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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    3

    How to add a dormer to the attic level

    Hi all,

    I am new here and just recently purchased the Home Designer Pro 2014 and still learning. I am trying to draw the Cape Code house as the picture below and I am getting stuck. This cape code house has a walk up attic and there is a dormer already built in the back. I am trying to redraw this so we can finish the attic with 2 bedrooms and a bath. I understand that Home Designer Pro do not allow to add rooms on the attic so I add another floor with 1 foot high ceiling, but I don't know how to add the back dormer with the wall approximately 6 feet high in the back of the house as seen in the pictures I attached here. Please help!

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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    185
    I guess you did the Cape Cod - 1 1/2 storey tutorial did you ?

    http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/...tory-Roof.html

    and you can't add a Shed Dormer afterwards?

    edit: here is the shed dormer tutorial that flows on from the one above .......hopefully you can transfer the knowledge to your plan when done....

    http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/...-Manually.html


    edit#2 just thought I'd better clarify ... I had to delete the 2nd floor after the 1 1/2 storey tutorial ,then rebuilt the 2nd floor derived from 1st flr per the Shed Dormer tut. otherwise the roof/dormer didn't generate correctly, so perhaps the CapeCod tut. isn't necessary?. I had to keep the knee wall a few inches off/short off the ceiling plane lines as well, or the roof screwed up too

    Then I pulled the front wall of the dormer forward to sit over the wall below to get your house......... use select> open object>align with wall below if needed.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    M.
    Last edited by Kbird; 04-17-2014 at 06:39 PM.
    Mick

    HD Pro 10.4.3.5
    Arch. HD 9.6
    HD Suite 8.5

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    138
    You can also manually draw these walls just as shown in the 2d pic.

    Add wall breaks at each side of the red wall, so that section can be selected.
    With a 3D window tiled vertically, select the wall and start changing the roof pitch (shallow pitch) until you can see that the upper part of that roof matches up to the roof ridge perfectly.

    When you are completely finished building your roof, turn off 'auto build roof' and raise the shaded 0" floor area to the finished ceiling height it is supposed to be.
    The 72" room should have 'ceiling over this room' unchecked in the room dbx box.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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    JoAnn

    HD Architectural 10
    HD Suite 6 & 7

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    3
    Thanks Mick and JoAnn.

    JoAnn: Your tutorial is starting after the Cape Code 1 1/2 Story Tutorial right?

    Johnny

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    185
    Should of known JoAnn or Rich would have another way ..... Worked better/faster for me than yest. thx. JoAnn

    Just tried it using a combo of the Shed Dormer Tut. (after 2nd flr derived) and JoAnn's method and it makes getting the front wall per you house much easier as there is no alignment to do . It also allowed me to push the knee wall back to the ceiling line without screwing up the roof like yest. ( not sure what the diff. was.) Per the tut. I set the 3 areas as ATTIC and the rest was all good to go....

    M.
    Mick

    HD Pro 10.4.3.5
    Arch. HD 9.6
    HD Suite 8.5

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    138
    Mick: Thanks!

    Johnny: The house style is called Cape Cod. Follow the basic tutorial in general, to auto-build the 2nd floor. By looking at your pic, I would set the entire finished ceiling to 0" to begin with (the tutorial sets the 2nd floor ceiling to 24"). Your main roof gable pitch looks steeper than the default 8/12 (maybe 10/12 or 12/12). Open the roof icon and change that. Your overhangs are shallow. Change that too. Leave 'build roof planes' on until you have everything finished and looking right.

    Start drawing the interior and exterior dormer walls, as shown in my pic. The side walls of the dormer have to be designated as gable walls. Add the wall breaks on the front wall. Change the front room 'finished ceiling' height to 72".
    By doing what is shown in my pic, you should have a 2nd floor that looks like pic#2.

    Make sure your 1st floor finished ceiling is set to the correct height before you build the 2nd floor! It's tough to change some things afterward!
    JoAnn

    HD Architectural 10
    HD Suite 6 & 7

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    3
    Thanks so much JoAnn. Your tutorial is very easy to follow and it is exactly what I need. Just another question, what type of siding did you use? I couldn't find it in the library.

    Johnny

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    138
    http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/...s/content.html


    user center / content downloads / 2014 catalogs

    materials and hardware / certainteed / siding / cedar
    JoAnn

    HD Architectural 10
    HD Suite 6 & 7

 

 

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