Adjusting Roofs Over Alcoves


Reference Number: KB-00425
Last Modified: June 30, 2022

The information in this article applies to:

Home Designer Professional or Home Designer Architectural or HomeDesigner Suite



QUESTION

I have an alcove in my plan, and I want the roof to extend across it as if there was a wall there. How can I make the roof extend over this area?


ANSWER

Alcove allowances can be set in the Build Roof dialog.


To adjust how a roof builds over an alcove

  1. Launch Home Designer and select File> New Plan  to create a new plan.


  2. Select Build> Wall> Straight Exterior Wall, then click and drag out a basic structure with one or more alcoves, as shown in the image below.

    In this example, two alcoves are drawn - one that is 36" (3)' wide and one that is 35" (2' 11") wide.

    Floor plan view of building with a 3’ alcove and a second alcove measuring 2’ 11”

     
  3. Navigate to Build> Roof> Build Roof .


  4. On the Roof panel of the Build Roof dialog, note the Minimum Alcove Size, then click OK and build the roof.

    In Home Designer Pro, make sure that either the Build Roof Planes or Auto Rebuild Roofs box is checked before clicking OK.

    Build Roof dialog showing 36” entered for Minimum Alcove Size on Roof panel


    Any alcove less than the specified value is treated as though the exterior wall continues straight across. Alcoves that measure wider than this value are not roofed over; they cause a change in roof planes.

    Here is an example showing this difference. If the Minimum Alcove Size is 36", a 36" wide alcove requires a change in the roof line. Each wall of the alcove has an eave. On the right, the alcove is less than the 36" minimum value, so the roof  passes right over it.

    Floor plan view of building showing roof planes that differ over the two different alcoves