From picking a theme to choosing a layout, and even down to what flooring and paint each room will have, designing and planning your custom house can be overwhelming. L. Patten and Sons specialize in making that process an enjoyable one by supporting you every step of the way.
However, if you’re a self-starter and want to try and explore some ideas on your own, there are a lot of amazing online tools out there to help you design your custom built house.
Click on each corresponding link to learn more:
If you’re looking for a hands-on custom builder where you can be part of the process, contact L. Patten today.
If you’re looking to play architect or interior designer and get some great ideas for your home, continue reading!
Design Your Custom Built House With These 10 Online Tools
1. Floor Planner
Floor Planner is an online modelling website tool that offers both 2D and 3D views. It’s free if you want to just save one project at a time, or you can go pro with a premium account for access to more features/multiple projects.
While objects like furniture, doors and other design elements are somewhat limited, you can specify dimensions for each object and get a feel for how furniture will fit and look in certain spaces in your custom built house. As the name suggests, this tool is also great for planning out the layout of your home.
Source: FloorPlanner.com
2. home design visualizer
Along with the indoors, oftentimes people want to get a visual of the outside design of a home when dreaming up plans. The Home Design Visualizer by Ply Gem lets you take your design desires outdoors. This tool allows you to choose from a variety of:
Exterior components
Materials
Colours
This tool also gives you a template for testing out different front elevations for your custom built house. Whether you just need to decide on exterior colours or you're looking to design the outside of a house from scratch, it will assist you in creating loads of curb appeal.
Source: The Designed Exterior
3. Planner 5D
If you’re looking for a program to create room design and interior/exterior decor, Planner 5D is a great option. You can insert different types of:
Furniture
Light fixtures
Trees and plants
Roofs, and more
This easy-to-use tool allows you to add room dimensions and minor or drastic details to your floor plan. You can elect to start from scratch, upload a plan, or select pre-designed templates. To make things easier, you can also register your account for free to save your projects.
Source: Planner 5D
4. Colorjive
Have you ever fallen in love with a colour at the paint store, then once you painted your walls with it you realized you no longer loved it? To make matters worse, perhaps you didn’t realize the colour was wrong until you painted the whole room.
Whether you’re in the process of a renovation or building a custom built house, Colorjive lets you use pictures of your current home or pictures of unfinished rooms in your newly built home to try out different colours on different walls. The possibilities are endless!
Source: Colorjive
5. Shaw’s Try On a Floor
Having trouble visualizing how various flooring options would look in your home? Whether you’re in a renovation or new build, much like Colorjive, upload your own photo and “try on” any flooring that is offered in the software, including:
Carpet
Ceramic
Hardwood
Linoleum
Rather than purchasing new flooring and assuming it will look great, try out this entirely web-based and free tool and be 100% confident in your decision.
Source: Shaw’s Try On a Floor
6. Autodesk Homestyler
Autodesk Homestyler is a free online tool that offers both 2D and 3D modelling so you can custom-create an interior and then decorate it with brand-name products from:
FLOR
Sherwin-Williams
Kohler
Dupont
This program is known for being easy to use with great detail, given that you can choose specific furniture items you may have in mind for your custom built house.
Source: Autodesk Homestyler
7. Room Sketcher
If you’re looking for an easy-to-use tool that lets you build and design floorplans and rooms from scratch, you’ll like Room Sketcher. This program allows you to create floorplans, room designs, and more in both 2D and 3D. This tool will even help you:
Build your room
Arrange furniture
Arrange details
Add paint
Create a free account and get started today!
Source: Room Sketcher
8. Sweet Home 3D
If you’re a self-proclaimed interior designer, you should look into downloading Sweet Home 3D. Like other digital design tools on this list, it offers both 2D and 3D views of the space you’re designing. It also comes with a host of objects that can be dragged and dropped into the room to help you explore things like:
Layouts
Furniture placement
Floor plans
It’s known for being easy to use and very detailed.
Source: Sweet Home 3D
9. Live Interior 3D
Design enthusiasts will love the realistic look of Live Interior 3D, home design software designed exclusively for use on a Mac. The program comes in both standard ($29.99) and pro ($49.99) versions, with the pro introducing the ability to edit 3D objects directly within the program.
Homeowners can get a very accurate sense of how their renovations or custom built house will look with an extensive database of objects and materials and the ability to customize the smallest details, like lighting within a room. Perhaps the coolest feature is the ability to “walk through” your design in 3D.
Source: Live Interior 3D
10. Roomstyler 3D Home Planner
If you want to upload your own floor plan or play around with preloaded floor plans, this program is for you. This program allows you to select from a gallery of interior finishes and insert interior design elements like:
Walls
Doors
Windows
The program is simple to use and allows you to view your plan and 3D image at the same time.
Source: Roomstyler 3D Home Planner
For Expert Service and Detailed Quality, Trust L. Patten & Sons
If you are designing your custom built house, have questions, or are ready to work with a custom builder, ensure you get the best service and experience with L. Patten & Sons.
Since 1958, we have been delivering a specialized experience with a hands-on process. From initial discussions, to design, to final touches - you can count on us for open communication throughout the whole process, with only the finest quality work.
Expert building in the Collingwood, Clearview, and Blue Mountain areas.
* Please note that with the various design tools listed here, not all designs may align with the Ontario Building Code. Talk to your builder for more information *
What our customers are saying…
“Our experience with L. Patten & Sons was exceptional. Their attention to detail, timelines and creative approach gave us our dream house. Highly recommend the team”