Simple CAD software for barns and sheds?

[GSVette]

Why not run boot camp version of Windows to run some of those programs then?

I stalled at Windows 7 for bootcamp and have not felt any need or desire to update. Most of the features that are lacking are not ones that I really need or want (with the exception of being able to import shape files.

 

[LittleBill21]

Surprised by the number of people suggesting 360 for this type of work. I use it everyday, and wouldn't use to design a floor plan, although you can do it. you get no real visual, and building stairs etc, could take a bit of work. the architect programs really help with the visuals

 

[Fxfymn413]

If things go as planned there will be no inspections, permits etc.

Many folks have done that at one time or another, including yours truly, but just keep in mind that you still need to plan the structure to meet the on-site environmental conditions that the codes take into account. Depending on where you are located things like tying the roof structure to the foundation, proper corner bracing, percent of allowable openings in a wall, using hurricane ties, etc. need to be taken into account when you draw your plans.

You are talking about some pretty substantial structures so building them correctly is paramount.

 

[N80]

Many folks have done that at one time or another, including yours truly, but just keep in mind that you still need to plan the structure to meet the on-site environmental conditions that the codes take into account. Depending on where you are located things like tying the roof structure to the foundation, proper corner bracing, percent of allowable openings in a wall, using hurricane ties, etc. need to be taken into account when you draw your plans.

You are talking about some pretty substantial structures so building them correctly is paramount.

Of course. Plans will be reviewed and contributed to by several friends/family members who, unlike me, have experience with this type of thing and know what they're doing. I am fortunate to have those sorts of human resources to help me out. Site prep will be done by a professional. Again, all of this is pie-in-the-sky right now. Very much in the planning stages. And I tend to move slow and cautiously. My point was just that if things go right there will be no official inspections or permits. We can still consult the codes.

 

[ljjhouser]

I have TurboCad 12 for Mac- pretty happy with it although I don’t push its capabilities very hard. One thing that has been frustrating is that when Apple makes a major OS upgrade ( like going to Big Sur)-the previous version of TC wouldn’t work and there was no ‘upgrade’ path-had to buy a new version (12) albeit at a reduced cost- probably no different than the Windows version I suspect. Other issue is that there are (in my opinion) more features in the Windows version ( most of which I did not care about).

Thanks for the info. Not sure I want to invest much in CAD. I really liked AutoCAD and Draftsight. Auto Cad is out of price for me.

I think I am reluctant to buy much software now because I think we are on the edge of going to Windows 11. I think they have already issued an end date to updates and support for W10. I will be building new computers when they have it out. I use 2 computers. Draftsight is out of sight now with the suscription cost of $220 or $500 annual. Turbocad is doable at the Designer lever, but not so much above $200. I no longer use cad extensively. But really miss it when doing any project. Don't much like getting paper and pencil for that. I have a drafting minor and will never forget the MANY hours late at night in the Dorm inking 36" velum plates. So tedious. Now love cad and printing and plotting. I will watch TurboCad as an option. Thank You.

 

[Kschwennsen]

In your situation I would get a list of all of your wants or needs and head to a Menards/Lowes/HD and have them mock something up for you. Otherwise go online and see what kind of layouts are out there already and tweak where you need to. Probobly will come up with ideas you didn't even think about.

 

[Apogee22]

When it comes to building construction CAD, there are a lot of programs out there that do an OK job and are fairly cheap. Or there used to be when you could walk into BestBuy and buy software off the shelf...

I got much more serious and ended up using Chief Architect to design and make prints for my house and shop build. Nowadays it costs close to $3k, so I doubt that is an option you want for this, but I know they sell a stripped down version called Home Designer for anywhere from $100 to $500 depending on version. They also allow you to download trial versions, so you can give it a whirl before you commit. I cannot honestly say if the Home Designer series compares well to their flagship Chief Architect platform, but the higher end stuff was clearly good and very powerful, so I would expect the simpler versions would do what you want for a simple shop and carport. They do make Windows and Mac versions too, so that may be a big deal as I don't know how many are available for Mac. No connection to them other than a user (well, mostly a former user as I haven't touched it in a few years at this point). Download the trial and see if it does what you want. They had a lot of training videos for the flagship product, but charged extra for them. You might find some on Youtube for the DIY series.

Home Designer | Home Design Software for DIY

DIY home design, interior design and remodeling software from the creators of Chief Architect. Create floorplans and visualize in 3D.

www.homedesignersoftware.com

I am currently in the process of designing a new home and pole barn using Home Design. Has worked well for me so far. Plenty of options in the program and videos/help text available where there are questions.

 

[rv7charlie]

I'd agree that an architecture-specific program would be better for a building. Many years ago I used (IIRC) '3D Home Architect', or something similar, and it had a very easy learning curve.

I'm just starting to thing seriously about learning solid modeling CAD, so I asked experienced hobbyists what they were using. A frequently-recommended package that's not web-dependent and is free is FreeCad. I've been watching a lot of youtube videos on how to use it, and it seems like I'll be able to get up to speed on simpler stuff fairly quickly. There's a 'fork' of FreeCad called 'Real Thunder' that's supposed to fix one or two minor bugs in FreeCad; it's supposed to get rolled into the regular FreeCad release sometime soon.

FWIW...

 

[prichard]

I went through all this when I started designing my house. I've used Autocad LT in the past for electrical diagrams but nothing mechanical. I was an occasional user of draftsight but no where near proficient, especially for mechanical drawings.

I tried draftsight and quickly realized that wasn't going to do. Everyone it seemed was saying to use sketch up. Tried that as well and again quickly decided no.

I spent the money for Chief Architect Home designer. That was the ticket. Real easy to build walls, door, windows, even cabinets and furniture. I built my whole house with it. Now we've purchased another property with a 100 year old house and I'm using it again to plan a possible remodel of that as well as redesign of existing house if we decide the old on isn't worth saving. I've also designed my shop and other out buildings.

It been well worth the money and the limited time I spent learning.

 

[DeanMoriority]

I've dabbled with a variety of CAD programs, never long enough to become adept at any of them, and SketchUp is the most user friendly of the ones I tried. You could also look at SmartDraw. It has some quirky aspects to it but it's easy to get started. Good luck!