How to Design a Carriage House

Carriage houses, also known as attachment dwelling units or garages, are typically designed to complement the main dwelling. When designing a carriage house, it is important to have a visual reference to understand how large to make it and where the entrances should be located. You can design your own carriage house on your PC computer using the 3D Home Architect program, which allows your carriage house design to easily be transferable to any architect or building codes administrator. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you design a carriage house on 3D Home Architect.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 3D Home Architect Program
• PC Computer

1. 
    

   Download a free version of 3D Home Architect, which can be found online at the Downloads.nl website (see "Resources"). On the main page, click on the link that is called "Download 3D Home Architect." The download will begin immediately, and the program will be usable within minutes.

2. 
    

   Open a new design file within the 3D Home Architect program by clicking on the "File" tab at the top of the page, then selecting the "New" tab within the drop-down list. The screen will turn white, signifying that your file is open and ready to hold a design.

3. 
    

   Create the walls of the carriage house by clicking on the "Wall" icon, located at the top of the page. This icon resembles the side of a wall. Once the icon is selected, you can click and drag a wall onto your page, which will show you the dimensions of the wall as you drag. Create all of the walls for the exterior, and include the interior walls where the separate spaces will be for your cars.

4. 
    

   Add the carriage, or garage, door openings by clicking on the "Door" icon at the top of the screen. The "Door" icon resembles a half-opened door. Once you click on the icon, a window will appear that will allow you to select the type of door you wish to place on your design. Select the garage door and click onto your design to place it.

5. 
    

   Insert cars into your carriage house design. Click on the "Furniture" icon, which resembles a chair. A window will appear that will allow you to select the category of furniture. Choose the "Garage & Autos" selection, which will display a variety of automobiles to place into your carriage house design. Click on the car your prefer, then click onto your design to place it.

6. 
    

   Add the roof to your carriage house design by clicking the "Roof" icon, which resembles the roof of a house. A window will appear allowing you to decide on the pitch and look of your roof. Once you have selected a roof style, click "OK," and the roof will automatically be placed onto your carriage house. You can now take your completed carriage house design to any architectural firm or building codes inspector.

Resources

• 3D Home Architect Download