My
business and client projects are always changing and this year I seem to be
involved in several construction projects. I think one of the most difficult
parts of building a house (aside from paying for it) is the enormous number of
decisions one has to make.
I
remember bursting into tears once at the paint store in the middle of
remodeling my first home. The paint clerk had asked me what color I planned to
paint the closet doors in the master. It was just one question too many in what
had been months of attempting to visualize every little decision.
Now
I use a 3D drawing program to help clients with these decisions. Below are some
sketches I've been working on for a client who is building a new Craftsman style
house on the lake, here in Tahoe.
This
is a 3D model I created of her living room. There will be a lot of complicated
carpentry trim and finishing. I will be able to print out scaled close-up
drawings of trim details that the carpenter can use on the job-site. This saves
everyone time and money since changes and new ideas are put into the drawings
first. We all know what happens on the job when changes are made after
something has been built....$$! My 3D model eliminates guessing and poor
decision making from the process. Over the years I've found that if the
drawings look good, the finished product looks good.
Another
view of the living room. Because of TRPA restrictions, the living room is
pretty small. It has been a challenge to get enough furniture into the room to
make it comfortable. I'm confident that we've solved the problem because I can
see clearly that the 3D model is working. By the way, I can spin the model
around and look at the room from all angles. I can also get close-ups of
details by zooming in.
Here,
I've drawn in the two interior door styles we're considering. Which one do you
prefer?
We're
also deciding about the interior wall by the stairwell. Should it be painted?
Or
should it be trimmed out in wood? It takes me only a moment to make these
changes on my computer screen and we can quickly make a decision and move on to
the next question.
Above,
here's a bird's eye view of the room.
It's
just so much fun to spin this room around and around!
