joey_martin

Don't use a railing wall, turn the small section of railing into a Symbol. 

Draw a section of railing and while you have it selected, look for the SYMBOL TOOL at the bottom. Select that tool and now that section will be a drop in and won't have the wall properties.

9 hours ago, BenPalmer said:

I keep my basement plan and foundation plan on Level 0...works well with layers and terrain.

Same. Keeps my story pole dims the way I want them. 

@EmmaCox once you add some rooms to the basement the default base trim should be there. Check your template plan to ensure you don't have trim turned off by default and now it isn't showing. I leave it on and just remove it from unfinished areas, so you should have base trim in there.

I would love to see that plan built. I am having a hard time imagining how to build that, let alone create it in Chief.

There isn't one. Chief doesn't do backwards compatibility. Once a plan or layout is opened and saved in a newer version, the older version can't ready it. You can go to the older version archive folder and find your last plan used in that version, but not the newer ones.

Just make one CAD polyline and drag it over the area you want counted and point it to your custom schedule.

The manufacture catalogs are produced/updated by the manufacturers. You can create your own catalog much, much faster than waiting for them to update theirs. Take the Therma-Tru catalog for instance. The catalog in Chief is useless unless you need one of those 4 or 5 doors. Better to make my own.

FWIW...we color code our new walls and the framers love it. Very easy to read.

Just upload the file to the cloud service and send them an invite to view the file. Takes just a couple mins.

https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/watch/411/terrain-contours-absolute-elevations-vs-sea-level-elevations.html?playlist=101

There is a video that will show you how to get the actual topo sea level numbers, but if there are a lot of them, I find it easier to simple label my topo lines and do the math.

Remove all jamb, casing, etc and the brick should wrap.

As said, if auto foundation is on all the manually work would be deleted everything the foundation "re-builds".

No solution needed. Once you start to manually draw on the foundation level the auto feature should turn off. 

12 hours ago, para-CAD said:

I guess what I’m saying is you have not provided enough information for someone to accurately build this. You need to have elevations that show the height of things, if the stairs are drawn correctly then you can at least assume that each riser is somewhere between 7 inches and seven and three-quarter inches so you might be able to figure out floor to floor height.
 

Ask Dan Baumann directly. He’s pretty good.

 

The regulars that come in here offering their services to every single posting seem desperate to me.

 

Now I’m waiting for my red down thumb icon.

 

good luck

Much, if not all of that information is in the Matterport. @anamariadesigns if you don't have anyone yet, send me the link to your Matterport and I will have my draftsman take a look. We pull remodel plans from our Matterport scans in the normal course of our remodel business. 

2 minutes ago, Ringos said:

Thanks Joey. Then there must be a way to reference both of them in layout?

Yep. No limit to the number of plan files in your layouts. 

Draw your existing plan, Save As to create your proposed plan, once you have everything designed and client approved, go back and make your existing plan the EXTG/DEMO Plan.

5 hours ago, Joe_Carrick said:

I use a system for my Layout Page Labels that's pretty simple:

• G-#  (General)
• A-#  (Architectural)
• S-#  (Structural)
• M-#  (Mechanical)
• E-#  (Electrical)
• P-#  (Plumbing)

If you use a different system (sub categories, etc) please post yours & explain why.

Same. I have

G-# Cover Page, General Notes/Specs

C-# Civil (Site, Grading, Landscape, etc.)

D-# Demo/Existing Pages

I-# Interior Design Pages (the IDs use them)

U-# User Added (Any special items like appliance specs or similar)

As an aside...that upper looks like a full overlay door, ensure you have a filler at the wall so that the door opens properly.

On 10/11/2025 at 11:24 AM, Joe_Carrick said:

Hi Joey,

Are those really the current code years?

 

btw, My grandfather was a Blacksmith and Buggy maker in Ft Wayne (1895-1935)

Yes Sir. Until 2020 we we're still using the 2013 IRC and 2015 IBC. I believe the 2020 Indiana Residential Code was the first year we actually referenced a State code for residential construction.

Have you created a second level?

4 hours ago, cjanderson66 said:

I knew I could count on you Joey... Any idea why my sill plate is not showing up and is only 3/4" gap?

Not without your plan file. It could be your SILL PLATE default is overriding the setting you are showing above, or a framing setting is throwing something off. I've not seen this situation before.

The 3/4" gap is because you have the sub-floor layer checked as framing, uncheck that box. As for the sill plate, that setting looks off as well and is found in the foundation ddx.

Just use the fence tool and adjust it to what you want.

Custom schedule aimed a square footage polylines.