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)
 enlarge | From: Chief Architect
Category: Software
List Price: $495.00
Buy New: $479.99
You Save: $15.01 (3%)
New (1) Used (2) from $299.00
Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 3558
Format: Cd-rom
Platforms: Windows Xp, Windows Vista
Media: CD-ROM
Batteries Included: No
Operating System: Windows Vista
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.1
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: 045-505
Model: 045-505
UPC: 750839015064
EAN: 0750839015163
ASIN: B000BI7V0I
Release Date: January 15, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: New. Out of box. Ships asap. Customer satisfaction is our goal. We offer a 30 day return policy on anything that is defective or grossly misadvertised. Make contact within 30 days and receive a full refund. You will also be reimbursed for the return shipping. International/APO/FPO/PO addresses are welcome here. Bulk discounts are also available. Orders are shipped via USPS First class mail (1-7 days). Expediated is available on select items and are shipped via USPS Priority Mail (1-3 days). Larger items may be shipped via UPS Ground (1-6 days), insured. Tracking is available on UPS shipped orders. All orders are shipped within 2 business days from Iowa.
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| Features:
| • | 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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Product Description
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS HOME DESIGNER PRO 7.0 (WIN XP)
Amazon.com Product Description
Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Pro 7.0 features everything you need, including advanced Computer Aided Design (CAD) design tools and advanced 3D camera tools, to design the home of your dreams. Developed by Chief Architect, this new product includes exclusive design advice by the experts at Better Homes and Gardens magazines, and is the ideal software solution for anyone who wants to build their new home from scratch, 
Advanced Computer Aided Design (CAD) design tools and advanced 3D camera tools make it possible to design -- and see from every angle -- the home of your dreams. | 
Design floor plans... View larger. | 
...And see them come to life in brilliant 3D. View larger. | 
You can design outdoor spaces, too. View larger. | remodel their existing home, or redesign their bathroom, kitchen, and even landscaping. And although Designer Pro 7.0 includes some of the most advanced design tools you'll find anywhere, the package includes a "Getting Started Tutorial" and over 70 "How To" videos that will help you take on even the most of advanced projects. In no time at all, you'll be well on your way to designing a project that architects and other professionals would otherwise cost you thousands of dollars in architect or other professional fees. Advanced Design Tools and Hundreds of Templates
To get started, Home Designer Pro 7.0 features several Better Homes and Gardens home style templates that range from traditional to contemporary, complete with colors, cabinets, and moldings. An advanced "Home Designer" tool that lets you quickly place and arrange walls, windows, doors, and cabinets, as well as choose colors, place furniture, and create decks and landscaping features. Once you have the basic design elements in place, you can use the advanced 3D camera tools -- Glass House, Doll House, Framing, Cross-Sections, and Virtual Tours -- to "experience" your new home. This will allow you to create the virtual look and feel for your design before it's built with the actual (and expensive) materials. Overall, you'll have over 8,000 design tools at your disposal, over 9,000 items from name-brand manufacturers to use, and 1,500 free sample plans. Professional CAD tools will prove indispensable when it comes to the details. Professional Building Tools To Get The Job Done
Creating your design is only the first step of several. Once your design is complete, you'll need to begin the arduous process of creating a materials list to estimate total costs, check your plan against building standards, and so on. Home Designer Pro 7.0 will help you do all of this and more. You can automatically generate a materials list for project cost estimating, and use Home Designer Pro 7.0's tools for roof generation, framing, dimensioning, and foundations. A Plan Check will automatically validate your design against standard building principles, saving you hours of time. And most importantly, an automatic materials lists will help you keep track of your project inventory and cost estimating as your design progresses. And when it's time to move outside, Home Designer Pro 7.0 has you covered with landscape design tools that can create hills and valleys for custom landscapes, as well as Fence, Garden, Deck, Driveway, Path, and other Terrain Feature tools. The package includes two program CDs, four tutorial CDs that include over 70 "how-to" videos, a "getting started" guide, reference manual, and a USB security lock.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
 Works for me! March 13, 2008
Polypterus (Menlo Park, CA United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
 Not Easy January 14, 2008
B. Hannon (Annapolis, MD)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
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.
Amazing Program August 1, 2007
Peggy Forney (Colorado)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
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."
roof lines difficult July 8, 2007
SA (Show Low, AZ)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
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.
HOME DESIGN SOFTWARE June 13, 2007
Norm (Portland, Oregon)
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
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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