skip to main content

Plans drawing software for mac?

Naithan Gaskell

6 years ago

Can anyone recommend a program that's good and easy to use on a MacBook for drawing up plans?

Advice would be much appreciate

Comment (1)

PRO
OnePlan
6 years ago
If it's just for pottering about with furniture placement then there are a few on the App Store that you could try - if you want professional looking plans to use for planning or for larger do it yourself projects then sketchup or the proper paid for pro software might be better ...
but if you don't have a design or building background please get your drawings safety checked by a credible professional before you break ground or order anything !
Related Discussions
Houzz Advent Calendar: December 9th - Win a set of Rigby & Mac jugs!
Q
Comments (174)
Hi everyone! Thanks for all the comments and input, it was great to see so many of you get involved! The competition is now closed, and any winners should have received an email from us confirming their prize so get checking. Happy New Year and here's to the next one!
...See More
Floor Plan Creator Apps/Sites Recommendations
Q
Comments (5)
I use HouseDesign which is a Free App on my phone. You could also use the more sophisticated RoomPlanner that has a subscription. Alternatively employ a designer or concept planner to envisage several layouts more cost effectively than using your architect. You could also post the entire plan on Houzz for creative input from the community. Personally when I look at the plan I think that the space is made narrower by the two sets of stairs and the original stairs obscure flow from the front to back. Perhaps having one set of stairs in the centre of the house creates problems upstairs but I would be considering it as it might mean you can build less square footage and make a cost saving. Additionally the largest reception room seems to be on the lower level with borrowed light and in my opinion perhaps less frequently used rooms should be there with the living room further up the house.
...See More
Help with design and Garden planning
Q
Comments (3)
Hi, I would recommend using pencil and paper. Draw your garden to scale, let's say that 1 cm is 1 meter in reality. Then look at how the sun goes around the garden. What's the sunniest spot, where would you like to be able to sit (I like to have coffee in the morning sun, or enjoy a glass of wine in the evening sun for example). Draw circles where you want to have what. A circle for lawn, a circle for a patio, a circle for another patio. Then decide whether you want a straight lined design or something more flowing. Keep the planting areas wide, don't go for a skimpy border around the garden. And use plants like Vinca and Pachysandra to cover bare soil. That will prevent weeds. Check the RHS website to find plants that suit your garden (full sun, part shade, shade), and soil type (you can probably buy a cheap tester at your local garden centre, or you look at what does well in your neighbour's garden) https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/search-Form A lawn needs mowing once a week. Don't be afraid to use lots of plants. They require less maintenance than you think and they will give lots of joy. Good luck (alternatively you can post photos and dimensions of your garden and we can see if we can come up with some ideas for you. We would also need to know what way it's facing.) Example:
...See More
What Kitchen Design software should I choose?
Q
Comments (3)
There's lots of kitchen design software on the market some cheap, some very expensive and it also depends on which door suppliers you are planning on offering. Expensive software offers manufacturers catalogues which has all the doors/colours that a manufacturer offers, cheaper software has generic door styles. Then it also depends on the quality of image you want to offer as in photo realistic, hd render, line drawing etc and of course if your computer is capable of doing the render. So not only will you have the cost of software but you may need to upgrade your laptop/pc. I started of with a cad system called kdmax, this i then upgraded to epicad as there was an offer for kdmax owners. But it wasn't able to offer the sort of design i was doing, fine for just standard kitchens but i do more bespoke work so I opted for Articad. This is good, very flexible and I can adjust things how i want, lots of catalogues but its quite expensive. I bought on a finance so i own it now (not all cad you own overtime) and i pay for a maintenance package for technical support. It is a steep learning curve and you do have to spend time getting to grips (and i'm not there yet compared to some of the images i see, but better than howdens, wren etc) they do run training courses and have quite a bit on youtube, some may be restricted, as they had webcasts during lock down. Out of the box, its ok but if you do spend time with it and play with the settings you can get it looking really good and also it does work with sketch up so you can import images. If you want to have a look at different software visit the kbbcadguru forum website [not as popular now as it used to be but worth a look] as they have most of the major cad systems and if you join its a really useful resource of info for whichever system you opt for, also a chance to ask members their experience and opinions. But as @Daisy England says, you do need training, experience, knowledge of regulations etc so its a big investment, i have over 30 years of working in kitchens with 20 years of installation working with the sheds, builders merchants and bespoke high street showrooms. Also why doesn't your friend get a dongle/licence so you can both use the same cad system so if either of you need to work on the other persons design you can.
...See More

Sign Up to Comment

Sponsored

More Discussions

Changing the layout of my house...

13

Too much blue. what other color is right here?

7

Ideas for the top of my garden

1

What type and colour of driveway?

2

Underfloor heating dilemma

4

United Kingdom

Tailor my experience with cookies

Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.