Jambruins

Thank you both for the help.

Steve, can you save the file down to version x12?  I can't open the file because it was created with a newer version of chief.

Attached is my plan. 

I am having trouble getting my dormers to work. The dormer on the side opposite the stairs is good but I can't get the dormer over the stairs to work.  I would like the dormer wall to be right along the right side of the stairway but when I move the wall there it says it can't create the dormer because walls are in the way. If I delete the railing around the stairway it removes the stairway opening.

I also cannot change the siding material on the dormer over the stairs but I can on the opposite dormer.

Thank you for the help. 

house.zip

I want my trusses to have a bottom chord overhang and I believe the only way to accomplish this is to select raise off the plate option in the roof build dialog box.  However, when I do this it is moving my top plate higher up.  I want a 4' knee wall but when I select raise off top plate it is moving my top plate up to 5'.   Any idea why?

Is it possible to turn off interior wall in a section view?  

I'm mostly looking for help on why the exterior walls don't look right in section views. It's like there are multiple walls on top of each other so the siding doesn't look right.

I will try removing some of the roof planes to get the deck to work. The plan is to install columns that run through the roof so the deck sits above the roof plane. It might be easier for me to use polyline solids instead of the railing tool.

Attached is my plan. 

I am working on an addition where the roof of a garage will be removed, a 2nd story added and then a new roof with a deck on top of the roof.  There will also be an addition of the back of the garage with the lower level floor, 5'-8" below the garage slab.  Kind of like a split story.  

Lots of different elevations to play with here.

I believe I have my elevations right (maybe not though) and the plan looks right except my section view walls don't look right, some walls are not showing siding and I can't get the deck railing to connect.  

Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

plan.zip

Why is my wall overlapping my other wall?  See picture.

Doug,  I can't open your file because you created it with a newer version of chief architect.  Can you save it down to version 12?

house.zip

Why am I getting a small piece of drywall at the bottom of my railing for the stairs going to the basement?

I have created walls in the floor plan and defined it as open to below and auto foundation is on. 

Why are my interior walls overlapping my icf foundation walls?

I am using Chief Architect x12

I am using an icf foundation wall so I am trying to get my foundation wall to offset 2-3/8" from the house walls.  I put -2-3/8" offset in in the wall type definition box but it doesn't end up offsetting my wall.  Any ideas? 

I want the truss to have a bottom chord overhang (or cantilever as it is called in this picture).  The right side is what I want.  I do not want to top chord of the truss to continue on to provide the overhang. 

Is there a way to have my trusses show with a bottom chord overhang instead of a top chord overhang?

What is the best way to create a 2nd floor that will have attic trusses?  

Do I create a 2nd floor and put the rough ceiling height as 0"?

When I select a wall and select create wall/footing below it creates the footing but it is only 12" wide.  How do I change it to 24" wide without manually doing it and having to turn off auto rebuild foundation?  It is in the default settings somewhere?

I know I can change the setting but I am wondering if there is an easy way to switch between the two.  I use the interior dimension tool to dimension my room showing the finished dimension.  I am wondering if there is an option to change existing dimensions to show dimensions to framing instead of the finshed surface.  This way I wouldn't have to manually use the interior dimension tool again for my framing plan. 

When I prepare my house plans I typically show dimensions of the finished rooms.  Is there an easy way to create a framing plan showing dimensions to the framing members (without the finished walls) so it is easier for the contractor framing the house?  

Or do I just have to use a different view and redo all the interior dimensions?

Using version x12

I am trying to insert a regular interior wall (not a foundation wall).  When I click inside my foundation plan to start the wall it says auto rebuild must be turned off.

How can I add a wall to enclose the basement stairs in the basement without having auto rebuild foundation turn off?  When I go to place the wall it says I need to turn off auto rebuid.

Did you set the rough ceiling height for the 2nd floor as 8'?

What is the oob residential template?

I guess I should have worded my question differently.  I don't need to draw that exact house but a new house that has that same look.  It will be built with rafters.  

Should I create a 2nd floor and then use dormers or how do I get an 8' wall on the back side of the house and a 0' wall on the front side?

What is the best way to draw the house in the attached picture?  Create a 2nd floor with 0 ceiling height and then use dormers?

I know I can change the auto exterior dimensions to do this but I like to dimension to the center of windows/doors in the floor plan so that would mess that up.

Attached are two pictures. One shows the 30' dimension of the garage and the other picture shows the dimensions to the garage door openings.  I use the auto exterior dimensions to get my overall dimensions and then I use a point to point dimension to get my openings. However, the opening dimensions keeps getting reset back to the overall 30' dimension?  Why is this happening?  It is not only this plan, it happens in my other plans as well.