Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 8.0

Editorial Review
For a fun and advanced, yet easy-to-use set of tools for Home Design, Better Homes And Gardens Home Designer Suite 8 is the perfect solution. Use it for remodeling, interior design, kitchens, baths, decks, landscaping and cost estimation. Powerful, Fun and Easy Home Design Software

Custom cabinets, sinks, showers and garden tubs in 3D Inspirational photos by room or type Thousands of colors and textures or create your own materials with a digital picture Deck and patio tools Design single or multi-level decks with automatic deck framing Deck foundations automatically generate to match sloped lots Plant Encyclopedia - Over 1,500 plants Pathway tool - design curb-appealing landscaping using stone, pavers or sidewalks Design in 2D & 3D Glass House View - a translucent view of your design Doll House View - a 3D overview without the roof Create a Virtual Tour Day and night views Assemble a scale model of your design Generate shadows from the sun for realistic 3D Automatic Build Terrain and Terrain Perimeter tools - create flat, irregular shaped or sloped lots - use a GPS to import or enter elevation data Create plot and perimeter plans; automatically generate a 3D model of your actual terrain Easy-to-use terrain and landscaping tools - Add a pool or pond and visualize in 3D Fencing tools - a variety of fencing styles, custom gates, driveways, sidewalks and curbing tools Hill and Valley tools - add gardens, beds and slopes that automatically appear in 3D Cost Estimating

Minimum System Requirements Windows XP/Vista 1.2 GHz processor 2 GB of available disk space 512 MB of Memory on XP 1 GB of Memory on Vista DVD drive
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Customer Reviews

Limited Functionality

2008-05-16

A little backgound info about me.

I have used 3d products in the past, including AutoCAD, 3DS Max, Lightwave, and others. I also have worked in construction and have certifications in several areas of construction and cabinet making.
I bought this program with the goal of creating a materials list for a shop I want to build.

Now for the review.

I found the video trainings helpful. The program is simple in design and easy to use. Some functionality is limited. Direct input of distance is a function that requires the next level up in the program which is double the price. I did make several designs of the shop for experimenting with the materials list. I found some items not as I expected. I will have to try some more experiments to see if I can get a work around. When creating a foundation under the shop, if the dimensions are longer than typically available dimensional lumber, it appears the program doesn't care. It will print that you need a 34 foot piece of lumber.

Overall, I don't think this program has lived up to my expectations, but I believe it has value in getting an idea of how a project will look. I am more interested in the details which is why I have given it only 2 stars.

Awesome!

2008-05-14
I looked at several software programs and downloaded many free trials and none came close to the power and ease of use of the Home Designer Suite 8.0. A few of the products I tried before HDS were more expensive and they just didn't match up. After using the program for 30 days, I think it would be a bargain at twice the price!

Review

2008-05-11
Great features once you learn how to use the program. Very helpful with the remodeling of my house and backyard.

outstanding

2008-04-07
i've owned this program for one week. i was initially concerned, as it did not come with a manual. well, after a week, i've found that a paper manual is not necessary to fully operate this program. i can not claim that i'm an expert after one week, but, i do re-assure you that this program is quite simple to operate, it offers possibilities that i never before imagined in my previous architecture program. this program is challenging, in that it offers so many options that i can spend hours looking through all of them. while $99 isn't cheap, especially compared to some of the other programs, i assure you that it is leaps ahead of my 3 year old 3D program. i haven't purchased other programs to know how it compares to other more recent products. i can say that it is phenomenal in comparison to three year old programs. i am very glad that i made this purchase and i would do it again, knowing what i know now, i might even pay more for it. it is likely to become one of my favorite toys. [after i've owned this program for a month or two, i'll submit an addendum so that you can read more of my findings.]

Excellent Tool

2008-07-04
This software tool is so much more efficient than pencil and paper. While someehat difficult to learn, it seems to have have all the features for basic design work.

very poorly organized

2008-07-01
I spent 2 or 3 nights on this product, and watched a few of the tutorial videos and will probably throw this away. I don't have the attention span or the time to dive in and learn how to use it - and I'm a computer professional. They should have had a checklist - step 1, step 2, etc. but instead there are these videos to watch and programs in 2 different installs. I thought the "wizard" would be a good place to start (how about telling us where to start?) designing a basic floorplan but got stuck in that and didn't ever figure out how to move on. Several of the options I tried (for instance, to convert my 2-d to a 3-d plan) did nothing so must have required something but didn't give me a clue what it needed. If I kept playing with this product I might accidentally learn how to get something useful out of it but it is much more time than I care to spend.

Better Home Indeed!

2008-06-24
This item was hard at first to figure out but after watching the video it made it a lot easier. Of course im still playing with it trying to build my dream house! But nontheless its a very good item.

Better Homes Designer Suite is Sweet!!

2008-06-18
Easy to use and handy as all get-out. If you're planning on building or adding-on, this is a must have for the beginning phases of your project.

Pretty sweet package for the money

2008-06-05
I have not actually done a final design with this product yet, but have done some preliminary layouts. For the money I doubt that you will find a product that has close the usability and functionality. Like most design programs, it takes a bit of getting used to, I spent a couple of hours trying to get the grade for a driveway and surrounding ground correct. However I'm sure with more familiarity it would have taken no more than a few minutes.

The program does have some CAD capabilities, but that is certainly not its strength, I have used freeware more powerful for CAD work. But for interior and exterior architecting, being able to see what the finished design will look like (or at least some approximation) is invaluable.

This package is worth buying even if you are not sure if it is exactly what you want. You can always just use it for landscaping layouts (does a pretty good job at that).