By Kendra Dorosh

What are the biggest challenges your business will face over the next year? If you said finding skilled labor and completing projects on time, you aren’t alone.

With housing starts at a high and labor shortages expected to continue, we set out to identify the biggest challenges that businesses are facing in the coming year and what they’re planning to do to address them. We heard from 35 building industry professionals who provided us with a pulse on what they are preparing for in the coming year.

By Kendra Dorosh

The team at Lake + Land Studio, LLC, has won first place in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest with their charming Walnut Cottage. The home’s quaint features like a wrap-around porch, exposed rafters, and exterior trim details conjure thoughts of rest and relaxation.

By Kendra Dorosh

How do remodeling professionals capture as-built measurements?  Paper, Napkin, App, or Laptop software?  Chief Architect software surveyed remodelers and found 75% measure as-built homes by hand using paper and pencil.  The compounding effects of repetition have made this an efficient process. If the system works, why change?

What is an As-Built plan?

The As-Built plan refers to the original condition of the house before remodeling. Remodeling projects and home additions start with as-built measurements, also called red-line drawings or record drawings. It’s vital to map out the as-built plan as precisely as possible.

By Kendra Dorosh

Brent Julius’ 1st place modern lake house in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest is a stunning example of turning clients dreams into reality.

“I started designing while in college as an architectural student. Shortly after, I worked at an architectural firm learning a lot about the construction and design industry. A few years later, I transitioned to a job specializing in residential design. It was there that I started using Chief Architect. Fast forward a few more years. I now own a residential design firm, 605 Drafting + Design. 

By Kendra Dorosh

With a long history of experience in construction, Todd Wilderman creates a top design in Chief Architect’s Residential Design Contest.

“I started doing residential drafting at about the age of 12. My father was an industrial arts teacher at the local high school but drew plans on the side to supplement a meager teacher’s salary. I walked by his drawing table one day and said: “I could do that, doesn’t look that hard”. The next day, there was another drawing table in the room and I had a garage plan to draw.

“After that, I eventually went on to do many other things… construction trades, sign-making, welding, and carpentry. I also managed to get a BA in Art with studies in Math and Physics, a Construction Management certificate, a diploma in Surveying, and a Masters in Architecture. 

By Kendra Dorosh

Christian Dewitt is a passionate 12-year-old who placed 2nd in the Chief Architect Kitchen/ Bath & Interior Design Contest. He has a natural eye for design that shows through his renderings.

“My name is Christian Dewitt and I have been designing since I was two. I would draw plans and put families in front of the homes. I have been doing this for ten years now. I helped design our current home in North Carolina about 8 years ago. This experience really helped me increase my knowledge in the construction part of designing a house.

“I found Chief Architect’s Home Designer Software when I was looking for software that could perform the task that I needed to, at a great price, so I could stop having to sketch or draw my designs. I had compared other design software programs like SketchUp and Virtual Architect with Chief Architect Home Designer Software. I found that SketchUp was too pricey at the moment and you couldn’t own it outright. Virtual Architect’s graphics were very pixelated, also it didn’t offer the customization that Chief Architect’s Home Designer did.”

By Kendra Dorosh

Brenna Sibson places 3rd in the Chief Architect Kitchen/ Bath & Interior design contest. Brenna is skilled in the art of transforming homes into beautiful spaces that suit her clients’ unique tastes.

“My name is Brenna Sibson. I am from Vermillion, SD. My interest in the construction industry began by watching my dad on job sites and drawing plans growing up.

“After high school, I attended two tech schools. One of which gave me my background in AutoCAD, the other I partook in the construction of two homes to really gain an understanding of how a house is built! From there I worked at a lumberyard for a few years and have since made it back home to work for my dad and his business partner at AMS Building Systems.

By Kendra Dorosh

Alexis places 2nd in the Chief Architect Kitchen, Bath, and Interior Design Contest! She is a Chief Architect Certified Apprentice who has found her passion in interior design.

Alexis McDaniel, Chief Architect Certified Apprentice

“I’m a senior at Klein Collins High School in Spring Texas, who at a young age fell in love with interior design. My high school has a class where we can design living and commercial spaces using Chief Architect software. It has truly ignited the flame in me to design. I gain so much joy and pleasure from what I do. I have been using Chief Architect for around 3 years, and plan to continue using it. I prefer Chief Architect over other software products because it’s easy to use, and the renderings make a design really come to life.

“I, along with my fellow classmates Mary and Krystina, became a Chief Architect Certified Apprentice last year, which is a huge accomplishment to me. I would also like to mention my teacher Mrs. Mock, who has pushed us to be our best in what we do and has helped in my realization that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” (more…)

By Kendra Dorosh

It’s vital to be able to create a smart, functional design that fits the needs of your clients without sacrificing style. Let’s discuss how you can leverage the powerful tools in Chief Architect software to meet specific accessibility needs that will wow your customers, and hopefully have a profoundly positive effect on their day-to-day lives.

(more…)

By Kendra Dorosh

Shona Griffin places 2nd in the Chief Architect Kitchen/Bath & Interior Design Contest. She’s based in Atlanta, Georgia and owns a small home-based drafting and permitting service called Key Designs.

“I have an Associate’s Degree in Computer-Aided Science and a Bachelor’s Degree in Project Management. I was introduced to Chief Architect Software through an engineering firm that I worked for, at that time they were operating Chief Architect Version X7. I have also learned Revit, but I prefer Chief Architect and have now been using it for 14 years. I operate a small home-based drafting and permitting service, which is growing rapidly.” (more…)