Creating Beams in Home Designer

QUESTION

How do I add a beam to my plan in Home Designer?  

ANSWER

In Home Designer 2026 and newer, as well as in legacy Home Designer Pro, floor, ceiling, and roof beams can be created using the Framing tools. In legacy products Home Designer Architectural and Home Designer Suite, you can use a soffit instead to represent your beams.

Setting up beam defaults*

*Applies to Home Designer 2026 and Home Designer Pro

1. From the menu, navigate to Edit> Default Settings , expand the Framing category, select Manual Framing, then click Edit. 
   
   In Home Designer Pro 2025 and prior, navigate to Edit> Default Settings , select Framing, then click Edit.
   
   
   
   
   
2. In the Manual Framing Defaults dialog which opens next, select the Beams panel:
   
   
   
   
   • Edit the Depth and Width of the Floor/Ceiling Beams.
     
     In Home Designer Pro 2025 and prior, click the Edit Floor Beam Defaults button to edit the properties for the Floor/Ceiling Beam tool.
     
     
   • Edit the Depth and Width of the Roof Beams.
     
     In Home Designer Pro 2025 and prior, click the Edit Roof Beam Defaults to edit the properties for the Roof Beam tool
     
     
   • Specify the Placement of Floor/Ceiling Beams relative to the joists. With Joists places beams at the same height as the joists they hang on the beams; Under Joists places beams below joists so they bear on the beams.
     
     
   • The exterior surface of Beams can snap to the Outer Layer of the wall it bears on or the Main Layer.
     
   
   
   
3. Once all desired changes have been made, click OK and Done to close the dialog boxes.
   
   

Creating floor, ceiling, or roof beams

*Applies to Home Designer 2026 and Home Designer Pro

1. From the menu, select Build> Framing> Roof Beam or Build> Framing> Floor/Ceiling Beam , depending on the type of beam that you want to create.
   
   
   Note: Roof Beams are typically drawn across rafters and placed directly under them.
   
   Floor/Ceiling Beams should be placed before joists are automatically generated.
   
   
2. Once you have selected one of the Beam tools, you will be able to click and drag in a plan view to create the beam.
   
   

Creating ceiling beams using soffits

1. Select Build> Cabinet> Soffit  , and click to place a soffit into a room where a ceiling beam is needed.
   
   
   
2. With the Select Objects  tool active, click on the soffit and use the various edit handles to extend and resize the soffit so it spans the length of the room. 
   
   
   
3. With the soffit still selected, click the Open Object  edit button. 
   
   
   
4. In the Soffit Specification dialog that displays: 
   
   
   • On the General panel, edit the Width, Height, and Depth values to equal the desired size for the beam.
     
     
     
     
   • On the Materials panel, select the Soffit component and then click the Select Material button. 
     
     
     
     
   • In the Select Material dialog, browse to Materials> Wood, choose the desired wood grain for the beam, then click OK. 
     
     
     
     
   • Click OK to close the dialog and apply your changes. 
   
   
   
5. With the soffit still selected, click the Copy/Paste  edit button. 
   
   
   
6. Click on the Sticky Mode  edit tool to remain in and continue clicking to paste multiple copies of the selected object. Repeat this process as many times as you'd like. 
   
   
   
7. Once you have placed the appropriate number of soffits, click the Select Objects  button, or tap the spacebar on your keyboard to cancel the Sticky Mode operation.
   
   
   
8. Create a Camera  view to see your results.