Default Base Molding for Floor 0 (Foundation)

[EmmaCox]

Hello, I'm trying to figure out how to deafult base molding for floor 0. I have it set up for floor 1, but my issue is on my template file I don't have floor 0 created yet, as I wait to draw the main floor and then build the foundation (floor 0) based on the main floor footprint. So in the default settings there is only floor 1 showing, no floor 0. 

 

I tried building the foundation plan on my template file, then adding the default baseboard, then deleting the foundation to see if the setting would stay, but it goes back to no base molding. Any ideas on how to add to add this? Should I already have floor 0 created on my template file?

 

Thanks in advance! 

[GaryOhmer]

Just curious why you want base in the foundation?

[EmmaCox]

27 minutes ago, GaryOhmer said:

Just curious why you want base in the foundation?

Because we use it as the basement plan, a lot of our plans have walkout finished basements. Maybe we should have floor 0 as basement and then foundation below it?

Edited Thursday at 04:09 PM by EmmaCox

[Joe_Carrick]

Make:

• Floor Level 0 = Foundation Plan
• Floor Level 1 = Basement Plan
• Floor Level 2 = First/Main Floor Plan
• Floor Level 3 = Second Floor Plan
• Floor Level 4 = Attic Plan (typically only a 1/16 " ceiling height)

it's just a matter of the name.  The advantage is that you have completely separate Foundation & Attic Plans

Edited Thursday at 04:45 PM by Joe_Carrick

[EmmaCox]

2 minutes ago, Joe_Carrick said:

Make:

• Floor Level 0 = Foundation Plan
• Floor Level 1 = Basement Plan
• Floor Level 2 = First/Main Floor Plan
• Floor Level 3 = Second Floor Plan

it's just a matter of the name.  The advantage is that you have a completely separate Foundation Plan

OK thank you, I will try this moving forward! 

[robdyck]

Hi Emma, before creating your foundation level using 2 floors, I would very carefully review your completed plan sets to see if this is something that will be beneficial to you or simply added work. Most of my projects have walkout basements as well and I only rarely create a separate foundation plan and basement plan. This is based on the complexity of the foundation and my familiarity with regional preferences (what cribbers / framers / inspectors are used to seeing on a plan set in a particular region).

Making that adjustment in Chief is not necessarily a solution, just an alternative method and you may be creating additional work for yourself, not less.

[BenPalmer]

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

 

Only time I split them up is if I have a 2 level basement next to an underground basketball court...but then I'm always fighting the elevation heights in my brain. 

 

Hope that helps.

[Renerabbitt]

As others have mentioned, build your walkout on Floor 1, leave floor 0 for footings stem walls floor framing etc. 

[Chrisb222]

2 hours ago, robdyck said:

Hi Emma, before creating your foundation level using 2 floors, I would very carefully review your completed plan sets to see if this is something that will be beneficial to you or simply added work. Most of my projects have walkout basements as well and I only rarely create a separate foundation plan and basement plan. This is based on the complexity of the foundation and my familiarity with regional preferences (what cribbers / framers / inspectors are used to seeing on a plan set in a particular region).

Making that adjustment in Chief is not necessarily a solution, just an alternative method and you may be creating additional work for yourself, not less.

 

I agree mostly with this. I do separate basement and foundation plans about 50%, and the other 50% it's all on one plan. It's easy to create separate plans for the basement and foundation using Saved Plan Views, or to keep all the information to one plan, as you say, depending on the job. 

 

The idea of foundation on Level 0 and basement on Level 1 never made sense to me. Then the main floor, which Chief calls Floor 1 in defaults, is now on Level 2??  It seems that setting up elevations, following floor heights, and just keeping everything straight would be added mental work. And it's unneccesary, since SPVs make it easy to show different plans on the same level. Unless I'm missing something obvious...?

