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Epicurus.com - Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Pro 7.0 [OLD VERSION]
![Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Pro 7.0 [OLD VERSION]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513jByT0AYL._SL160_.jpg)
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List Price: $495.00
Our Price: $495.00
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Chief Architect
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Batteries Included: 0
Binding: CD-ROM
Brand: Chief Architect
EAN: 0750839015163
Feature: Quickly create accurately scaled floor plans in minutes that automatically generate 3D models
Format: CD-ROM
Label: Chief Architect
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
Manufacturer: Chief Architect
Model: 045-505
Platform: Windows XP
Publisher: Chief Architect
Release Date: 2006-01-15
Studio: Chief Architect
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Features
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Quickly create accurately scaled floor plans in minutes that automatically generate 3D models
Use advanced 3D camera tools: Glass House™, Doll House™, Framing, Cross-Sections, and Virtual Tours
Includes the exclusive Design Planning Center from the editors of Better Homes and Gardens® magazines – for expert design guidelines, tips, and advice
Create the virtual look and feel for your design before it is built with actual colors, cabinets, flooring, furniture, doors, windows, landscaping, and more
Includes over 1,500 Free Sample Plans
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Editorial Reviews:
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BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS HOME DESIGNER PRO 7.0 (WIN XP)
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Works for me!
Comment: I bought this program after giving up on Punch. Wow! What an improvement. First off I haven't noticed the massive number of bugs that were in Punch. Secondly this program is much easier to use. It does take some getting use to and requires a bit of computer savvy. However I was well into designing my house within a day after buying it. My biggest recommendation is to make good use of the video tutorials and documentation. They are invaluable in getting up to speed. I have noticed a few negative comments here and I think some of them are based on lack of understand of the software. For instance I did not have near the trouble with roofs that some folks here evidently did. Again, USE THE VIDIOS AND DOCUMENTATION.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not Easy
Comment: Steep learning curve, not easy to use, plus they make you use a key in one of your USB ports at all times when you want to use the software. As a paying customer this type Key offends me. I have other things pluged into my usb ports, so looking for this little key all the time is a pain. Besides I paid good money for the program.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Amazing Program
Comment: Home Designer Pro 7.0 is addictive. Watching your home "come to life" in 3-D color is absolutely amazing. Even though the software tackles extraordinarily complicated functions, most of them are shielded by intuitive icons. For example, there's the parent/child concept. "Wall" is the "Parent" and "Child" is "Exterior" vs. "Interior" vs. "Foundation" wall. But, because the software is so powerful, plan on investing some time figuring out how the program "thinks." It's the 80/20 rule. The first time you do something complex, it takes a while. The second time, it's generally a snap. For a couple of items, I finally gave up and contacted technical support. I got immediate answers - what a pleasant surprise! The only area where I got really frustrated involved complex roof lines. So, from a "baby boomer" non-technical female who "hates" computers, this software gets an "A."
Customer Rating:
Summary: roof lines difficult
Comment: I had another version of home designer and had already created my plan with it. I purchased Pro because I wanted to create plans to submit to my county for adding onto my home. I was able to use the plan I created in my lower version and use the Pro features to complete it for submission to my county building department.
Generally the program worked great. My only difficulties were with designing the roof. The auto roof feature only draws hip roofs and to make my design with only gable roofs was convoluted. I tried using their methods to get the auto roof to draw gables by labeling the walls and using the gable roof tool but I never could get the right gables and ended up placing each roof plane manually. It was more time consuming than I thought it should have been. I had a very basic addition plan and I don't think it should have been so diffiult. The auto roof feature should be able to draw other roof types. A menu choice for the auto roof feature should include both hip and gable choices and then draw them automatically with only a couple of clicks.
My next obstacle is apparently a common one and that is printing the plan in a larger format to use for submission to builders and building departments. I tried and tried to print to a pdf file as suggested but I never could get it to work right. If you have a pdf file you can use that doesn't involve advertising it would be fantastic. I finally got frustrated and talked with my county officials and they accepted my plans on regular 8.5 x 11 paper that I printed at home so I never did figure out the "print from pdf". The plans passed county review without a problem.
The purchase price of 500.00 was steep but not when compared to the home designer who was going to charge 1000.00 for the same plan I created and submitted. Now I can use it for other projects we may take on.
Customer Rating:
Summary: HOME DESIGN SOFTWARE
Comment: I am very pleased with the software and it's capabilities. It is relatively user friendly but does take some time and effort to get up to speed. Happily, the time invested is well worth the results produced.
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