Home Designer Suite

Active

Country: United States (US)
Founded: 1985
Developer: Chief Architect
Pricing: Paid (one-time purchase, monthly rental option)
Open source: No
Platforms: Windows, macOS

Indexes

Moving/Floor Planning

Overview

Home Designer is a home design software for DIY users to create 2D floor plans and 3D models of homes, including interiors, exteriors, kitchens, baths, decks, and landscaping. It is based on professional tools from Chief Architect and targets homeowners and non-professionals for space planning and visualization. The product line, previously including Suite, Architectural, and Pro versions released up to 2025, was consolidated into a single Home Designer product starting with the 2026 version.¹

Key Features

Floor Plan Design - Draw walls, rooms, doors, windows, and foundations with automatic dimensioning and layering.⁴⁷
3D Visualization - Generate 3D views, renderings, dollhouse views, and 360° panoramas for design review.²³
Library Browser - Access thousands of 3D models, furniture, cabinets, fixtures from core, bonus, and manufacturer catalogs.⁷
CAD Tools - Create cross-sections, details, text, dimensions, and polylines for precise annotations.⁸
Building Tools - Add roofs, framing, decks, landscaping, and automatically generate structures from room definitions.³⁵⁹
Kitchen and Bath Design - Place cabinets, appliances, and fixtures with specialized tools for interiors.³
Layer Management - Control visibility of elements like dimensions and structures via layers.⁴
Custom Materials - Apply textures, colors to elements for personalized designs.⁹

Pricing

Plan	Price	Includes
Home Designer (2026+)	One-time purchase (price not specified)	Consolidated features from prior Suite, Architectural, and Pro versions.¹
Monthly Rental	Monthly subscription	Access to Home Designer software.⁴

Platforms & Requirements

Runs on Windows and macOS. Minimum requirements not detailed in sources; supports standard desktop hardware for 3D rendering. No mobile or web versions mentioned; focused on desktop interface with toolbar navigation.³⁴⁷

Integrations & Ecosystem

3D Manufacturer Catalogs
User Catalogs for custom items
Bonus Libraries downloadable from website
CAD export to layout pages
Sample plan import
Cross-section and rendering export
Framing generation
Texture and material customization

Alternatives

App	Difference
SketchUp	Free web version available with broader 3D modeling focus beyond home design.
Sweet Home 3D	Free open-source tool for basic 2D floor plans and 3D previews.
RoomSketcher	Web-based with cloud collaboration, simpler for quick plans.
Chief Architect Premier	Professional version with advanced CAD and construction documentation.

Reputation

Home Designer is regarded as an accessible DIY version of Chief Architect's professional software, praised for its comprehensive 3D library, automatic building tools, and ease of creating detailed floor plans and renderings.¹⁹ Users appreciate training videos and sample plans for learning, though some features like automatic corner boards are manual in lower versions.⁷ Criticisms may include the paid model without free tier and consolidation potentially overwhelming beginners with pro-level tools.¹

Sources (9)