In the past, remodeling a basement could require hours spent sketching out ideas and making scale drawings in order to get the vision of your newly created space translated onto paper. Even then, you'd often not get the true picture of what you'd drawn out until the work was done, the paint dried and it was too late to change designs. Fortunately, thanks to new computer software packages, the guesswork as well, as much of the actual design work, has been taken out of the process.
Design Software
There's a wide range of software packages available for producing your basement remodeling designs. Two software suites that include many features are by Punch! Software and Better Homes Gardens. Both the Home Designer Suite from Better Homes and Gardens and Home and Landscape Design by Punch! Software offer ease of use and features that help you transform your ideas into visual media, and both can be purchased for less than $100, as of 2009.
Home Designer Suite
Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite provides you with many of the tools you need to complete the design of your basement remodeling project. Using the program, you can lay out your basement space, entering the exact measurements into the program. With the basement dimensions in place, you can begin to create any design you want using the 4,000 item library of 3D objects or you can choose one of the 500 preset plans available for altering your space requirements.
As a design tool, this software takes you well beyond interior decorating; it allows you to recreate the space itself, adding interior walls, plumbing and wiring. After you've built a design you're satisfied with the software will produce a 3D rendering of the space and give you the option of taking a virtual walkthrough. It allows you to see your remodeled basement as it will look like when completed. It'll even generate a materials list for project cost estimating. The software package is available on the Better Homes and Gardens website for $94.99 in 2009.
Home Landscape Design
Home and Landscape Design by Punch! Software is another full design suite that allows you to do everything from a remodeling job to a complete renovation of your basement space. It comes with a large library of objects, 2D and 3D design capabilities, room walkthroughs and a materials list with cost estimates. What makes the program different are two things, support for Google 3D objects and its RealModel addition.
With support of Google 3D objects, you can extend the list of objects available for use in your basement remodeling job to the millions of downloadable objects directly from Google's 3D object site. With RealModel, you can print your design out onto paper or cardstock with instructions and labels that allows you to build an actual model of your creation, bringing the design from your computer to the tabletop. It makes your design all the more tangible.
In 2009, you could purchase Punch! Software's Home Landscape Design Suite from the company's website for $99.99.
