Monitor Style Pole Barn in Progress

[EddieWalker]

Great looking barn, excellent views.

What program did you use for the the design. It looks really detailed? What was the learning curve like?

Good Luck,
Eddie

 

[PaulT]

I used Broderbund 3-d Home Architect. It is a crippled version of Chief Architect (costs over $650), which is a standard in the CAD/Architecture industry I'm told. Anyway, I got the scaled down software for $50 at Sam's Club years ago. I used it to design the additions on my house. I probably had over 200 hours on it with various attempts at remodels that would look good. That was over 7 years ago. I would say that you could be productive with the software in about an hour of messing around, and learn the more tricky things, like getting the roof to look the way you want, as you go. Well worth the money. I have tried just about every other home design software on the market, and this is the best, short of spending the $650 for Chief Architect, IMHO.

 

[PaulT]

I should mention, regarding the details, that things like the door and window treatment, the deck, stairs and railings are all semi-automatic in the program. After placing an object of your choice in an appropriate location (door, window, stair), it adds the object with default properties. Once it is there, you double click and change the default setting to suit your needs. It won't let you place a door anywhere but in a wall, and not too near a corner or window. There are some tricks about why, when and where an object can be placed, and how to set floor and ceiling heights, but these can be referenced a few times at first, and then you'll have it down. The software really takes care of those details for you. All of your work is done in a floor plan mode, and it draws the 3-d for you, according to the settings you have made for each object. Really slick.

 

[EddieWalker]

Kind of funny your using the Broderbund software. It's the one I have, but it's very old and I can't get the detail you did. I've looked at other products, tried a few, but I always come back to this one. Guess it's time to upgrade to a newer version.

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[PaulT]

I've had 2 different versions - the original and the Deluxe. I'm not sure, but I think there was a version that had the same name that came between the original 3-D Home Architect and the Deluxe version. Broderbund didn't write any of them, they licensed the original and the deluxe from the Chief Architect people. I believe the intermediate version was from a different company, and many were dissatisfied. The memory is a little fuzzy, but I believe I tried it and was sorely dissapointed. At the time, Sams Club would take back software, even if it was opened (they've long since changed that policy). The Deluxe version is essentially the same as the original, but came with many more pre-drawn home plans. Of course, by now the version could have changed again and be sourced from an entirely different company.

 

[PaulT]

I know how you all love pictures, so here are some more showing the progress on the barn. This is after the roof panels were installed and the top floor walls and tyvek were on.

 

[PaulT]

This is a front view with more siding on.

 

[PaulT]

This is the view from the back.

 

[PaulT]

This is the pressure treated deck off the second floor.

 

[PaulT]

This is where the stairs are now. You can see them in the back view picture. They lead from the second floor to a landing, turn 90 degrees and end up under the first floor overhang.