Need advice on design software

9 years ago

I have more than 30 rental homes(most of them 3000 sq ft) which we upgraded after buying them in last few years. Most of the work involves painting, hardwood flooring, tiling, kitchen cabinets, bath upgrades etc. Right now I have been using just imagination and experience. When you watch TV shows they quickly draw upgrades on computer to give an idea how it would look.
Can anyone point me in direction as to where to get started.
This is my hobby/business/passion apart from being a practicing physician, so I am willing to put some effort into it.
I will appreciate any help.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

User
9 years ago
Sketch Up. But, the tool is only as good as the operator. It won't magically transform your abilities. For that, you need the designer who understands the whys of what is being done. Just like if you gave a scalpel to a chef, he still couldn't perform an appendectomy even though he's fairly used to cutting up meat.
User
9 years ago
Those TV shown programs cost several thousand dollars.

The link below is for a decent DIY program. It will not be as fast/inclusive as the TV show programs, but the older version I have works well.

Here is a link that might be useful: HGTV software
Related Professionals
Commerce City Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · La Verne Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Middlesex Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Burlington General Contractors · Catonsville General Contractors · Dunkirk General Contractors · Evans General Contractors · Fredonia General Contractors · Gainesville General Contractors · Greenville General Contractors · Lakeside General Contractors · Langley Park General Contractors · Milford Mill General Contractors · Newburgh General Contractors · Avocado Heights General Contractors
ontariomom
9 years ago
Can 20-20 be bought by an Owner-Builder? If so, about how much does this software cost? Thanks!

Carol
User
9 years ago
5-10K plus yearly licensing fees.
SaltiDawg
9 years ago
kabir,

I re-did my kitchen five years ago. I tried a half dozen Kitchen Design software offerings and found them either expensive, difficult to master with a steep learning curve, or more typically both issues!

I ended up using ikea's FREE kitchen design tool. In that generally I used standard size cabinets, it allowed me to quickly move islands, peninsulas, sinks, etc.

My cabinets looked nothing like the ikea cabinets, but it allowed me the ability to quickly make concept changes and run them past my wife. Also, she could look over my shoulder and explain why certain things would or wouldn't work.

In the final analysis, I came up with the design using the free Ikea software and then turned over that result to my cabinet supplier for detailed design.

I'm sure some will laugh, but give it a try. It's free and you'll know in less that a half hour whether it is any help to you!

Here is a link that might be useful: Free Ikea Kitchen Design Tool

This post was edited by saltidawg on Sun, May 4, 14 at 15:24
kabir
Original Author
9 years ago
Thats a good idea. Mostly I just measure the cabinets before removing them and order exact same thing!!
rockybird
9 years ago
I just found this one online. It's free. I just started using it today so I cant really comment on how good it is..

Here is a link that might be useful: link
renovator8
9 years ago
20-20 Design v10 can be bought at a discount for about $3,000 with online training. It's primary advantage is the ability to show kitchen cabinets from manufacturers' catalogs.

A kitchen is more than a collection of cabinets and appliances and kitchen cabinet suppliers will draw them for you for free. IMO SketchUp is the best way to quickly visualize the space.