Design software for laying out a home plan- Need a recommendation

Rehabbing & House Flipping
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Design software for laying out a home plan- Need a recommendation

Jennifer Hollstein
Home Rehabber · Rockaway, NJ · Member since 2014 · 62 posts · 24 votes

I am hoping someone can help me with a recommendation. In my past job I used 20/20 on a regular basis to draw up and layout kitchens, baths and any other room or even whole floor plans. I no longer have access to that program and do not have the thousands of dollars to buy it for myself. 

I am looking for an easy to use software that will allow me to walk into a home and draw it out and put dimensions in to give me that layout. 

Ideally it will also have flexibility to layer other walls so a new floor plan can be sketched over the original plan. If it worked on an iPad with a finger or computer pen that would be perfect. 

Does anyone have a recommendation for a free or Low cost software program that will allow this?

Thank you in advance.

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Casey Barry
Investor · Huntington, NY · Member since 2014 · 25 posts · 7 votes
11y

check out Chief Architect and see which product works best for you. The home designer suite seem to be a popular choice

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  • Nick Reaves
    Property Manager · Denver, CO · Member since 2013 · 15 posts · 6 votes
    11y

    I don't know if it will really fit what you are looking for, but check out Google Sketch Up and Layout. Free version available.... Not sure if this would work on an iPad.  I am guessing there are other better suited options out there for what you are looking for, but it is worth checking out as its free

    0Reply
  • Nick Reaves
    Property Manager · Denver, CO · Member since 2013 · 15 posts · 6 votes
    11y

    http://download.cnet.com/SketchUp/3000-6677_4-10257337.html

    0Reply
  • Casey Barry
    Investor · Huntington, NY · Member since 2014 · 25 posts · 7 votes
    11y

    check out Chief Architect and see which product works best for you. The home designer suite seem to be a popular choice

    2Reply
  • David RobertsonBusiness Member
    Flipper/Rehabber · Kansas City, MO · Member since 2010 · 755 posts · 778 votes
    11y

    I used floorplanner.com on my last project which is a free online service for one project with multiple pages...

    It's a good enough & free enough tool for creating basic floor plans & designs, but it isn't a full blown design suite...

    Here's some images of what I was able to create using the software:

    Note:  The Red & Blue annotations & notes were added using Adobe PDF after I converted the drawings to a PDF...

    FlipperForce
    WebsiteView Page
    2Reply
  • Nick Reaves
    Property Manager · Denver, CO · Member since 2013 · 15 posts · 6 votes
    11y

    Floorplanner looks great, thanks for sharing David

    0Reply
  • Rodney Marcantel
    Coppell, TX · Member since 2014 · 188 posts · 125 votes
    11y

    Floor Plans Ap for iPAD Air is what I use and is what the "Love it or List it" people use. Great when you're at a property getting measurements and brainstorming what changes you can do.

    0Reply
  • Account Closed
    Oslo, Oslo · Member since 2015 · 14 posts · 3 votes
    10y

    I'm using roomsketcher.com, a free web based solution. 

    0Reply
  • Jim Adrian
    Architect · Papillion, NE · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 840 votes
    10y

    sketchup will give you a 3d option clients like to see. It's really simple. Revit and autocad are the big dogs.

    0Reply
  • Cody Guhl
    Waverly, IA · Member since 2015 · 8 posts · 3 votes
    10y

    Chief Architect is my recommendation. I work in the ProService department at Lowes, and I use this software all the time -not only at Lowes, but for my investing and contracting businesses. It is reasonably priced, and offers a huge amount of flexibility.

    0Reply
  • David Ferrette
    Developer · Austin, TX · Member since 2014 · 266 posts · 110 votes
    10y

    SketchUp is great and you can import furniture and finishes from manufacturers websites.  If you plan to really get involved and do many plans, you probably want to learn Revit.  It's so easy to add wall, doors, window, etc..   The program itself is VERY complex and can do anything, but if you want to use it's most basic tools, it is a great way to go.

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