Walk-in Basement w/ door

[Kidforever]

Hi,
I am new here.
I just bought pro 7 and I am trying to build a house with basement.
The only explanation I saw is how to create walk-out basement on sloping terrain.
That is not what I want.
My terrain is flat and I want that kind of basement like those here in Hyannis-MA. They dig a big hole and there is only a horizontal door that open up.
The basement is not the same size of the house. It will be part walk in basement and part foundation.
How do I do that?

[daydreamer]

Hi kid,

Build your first floor the way you want it. Then click on the Floor Tool tool button on the toolbar. Click the "child" tool button for Build Foundation.
In the Foundation Defaults dialog box enter the wall height, then click OK.

In the New Floor dialog box just click OK. You can move the walls around to get the full basement you want then draw additional walls and set the height for a foundation for the rest of the plan.

[Kidforever]

I did it the way you said but It didn't work.
I don't know what I did wrong. See pictures.

The basement and the 1st floor look the same inside.
See more pictures.

[Deirdre]

Kidforever, you also have to work with the terrain tutorial that is in your user manual.

Your terrain needs to be lower than the basement.

I had to learn the same thing for my basement house.

Pull your user manual up and follow the tutorial in it; it will help.

[daydreamer]

From what I can see you have zero's in the Floor Height field, the Ceiling Height field the Lower Ceiling field.

If you want an 8' ceiling in the basement set the Floor Height to -108", the Ceiling height and the Lowered Ceiling to 96" and the Stem Wall height to 100"

On the 1st Floor, where the stairs are place an "invisible" wall across the end of the 2 walls you have drawn. Double-click in the room and name it Open Below. By changing the wall and using the Railing Wall tool you can get something like thumbnail #3.

[Kidforever]

Ok. thank you both.
I'll try that.

I did but it didn't work. The stairs doesn't reach the next floor despite the message saying so.
What did I did wrong?

Part of the house where the foundation slab is, doesn't show.
And I notice I don't have the child tool for cross secctional elevation.
How do I fix that.

[daydreamer]

Are you sure that you are using Pro 7?
You need to forget about the details of the stairs until you get the basement and the foundation figured out. Then you can add the stairs, windows, doors and the terrain features.

If you just purchased the software, I think you need to spend a little time going through the Manual and the Tutorials. There is a lot to learn.

[Kidforever]

That's what it says. See picture
I had suite 6, suite 7 and now pro 7.
With suite 7 I didn't have problems with the stairs.
But pro 7 is more difficult. Like the name says, is for professionals and I am not one.
The manual doesn't say anything about basement, only terrain.
I learned to elevate and lower the terrain, but I cannot seem to build the basement right in pro 7 at least inside.
The picture I attached I did in suite 7 and the stairs reached the floor and showed right in 3D.

[Deirdre]

You did hold the shift key down while dragging the stair tool upward from the basement to the first floor? And then click on Auto Stairwell.

I have never seen a flat staircase until now. That was an interesting view. Kind of reminded me of the Spook House at Disneyland or was it Knox Berry Farm?

[Kidforever]

I can make a stair in the basement with suite 7, but I cannot seem to do with pro. But I'll try to hold the shift key. I didn't know about it.

OK Deirdre, I am getting there.
When I clicked on Auto stairwell, I got a message. See picture # 1
I changed the room to hall and in structure tab I uncheck "floor for this room is supplied by foundation...."
I could seem to make the stair going up.
On the 1st floor, where the stair is I changed back to opening bellow so that I can see the opening.
Now, I need to figure out how to show the opening on the ceiling of the basement.

[Deirdre]

What I see is as shown in picture two is that your staircase is way too long; what is the room height (97 1/8, 108. 120)?

The room should not be identified as a Hall. Undo that, please.

To make a stair going up to the first floor you have to start in the basement, dragging the stair icon toward/upward to the ground floor (aka first floor).

http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/...?faqNumber=420

If you need further help and would like me to assist via email, send me a Private Message with your email address in it. I will send you one back.

Realized my typo error in my post, so when I replied in second with link to Help Database you will notice I did not repeat it.

Sorry about that, sometimes this old hag just has a dull cell working and it gets a bit dusty; considering all the straw and sawdust that takes up the majority of the cavern.

[Kidforever]

What I see is as shown in picture two is that your staircase is way too long; what is the room height (97 1/8, 108. 120)?

The room should not be identified as a Hall. Undo that, please.

To make a stair going up to the first floor you have to start in the basement, dragging the stair icon toward/upward to the ground floor (aka first floor).

The room height is 96.
I shorten the staircase and build a wall, but the wall became invisible as shown in the picture. Nothing can be built in the basement.
I started the wall in the basement as I always did with suite 7.
To get the stair going up, because before it was flat, I had to name the room above as hall other than open bellow and unchecked the "floor for this room is supplied by the foundation..." But I undid that right away. The room above is open bellow now. But It still didn't work. It doesn't make the opening above.

[Deirdre]

Go to your Private Messages

[Kidforever]

I attached the picture or the basement in dool house view.
It doesn't matter how short I draw the staircase the pro 7 never detects that doesn't reach the next floor. See picture.
I drew two treads staircase and the staircase specifications said the stair
reached the next floor.
I think either I go back to suite 7 do make my floor plan again with my basement or leave the basement to the architect...

One observation:
I didn't have any problem to draw the staircase from ground floor to fist floor. It came up well. But from basement to ground floor, I don't know what I am missing. I can't figure out....

I got my staircase in my basement.
First I deleted the entire foundation and re-built.
In the basement I created invisible walls to make a room where the stairs would be. I aligned the walls with the walls above.
On the room above, I double clicked to get the room specification, structure tab I unchecked the "floor for this room is supplied by the foundation room from the floor below"
On the foundation level I created the stairs and I clicked the auto stairwell. The pro 7 did the rest. It named the room above stairwell and opened bellow and checked the "floor for this room is supplied by....
The key of all this is: floor for this room is supplied by.....
Thank you all for you help.

[daydreamer]

Why did you create invisible walls in the basement where the stairs are?