Connecting Roof Planes

[HeatherMcK]

Hello everyone!

 

I am using Chief Architect Premier X13, other details for what I am using should be in my signature. I will attach the plan below.

 

I have been working on bringing a set of plans that I purchased into to Chief Architecture which has been quite the learning experience! I have greatly struggled with getting the roof to line up properly. Initially I used the autobuild roofs but switched to drawing in some manual planes to get them as desired. I am nearly there but I am having trouble joining some of the planes to create a cohesive roof (you will notice I couldn't get a connecting gable roof in the middle part of the house plans, so they are four unconnected planes). I either get the "cannot get these roof edges without making adjacent edges cross one another or making them zero length" message or the roof goes very wonky into a triangle far off from the house. I have extensively maneuved the roof planes hoping to be able to join them but get the same result. I have also looked at many forum answers and roof videos so I am wondering if I am doing something wrong or perhaps have a weird wall setting that could be causing this? I also have a weird area on the ceiling in the dining room that I'm not sure how to connect and a wall bursting through the stairwell roof, perhaps in relation to these issues.

 

I greatly appreciate any advice or help! Roofs have been particularly challenging for me to learn.

 

-Heather

 

Note: My file size was 16mb instead of 14mb so I uploaded it to dropbox.

 

Chief Architect File

[JiAngelo]

Unfortunately I'm using x15 and not used to creating video demonstrations.  My approach was to first to tell Chief how to build as many of the roof planes properly as I was able. Here are the steps I followed;

 

First turn on automatic build roofs and notice how crazy things get.  Instead of asking why, I simply worked with what you had cleaned up conflicts.

SCREENED PORCH & DINETTE

- Here, both rough ceilings should be either 86 1/2" to match the Dinette, or 85 5/8" to match the Screened Porch. (see room dbx)

- However both roof planes also need to be 3-1/2 to come under the right upper window sill.

- and the side porch wall needs to be a gable in roof DBX

 

Notice in 3D view this cleans up the roof lines on this side of the house nicely.

 

ENTRY DOOR / STAIRS AREA

- Entry is 97-1/2" rough ceiling

- Make Utility under stairs also 97-1/2" rough ceiling

- Switch to LVL2

- Make Stairwell 23 5/8" rough ceiling. 

- Make Storage 23 5/8" rough ceiling

- Create a room right of Storage by extending existing Storage rear wall and Study side wall.

     - Break these walls at the exterior intersections of storage and study and then make the new outside wall segments "invisible".

     - Open this new room's dbx and name it "open below."  Set rough ceiling height to 23 5/8" and uncheck flat roof.

 

Notice in 3D view the problem is only over the stairwell.  

- In plan view, extend Storage closet door wall across stairwell towards shower.  Break this wall over stairs and make it invisible.

- also select bottom left outer wall of stairwell open it and change roof overhang to 2" (this cleans up overhang intruding on adjacent Bath window)

 

In 3D view all roofs should look correct, except for Bedroom 2 area.

- Change BR2 to Roof Group 1 in DBX.

       - Change bottom exterior bedroom wall to 4/12 pitch.

       - Change midwall between BR2 & Master Bath to "High Shed/Gable Wall"

- Change Master Bath upper exterior wall to 4/12 pitch 

 

Notice in 3D view these roofs look correct, but don't intersect and roof group 1 doesn't create the valley.

- In plan view, draw a line through the middle of bedroom 2 running left to right.

- Locate this line 9' away from bottom exterior wall (which also places it 9' away from the Master Bath's exterior wall.)

     - This is the midpoint of the roof planes (where the plans should intersect to create a peak)

- Drag Master Bath roof plane peak to the CAD line.

- Drag BR2 roof plane peak back to the CAD line.

- While BR2 roof plane is selected, drag upper right corner further right to meat Master Bath roof plane valley peak.

 

IN 3D VIEW everything should look correct except for a 12" notch near the lower valley intersection.

- select BR2 roof plane and drag the notch roof downward to meet the the BR2 Bath roof overhang.facia

- drag the notch's left corner right to meet the valley intersection of BR2 plane.

 

Let me know if this is helpful.  Solver has me playing around with recording videos but it would take me weeks to get something as coherent and comfortably clear as his are.

 

[SNestor]

@HeatherMcK - What height is the 2nd floor ceiling supposed to be? You have it set to be 77.5"...which is too low. I'm assuming you meant it to be 97.5"...

Also...windows typically are 80" above the floor. The 2nd floor windows are located about 67" above the floor.

 

Can you clarify? 

[SNestor]

@HeatherMcK - made you an instructional video using X13 Premier;

HeatherMcK - How to Fix Your Roof and Other Things - Watch Video

[HeatherMcK]

It has taken me a bit of time to look over everything but I am immensely grateful to have received such wonderful responses and advice! What an impressive and helpful community to have.

 

@solver I first followed your video and I am feeling very silly that all the roof planes joined! I was trying to join them in the roof plane layer set. When I watched you join them, I followed along in the orthographic view and still got the message until I clicked right onto the adjoining line to the nearest plane. I think I was clicking directly on each plane to join, not close enough to the edge. I am so appreciative of your help!

Also, I was copying over from CAD lines that I imported so the working plan has all of the lines that I pulled in to create the floor plan (hence the mess, cue embarrassment). I was trying to put them on another layer so I could toggle them on and off but I never quite figured out how to do that so I was mostly working from the floor plan views for edits as it was cleaner. I clearly have much to learn in Chief!

 

@JiAngelo

I took bits and pieces of your advice to fill in - I appreciate you pointing out the 3 1/2" pitch on the screened porch hitting the window so I plan to make the window on the side smaller so as to keep the matching 4" pitch. Admittedly it was a little more challenging for me to follow along with the instructions without a video but I appreciated the detailed written instructions as they were well laid out and easy to reference!

 

@SNestor

I apologize for not seeing your questions before your video response! I believe the wall heights were where I wanted them, the plans I am referencing show a 6'4" knee wall for the second story with vaulted ceilings. In the original plans, the left side bedroom and bathroom were just attic space so I wanted to raise the ceiling enough to make it livable but was also trying to keep the integrity of the original building. Though if you have other ideas I'm all ears!

 

The dining area ceiling where it meets is still a challenge. The plans show that the exterior wall for that and the screened in porch is 7'1" which is why I tried to make it a separate "room" to control the height. Then I need to add 3 skylights to that roof plane.

 

The extended toolbar configuration blew my mind, I didn't know I could do that. There is still so much to learn! I truly appreciate the detail of your video, I learned so many new tidbits of information that will continue to help me with my learning process!