April 25, 2024

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The Best Home Design Software to Use

Designing or remodeling your home no longer has to be left to strangers to figure out. You can take the design of your home into your own hands and provide your builders the information they need to make your vision a reality.

Learn which home design software is the best and how each app offers something unique when you’re designing your home.

Chief Architect Premier interface examples

If money is no object then Chief Architect Premier should be your go-to choice. The software is mainly used by professional architects and home planners so it comes with more features than any other on this list.

Regardless if you are building a regular home or a smart home, using software to plan ahead will help you estimate budgets, save time, and (hopefully) save money.

Any changes you make to the 2D model design will be automatically created in the 3D model. Making it easy to understand how your home will look without having to put in the extra time to recreate everything.

You can build any residential or small commercial building using the Chief Architect Premier software. Instead of giving your builder inaccurate estimations of what you need, use the material generator to have specific amounts of all your materials.

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There is also a large library of preexisting items you can choose from, including walls, rooms, foundations, and electrical systems. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another platform that offers as much as Chief Architect Premier does.

Virtual Architect Home Design app interface

One of the best features of the Virtual Architect Ultimate Home Design is the wizards you can use inside the software.

The wizards guide you to build more complex features like an entire home without having to spend extra time learning the platform. Every step is shown to you so that you can focus on building the perfect design for your next home.

Although there is no specific smart home wizard, having a plan in place and consulting with your contractors will help save time in the long run.

There is a large catalog of items you can add to your designs, and the Landscape and Decks version makes it perfect for indoor or outdoor creativity. The software is so easy to use you can control everything with just a few clicks of your mouse.

You can even upload your own photos to the software to make it more life-like. Giving you an accurate vision of what your renovation or new home might look like.

There is a bit of a learning curve with the Virtual Architect and the cost is higher than most others on this list. You pay for what you get though, because this software comes with an impressive amount of tools and capabilities.

TurboFloorPlan app interface

The TurboFloorPlan app is specifically designed for Mac operating systems and has the most features with the easiest-to-use interfaces of all Mac-specific home design apps.

You don’t have to worry about this being your first home designing software to use because it comes with automated features. Auto Framing and the Framing Editor help you build your home without having to know all the intricacies of the platform.

TurboFloorPlan comes from a trusted and reliable company that has been operating since 1988; the TurboCAD Design Group. It’s one of the platforms professionals prefer when building templates for a customer’s home.

Mac users will enjoy the lower price point of TurboFloorPlan compared to bigger home design software like Chief Architect Premier.

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As you continue to build on the software you can keep track of your costs and estimated square footage to stay on budget. You can also use it to get better ideas on how to make your home greener and more eco-friendly.

Roomsketcher app interface

As one of the easiest pieces of home design software to use on this list, it’s no wonder that many DIY home designers look to this platform to create their perfect home aesthetic.

The only problem is the pricing model Roomsketcher has chosen to go with. Instead of paying one price for lifetime access to the app, you have to pay a monthly fee of $49.99/month.

The price also limits you in how many creations you can make. You’re only allowed to save up to five different plans before having to upgrade for more.

Once you do get started, you’ll find it a breeze to get a home completely designed to perfection. The platform is incredibly intuitive to use.

Unlike other platforms that save all your files locally, Roomsketcher makes it easy to access your designs from any device anywhere in the world. All of your plans are saved to their cloud for easy access.

There is a free version of Roomsketcher, but it’s so limited that you will probably need to upgrade in order to build your perfect home.

Homestyler app interface

If you’re not going to be using a desktop computer to do most of your designing, you can still get your ideas down by using the Homestyler app for iOS or Android.

Most home designer mobile apps give you a fake-looking finished result. Making you use your imagination of what your finished home might look like.

This isn’t the case with Homestyler, which boasts a designer interface that gives you more realistic images so that you can get a more accurate vision of your designs.

Completely free to use, you can upload your own photos of your current home and use the app to make changes in real-time. That way, you can test multiple combinations of colors and furniture to see how it will look in your remodeled room.

It’s also community-based so you can take a look at other people’s designs and post your own to get honest feedback about your new look.

Sweet Home 3D app interface

You don’t have to pay big bucks in order to design your dream interior with the Sweet Home 3D app available for desktops. You can use this platform for free while still using all the features on the app.

The only restriction you’ll run into is in how many items you can add to your design. Upgrading to the paid version will give you access to the large library of items available.

Sweet Home is perfect for smaller projects like room renovations or simple outbuildings, but isn’t suitable for larger projects.

As you make changes to the 2D model, your 3D model will automatically update with your choices, making it easy to create structures. You can even upload your own pictures to the software to get realistic looks of your next design.

Designing Your New Home With Ease

Whether you have used home design software before, or are trying one for the first time, there is software available for every skill level.

Some apps give you tons of features and customizations while others are extremely easy to use but are limited in their quality. So look at the options available, and pick the one that suits your needs.


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