We are planning a fairly large two storey extension on our house and it would be nice to have a play about with ideas in some kind of 3D home design software.

Any recommendations?

I’m not looking for precise technical architectural blueprints, more like “What does it look like if we put the window there and the door there? Is that a nice flow?” type thing.

I realise the architect will do all this, but I want to give him our rough ideas to work from and eliminate some we don’t like. Right now we’re no even sure how many rooms we want.

Sketchup free would do that. Bit of a learning curve with it but very handy free software. It can only be used through a web browser though.
Don’t confuse it with the paid version, which while probably very fancy, is several hundred pounds!!

Yes, sketchup is for this. Invest an hour or so watching a YouTube tutorial series and you’ll be set.
Anything else will both cost more and require much more than an hour training!

Don’t draw it, write it.

This was our renovation brief for the place we are currently living in.

It’s about describing the outcomes not doing the design for the architect.

Rooms:

4 double bedrooms, pref with Master bedroom having shower ensuite (but not at expense of the room being compromised). Bedrooms can be on different levels to each other but should be contained within a bedroom area where each bedroom has carpeted access to a bathroom and does not need to go into/through another room.

Initially Nick will work from a spare bedroom with the ambition of moving his work place to a shed in the woodland.

Family bathroom with bath and separate shower

Min. 2 toilets within the house

Bathroom(s) accessible without having to go into the bedroom wing for the living areas.

Spacious Kitchen / dinner to be a central part of family life. This should have a good connection to the outside world.

Lounge with flame heating source

Garage

Shared spaces/rooms to include locations for playing musical instruments (pref. with a way of being able to shut door to stop noise going through the whole house), piano location, child play area, library area, desk/computer area for Claire to possibly run a business from home.

The house needs to both look forward and backwards. We anticipate having a lawned garden to the rear with woodland paths. This is likely to be where isaac will play so being able to be in the house and supervise this is desirable

A view of the waterfall from the house is desirable

Views down the valley from the living area and some beds is desirable

We like the feel of the window to the left of the fire that gives the impression that of living in the tree tops

Sweethome 3d is also pretty good with a good load of furniture and stuff to download put in the model. more focused on the interior than exterior.
Some pretty good rendering with light sources inside as well as the sun.
You can also trace the existing plan if you have that.
It is of some use to get an idea of what might work- but the value of an architect is (can be ) knowing about stuff that you would not think of – like moving the front door and the stairs , terrifying but possibly cheaper than building an extra room.

(awaiting first rendering from Architect #3)

An A3 pad of graph paper and a scale rule (from Tynan’s) is best. Drawing makes you think about it first because you don’t want to do it again. Software means you do it without thinking.

You can still download Sketchup 2017 and install that instead of just the horrible online version they make you do now.

I do all my design drawing on it. Brilliant software and endless YouTube tutorials on it.

Thanks all, I have played a little with Sketchup in the past, but thought there must be a less general solution tailored specifically for doing houses/extensions.

That Sweethome 3D looks very much like the kind of thing I was imagining I’ll give that a bash.

An A3 pad of graph paper

Yeah we’ve got a couple of ideas on paper, including some sketches from an architect friend. But I’m not that good at imagining stuff from a 2D plan. And I don’t have the artistic ability to do 3D drawings with any kind of accuracy.

Don’t draw it, write it.

Fair point. I think this is really about sorting out what we should tell the architect we want. We are quite indecisive!

The next issue is budgeting!

Matching up the missus’ plans with the actual budget may be a challenge 😀

Mr Potato and Mr Big John have it right. Oh and add in a big roll of tracing paper. Adding the faff of learning to work a computer package will only complicate an already complicated process. Not sure where you are GrahamS but I am an a Freelance Architect near Edinburgh if you want any assistance.