DIY/Architecture apps

[DimPrawn]

Lego!!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LPP2M0A?psc=1

[Archangel]

I use sketchup the free version, not the pro version

[Forgotmylogin]

Take a series of photos around the house.
Scan the photos in and open in MS Paint.
Draw a box around the wall you're thinking of tearing down.
Hit delete.

[d000hg]

Take a series of photos around the house.
Scan the photos in and open in MS Paint.
Draw a box around the wall you're thinking of tearing down.
Hit delete.

I really hope you don't work in IT.

[Forgotmylogin]

I really hope you don't work in IT.

Sorry, you're right.

It's a bit old fashioned to scan photos in. Probably best to just use a digital camera and transfer the pictures to your PC.

[d000hg]

If VR ever kicks off a house-design app could be a cool project

[TheFaQQer]

Every so often, magazines like Grand Designs give away whatever they use in their models. I used to have a copy kicking around somewhere.

[Forgotmylogin]

If VR ever kicks off a house-design app could be a cool project

Joking aside, the Rift is due next year. Apparently Audi are using it when customers are configuring new cars, so they can see what their choices look like. I'd guess this is mostly when choosing different trims, etc, but it's a step in the right direction.
I think I heard there were plans for architects to be able to use it too, to help visualise new buildings.

I guess the biggest struggle would be in how you enter the details for your own home. The measurements would be simple enough for it to create the rooms, but furniture and so on would be a lot more difficult, unless you simply use default "chair", "sofa", etc to get an idea of size and positions.

[Boo]

Sweet home 3d is free and easy to use.

Nice find, works well as a portable app too which is useful.

Boo

[vwdan]

We're considering making some changes to our house - (re)moving some non-load-bearing walls, moving doors and radiators, new furniture, moving things around - maybe even some sort of sliding door/wall for greater flexibility. Nothing structural - things we could DIY if we could be arsed.

I'm not great at visualising things and I suck as an artist so I can't sketch what I'm after. I was wondering if there are quick & easy apps I could use to throw together a 3D model of a room and play with it. It doesn't need to be super-fancy, just a way to visualise "what would it look like if we took that wall out" or avoid "oh crap now the fridge is in front of the radiator". In my mind being able to drop in boxes to represent furniture and draw out a floor-plan would be very quick and easy but I've no idea if such things exist.

Anyone got recommendations? I really should stress, simple and easy are the key requirements not richness of featureset. I'm after the MSPaint of architecture, not PhotoShop/Gimp.

I use sketchup the free version, not the pro version

This is the one - I've recently sketched our current house and a house that we're in the process of buying. There's a learning curve, but it's not steep and there are a huge amount of YouTube videos covering common questions. I did our house first (as I wasn't time constrained) and then went to an extended (solo, without the vendor) vieweing of the new one. It genuinely took me longer to measure up than it did to get this kind of outline:



I'm still finding niggles and minor irritations, but we did for exactly what you describe and it's really helped narrow down our plans.