I saw this article in the WSJ.  I thought it was interesting and though to pass it on.  Has anyone had a similar situation with a DIY designer?  <!—-> <!—-><!—->

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Unlocking Your Inner Architect<!—-><!—->

New Home-Design Software
Saves Money, but Some Users
Neglect Details, Like Plumbing<!—-> <!—->

By SARA SCHAEFER MUÑOZ
June 29, 2006; Page D1<!—-> <!—->

A slew of sophisticated software for home design has recently hit the market, allowing homeowners embarking on a remodeling project to plot everything from shingle styles to window placement and even see how shadows fall across the porch at different times of the day.<!—-> <!—->

If used properly, the do-it-yourself products can save thousands of dollars in architects’ fees on a major project. But the growing popularity of the products is making them a point of tension between builders and their clients. Homeowners can spend hours on a design, only to be told they’ve taken out a key beam or put in a toilet where there are no pipes.<!—-><!—->

Homeowners “can draw to their heart’s content, but that doesn’t mean it’s legal or it’s buildable,” says Ben White, vice president of Benvenuti & Stein Inc., a design and construction firm in Evanston, Ill.<!—-> <!—->

Jessa New spent about five hours drawing up a plan for two children’s bedrooms and a bathroom in a second-story addition to her 1925 Craftsman bungalow in <!—-><!—-><!—->Oberlin <!—->, <!—->Ohio<!—-> <!—->. Then she presented them to her builder — and learned with dismay that the bathroom she envisioned was too far from the main plumbing lines and its placement would interfere with a staircase.<!—-><!—->

“Being able to visualize it in a computer program is very different from when it translates into physical space,” she says.<!—-> <!—->

Her builder, Peter Lehrer of Artistic Renovations LLC in nearby Seven Hills, says he quickly drew up three new plans. (They ultimately put a master bedroom upstairs.) When people draw up their own designs, it helps them focus on what they want, he says, but sometimes “locks them in” to a single idea.<!—-><!—->

The complications come as companies have been rolling out new lines of design-it-yourself software, in part a response to unprecedented spending on home remodeling, maintenance and repairs: $215 billion in 2005, up from $199 billion in 2004, according to the Census Bureau. Even as the housing market cools, people are still putting money into their homes, especially kitchens and bathrooms.<!—-> <!—->

In contrast to computer-assisted design programs of the early 1990s, which were cumbersome and often crude, the latest programs feature realistic graphics, automatic processes for complex steps like adding cabinets, and thousands of materials, textures and even landscaping plants to choose from. <!—-><!—->

In the past year, Chief Architect Inc., one of the two software companies that dominate the home-design-software market, rolled out three new programs under its Better Homes and Gardens brand. One $495 program includes more than 1,500 sample plans and thousands of doors, windows, lighting and other furnishings that users can drop into virtual rooms. The company, which is based in <!—-><!—->Coeur d’Alene<!—->, <!—->Idaho <!—-><!—->, also launched a scaled-down $149 version, and in March, it rolled out a $19.95 program called Picture Painter that lets users upload photos of a house to see how they look with different paint colors and materials.<!—-> <!—->

Punch Software LLC, the other big market participant, released a new version of its Architectural Series 4000 software that offers more than 2,000 paint choices, hundreds of furniture options, a swimming-pool designer, and accurate depictions of various lights, including the way sunlight enters the home at various times of the day. The $199 program is also compatible with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Web site, allowing users to trace the topography of their lots.<!—-> <!—->

Another program, Google SketchUp, was made available for free in April at http://sketchup.google.com. It allows users to create house models and pull items like windows, columns and appliances directly from a virtual “warehouse” and drop them into a scene. When finished, users can share their designs in the online repository 3D Warehouse or add them to Google Earth, the satellite mapping program, to see how they fit in with the neighborhood.<!—-> <!—->

The Internet now features more free, interactive tools than ever, as makers of appliances and fixtures beef up their presence online. At E.W. Scripps Co.’s HGTVKitchenDesign.com and HGTVBathDesign.com, both launched this spring, a 3-D design tool allows the user to drag and drop products like Viking ranges into virtual rooms. Many paint sites are also getting more interactive: PPG Industries Inc.’s Pittsburgh Paints last year created voiceofcolor.com, allowing visitors to try out different colors in model rooms.<!—-><!—->

Interest in home-design software grew in 2005, even as sales of other, non-game software was flat, according to data from NPD Group, a <!—->Port Washington<!—->, N.Y.-based research firm. Americans spent $24 million on home-design software in 2005, up 1.2% from 2004, NPD says.<!—-><!—->

For homeowners dreaming up a project, builders say it’s important to be aware of the software’s limits. Some house-building programs emphasize “professional” results and plans that are “accurately scaled” on their packaging. But most builders say the finished product often requires tweaks or clarifications. For instance, some less expensive programs may not be able to create the house’s frame, adjust wall thickness or customize rooflines. And the programs usually don’t take into account the frequently arcane rules of state building codes. (In <!—-><!—->California<!—-> <!—->, there are detailed rules about how close a window can be to a shower.)<!—-> <!—->

Homeowners sometimes dream up layouts that don’t take into account support walls, plumbing or central air systems, says Michael Quail, who owns a construction firm in <!—-><!—->Lyons<!—->, <!—->Ill.<!—-><!—-> It’s a particular problem in older houses, because their internal walls are often load-bearing, while newer homes’ walls can be moved more easily. Plus, he says, once clients have invested several dozen hours in mastering a program and coming up with a plan, they can be resistant to change. “These people think we can just put a toilet anywhere,” he says.<!—-><!—->

Homeowners, meanwhile, may face disappointments when they start building. Todd Storbeck, a 44-year-old publishing specialist from a suburb of <!—-><!—->Kansas City<!—->, <!—->Kan.<!—-><!—->, said he enjoyed designing his $150,000 dream addition last year with a Better Homes and Gardens software program, getting kitchen ideas from the program and crafting everything from room layouts to cabinet color.<!—-><!—->

But a problem arose when he decided to remove a support post in the garage after construction had started. Mr. Storbeck made the change in his software plan but then felt taken advantage of when he was charged an extra $9,000 — a price the builder says was necessary to make the second floor structurally sound. Mr. Storbeck paid the fee but later fired the builder.<!—-><!—->

His contractor, Ronald Sobanek of Home Improvement Services LLC in nearby <!—-> <!—->Prairie Village<!—-> <!—->, says a professional architect or designer would have helped his client understand the difficulties of such a change. Mr. Sobanek says he plans to steer clear of clients using their own design programs from now on. “What we ended up with was an unhappy customer,” he says. “I just wouldn’t do it again.” <!—-><!—->

Still, many architects praise the software for improving communication. When Bruce Spenner, a homeowner in <!—-><!—->Boise <!—->, <!—->Idaho<!—-> <!—->, was planning his 1,200-square-foot addition, his wife sometimes had trouble visualizing the plans. So he put his ideas into a Punch software program and gave her a 3-D tour — just to make sure “there were no surprises when it was built,” he says. <!—-><!—->

The designer he worked with, Michael Snow of Strite Design + Remodel, said Mr. Spenner’s plans were helpful. “When you are working with people who are really into the process, it makes it a richer experience.”<!—-> <!—->

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