme

To make a truly high-quality house project, you need to go through several stages sequentially. We need to create:

1. Draft design.
2. Architectural plan.
3. Structural design.
4. Engineering and technical justification.
5. Design project for a future home.

Making a preliminary design of a house yourself, as was said, is as easy as shelling pears. First, we draw a simple diagram of the main building and utility structures, and sketch out the desired style and spatial solutions. Then there are two ways - turn to specialists with your sketch or try to independently draw an accurate plan for the building, foundation, floors and roof of the building. You also need to make diagrams of the transverse and longitudinal sections of the dwelling, the external appearance of its facade.

Drawing a preliminary design of a house is not enough. In addition, you will need to indicate all the features (structural) of its individual parts, and determine the materials that will be used for construction work. Based on the specified sketches and drawings, a working project is created. This is the main document for builders.

Next we move on to the architectural stage. We determine the dimensions of all premises of the home and their location. Then a diagram is drawn with marks about where the door and window openings and other architectural elements will be located. We also solve other important issues - the slope of the roof, the thickness of the walls, and so on. After all these steps we will have a lot of drawings. Moreover, explanatory notes will have to be prepared for each of them. If you have some drawing skills, you can draw a project on paper. It is even easier to carry out architectural planning using special computer programs. We'll talk about them a little later.

The construction of houses cannot be completed without determining their design features. Let's move on to the next stage. We design the foundation and the depth of its penetration into the ground, interfloor ceilings, chimney, rafter system, walls, roofing and other elements of a residential building. We display the results of the work on the drawings and immediately calculate the amount of materials that will be required for construction work.

Next, we are engaged in the preparation of engineering and technical documentation. Many private developers often omit this part of the design, which is fundamentally wrong. Without planning engineering and technical systems, building comfortable houses for living is impossible in principle! It is imperative to create a project with calculations and determination of locations for heating, ventilation, water supply and waste disposal, and electricity supply. Usually it consists of several sections (sewage, water supply, and so on). If you plan to equip your home with a security alarm, it is described in a separate document.

The final stage of the design activities is the development of the building’s exterior design and interior solutions. We choose colors for finishing interior rooms, wall surfaces, roofing, facades, and decide on the style. Advice. It makes sense to do a house project yourself in cases where a person plans to carry out most of the construction work independently. Not every self-taught master will be able to use the documentation compiled by professional architects. The average person will not understand many of the drawings and, as a result, will not be able to do everything correctly. If we ourselves were able to draw up a project, it will not be difficult for us to translate all its provisions into reality.

Tips for amateur designers - a must-read!

We always start designing our own home with geological exploration activities. They will allow you to find out the characteristics of the soil on a building plot and find out at what depth the soil waters lie. It is advisable that such work be carried out by specialists with the appropriate equipment. Moreover, geological exploration is best carried out in the last days of autumn or early spring. At this time, groundwater rises to its maximum height.

A survey of soil characteristics will make it possible to choose the optimal type of foundation for a home and determine the possibility of arranging a basement. If soil water rises too high during floods, it is not rational to build a subfloor (ground floor). In such situations, the cost of building houses increases by 25–30%. Perhaps it would be wiser to abandon the underground and build a separate utility room instead.

If you are not sure that you will be able to correctly draw a plan for your future home, it is recommended to pay attention to ready-made (standard) solutions. It's easy to find them on the Internet. But here it is important to understand that such plans in most cases are incomplete and require serious revision. No one will post projects for free that take a lot of time to prepare.

Do not try to blindly copy standard solutions for the construction of private houses. It’s better to take some ready-made project as a basis and study it. And then try to make a house design that is truly suitable for yourself, based on the data obtained from analyzing a typical building.

If you are a beginner designer, opt for simple projects. The fewer bends, complex angles and original structural elements you plan, the easier and more economical it will be to build a private home.

Having decided to make a drawing of a simple but reliable house, consider measures aimed at increasing its energy efficiency. This is very important these days. Energy prices are skyrocketing. Every person tries to minimize heating costs. Construction industry experts recommend placing living rooms in private houses on the south side, and utility rooms on the north side. This trick is the simplest and most effective way to save energy.

You can reduce your home heating costs in another simple way. Having decided to draw a plan for your home, try to equip it with a reasonable number of windows, and not very large ones. You need to draw several diagrams. Look at the results of your work. And then choose an option in which the windows look beautiful and at the same time do not have an overly large area. Experts also advise making a plan that includes the use of high-quality modern heat insulators for various structural elements of a residential building. Good insulation materials for individual houses provide a significant reduction in the cost of maintaining a comfortable temperature in them in winter.

Computer is the best assistant for private developers

Modern technologies allow you to properly design a cozy home. There is nowhere without them today. Creating the perfect house project will require minimal effort if you use special programs. They are easy to find on the Internet. Such programs make it possible to create models of various homes in 3D. The results of buildings designed on a computer clearly demonstrate all their advantages and disadvantages. Models can be zoomed in and out, rotated and viewed from any angles and angles. Many home planning programs are self-distributed for free, but they are well adapted for ordinary users. Let us describe several of the most well-known programs of this type.

Let's start our review with a product called SketchUp. If you want to quickly and competently complete a house project on your computer, use this program. It is free and yet truly multifunctional. SketchUp will design any building in 3D and help you create a chic interior or landscape design. The program has a lot of textures, makes it possible to change any structural part of the building and the scale of drawings, and export drawings of the compiled plan to CAD and PDF files.

Working with SketchUp yourself is very easy. The program is intuitive, although it is still better to undergo a little training so that the quality of the drawn models is the best. You can also get lessons on how to create construction documents and drawings at a professional level. Then drawing up plans and diagrams will be even more effective.

You can also design a house using more serious software - ArchiCAD. This brainchild of the GRAPHISOFT company is actively used by professional architects and designers. It is also popular among amateurs who want to build their own cozy cottage. ArchiCAD is a complete set of tools for designing buildings and interiors. She does everything - creates models, develops technical and construction documentation, helps to correctly design stairs, fences, roofs and other elements of houses.

When planning residential buildings, she uses the most innovative visualization techniques. Please note that the licensed version of ArchiCAD is not distributed free of charge. But the results of projects made with the help of this program are so good and accurate that you don’t mind spending a little money. Nuance. To create technical documentation using ArchiCAD, you will have to learn the rules for using its main tools. It is impossible to work with the program without prior training.

Another program in our review is Arcone. You can also use it after completing the training. The “open and draw” option does not work here. Arcone is a complex multifunctional product. To use it correctly, you need to study each component of the program. And only after that proceed directly to the design.

Arcone contains about 400 materials and 1300 textures, as well as about 3000 typical three-dimensional objects. This program, developed by true professionals, is used by leading architects around the world. It will also provide real help to home craftsmen if they want to achieve the ideal quality of a private home project created with their own hands.

Use modern technologies, create the home of your dreams - comfortable, warm and reliable, and enjoy every minute spent in it. Good luck!