Hello All,
I'm planning to build a single storey extension but was told by the council if I wanted some kind of 100% certainty and a certificate, to fill in a lawfullness form.
I've done this and also provided a hand drawn diagram detailing sizes of extension, windows, brickwork etc. But this hasn't satisfied the council who want a 1:50 or 1:100 scale drawing.
Can I do this quite easily myself or with some computer software -any recommendations? Or will I need an architect to draw something up.
If you haven't used CAD software before then AutoCAD-style programs can be a bit daunting.
Google SketchUp can handle working with various units and can draw dimension lines for you, provided you've got access to a large enough printer/plotter you could do it yourself, even using 50:1 scale, a 10m x
15m plan would just about squeeze onto A4.
Hand drawn plans are fine for planning - they just need to be drawn to scale. For a simple extension it will be quicker to do by hand than to learn how to do by computer. You just need a sharp pencil and a ruler! A scale ruler can make it simpler.
A
Okay...cheers guys.
elevations as well, which is ideal for this sort of thing.
The other easy (ish) to learn drawing program that is well suited to this sort of thing is Microsoft Visio. You can probably buy it standalone for £70 ish these days.
For a simple application I also recommend drawing by hand - a lot easier and quicker than getting to grips with a drawing package.
Use graph paper - there are freeware programs which will generate and print it out for you - and if you use a sensible colour for the gridlines they can be made to disappear when you scan and print the final copies.
I did all mine in Corel Draw.
Bought a A1 inkjet printer as well.
Way cheaper than the architect.
If you have to ask, you should probably get someone to do it for you. Software doesn't necessarily help; it merely automates what you can already do, and it may not be of much use if you cannot already draw to scale with a ruler and pencil.
But it isn't all bad news. You don't need an expensive architect or a structural engineer to draw plans. There are plenty of technicians who will do a perfectly adequate job for less money. Your local paper will carry their adverts in the Classifieds section.
FYI I'm using an architectural technician (BSc Architecture Technology I think?) for a small two storey extension: survey £100; sketch £100; full drawings £250; full spec £250; liaison with planning £150; liaison with building control £150. Design of foundations, stationery and planning fees extra.
Rob
Yes - that's almost as good as Acorn Draw. One of the reasons I keep using RISC OS. Simple to use for those things you'd have once drawn by hand.
Dunno about Acorn draw, but I use Corel for full CAD CAM stuff.
Someone expressed the difference between Corel and normal CAD roughly as follows 'With Corel, its easy to make a shape, and fill in the structure, with CAD you have to know the structure, and that defines the shape'
The ability to use colors and layers to separate bits of structure out..and set transparency on them too..thats nice. It alos can use fancy fonts and all sorts of shading effects for when you want to do an 'artists impression'
The council loved my house drawings, with colored in wood grain windows and doors and thatch and suchlike, and a tiled bitmap and a bricked bitmap..for the chimbleys..the most amazing thing is that the house now looks almost exactly like the drawings did.
Indeed. What occasional users need is a prog that isn't much more difficult to use than a pencil, paper and T-square.
That's the beauty of Draw too - it is the basis for other progs that give all sorts of effects. But don't bewilder like some on the outset - it was after all designed originally for the education market.
Excellent. Hope the house lasts longer than the ink, though. ;-)
Anyone know of any free kitchen designing software?
Anyone know of any free 3D printers? Far more appealing.
If you are planning to use std units Wickes will do you a good & fully dimensioned layout. You just need to have accurately measured the room.
Where you buy your units from is another matter.
As an aside we got ours from Wickes - very happy with them
DIY 3D printer :-)
Adam
AutoCAD-style programs daunt me, and I haven't just /used/ CAD software - I wrote the ***** stuff! (Not AutoCAD, and it /was/ >20 years ago)
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