You can also do basements and/or multiple stories, and add porches/terraces, balconies and roofs as easily as you draw in floors. Then, when you go to begin your floor plan, a site map is there for you to make sure your building fits your lot. You start by finding the location where you're planning to build on a satellite map, tapping at one corner of the lot and dragging to the other 3 corners to set your lot lines, then typing in the setbacks. You can also design your building to fit a real-world parcel of land by using the site plan tool. The app even lets you slow down movements to make precise placement easier.
The app provides measurements as you go, and keeps track of your square footage. The app distinguishes between exterior, load-bearing and partition walls, and adding rooms inside your building is a simple matter of drawing in the walls and putting them where you want them. But from there you can slice, dice, push, pull and stretch to quickly, easily and intuitively create any basic building shape you want. Of all those apps, this is the best, though there are some trade-offs to be made.įor drawing floor plans, this app is head and shoulders above any of the others.
Of those, I've deleted all but 2, and paid for the full versions of both. I started searching the App Store for home design apps, and downloaded trial versions of 8 of them. Inspired by a local home show in my area, I decided to undertake two home design projects - an addition to my current home, and an elaborate dream home.