 

4 hours ago, EmmaCox said:

a lot of our plans have walkout finished basements

 

If it's not even every plan that you're dealing with this, I would suggest managing those with separate SVPs, and just letting the basement's finished room designations supply the baseboard specifications - as soon as you define a room it will add your default baseboard. In my case, I'm usually not finishing the entire basement anyway, so I don't want trim on the poured concrete walls, and therefore wouldn't even want automatic baseboard all around the foundation walls.

 

What I would like is to be able to specify that a basement foundation has only a slab, and not finished flooring.... but I stopped bothering making suggestions a while back.

Edited Thursday at 08:20 PM by Chrisb222

[Joe_Carrick]

If you name your SPV's in the Porject Browser the they can easily be labeled in Layout using built-in macros.  I never Label in Plan Views, only in Layout Boxes.

[SHCanada2]

i have the basement on level 0. I also have the basement walls in my template on level 0. I manually align the walls to the main floor, rather than use the auto build foundation. unless of course I am doing nothing in the basement, then I will delete the foundation and turn on auto foundation

[joey_martin]

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.

[tundra_dweller]

I've done a handful of walkout basements using Floor 0 for footings & frostwalls and Floor 1 for the walkout level. I much prefer just using Floor 0 for the basement level as a whole and using saved plan and reference views to differentiate foundation vs. basement floor plans if possible. Mostly I just can't get used to the math necessary for not having Floor 1 and elevation zero on the "main" level as is typical for most walkout situations in my case.

[EmmaCox]

Thanks everyone for your input! After much thinking I think I will keep using floor 1 as main floor and floor 0 as foundation / basement if I can make it work. I can work around the baseboard issue once the foundation / basement plan is made I can then add molding to the entire floor level (or just the finished areas in each room). 

 

10 hours ago, joey_martin said:

 

@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.

 

@joey_martin it's not showing the default baseboard trim even specific to rooms, only on the foundation / basement plan. For example, bedroom room type the default is to have baseboard trim on, once I create the foundation / basement plan I make the entire area bedroom room type, and it shows no baseboard. 

[JonathanK]

@EmmaCox Are you 100% positive that you edited the molding in the room type through the Default Settings?

 

I just tried what you said in your last post, and it works for me when I change my room type to Bedroom.

 

Can you just do a test plan and attach it here so we can poke around?

 

EDIT:

I think I see the issue.  On your room type default box, UNCHECK the "Use Floor Defaults" box.  Then set the molding that you want to use for it.  That should get it done for you.

Edited Friday at 03:36 PM by JonathanK
NA

[EmmaCox]

1 minute ago, JonathanK said:

@EmmaCox Are you 100% positive that you edited the molding in the room type through the Default Settings?

 

I just tried what you said in your last post, and it works for me when I change my room type to Bedroom.

 

Can you just do a test plan and attach it here so we can poke around?

Yes, here is our blank template file:

Twin Design Template - Sept. 26 2025.plan

[JonathanK]

@EmmaCox I think I see the issue.  On your room type default box, under moldings UNCHECK the "Use Floor Defaults" box at the top.  Then set the molding that you want to use for it.  That should get it done for you.

Edited Friday at 03:38 PM by JonathanK
clarity

[EmmaCox]

4 minutes ago, JonathanK said:

@EmmaCox I think I see the issue.  On your room type default box, UNCHECK the "Use Floor Defaults" box.  Then set the molding that you want to use for it.  That should get it done for you.

@JonathanKThat worked, thank you! Guess I will need to uncheck that option on all room types. 

 

Edited Friday at 03:41 PM by EmmaCox

[JonathanK]

@EmmaCox To make it easy for you, if you go to Edit>Default Settings>Floors and Rooms>Room Types, before you open the room type, you can click, hold, and drag to select multiple rooms.  Then go to Edit on the right side, and edit the moldings.

 

It works even with CTRL + click as well so you can select specific rooms you want to edit (i.e. only the bedrooms, and not the garage and attic, etc...)