Applying Exterior Decorative Details

The information in this article applies to:

QUESTION

I would like to create a Tudorbethan style structure, also know as Mock Tudor or Tudor Revival, in which decorative half-timbering is used on the structure's exterior. How can I create this effect in my Home Designer plan?

ANSWER

Creating exterior decorative timbering such as in a Mock Tudor style house is easy to create using the various tools available in Home Designer. Some tools that you can use to create this type of effect include the following.

Soffits

For simple vertical or horizontal timber members, consider using the Soffit tool, which can be located under Build> Cabinet> Soffit  and clicking in your plan to place it.

• After placing the soffit, use the Select Objects tool to select the soffit, and then click the Open Object edit tool to display the Soffit Specification dialog to be able to adjust the Height, Width, Depth as well as the Material applied to the soffit.
  
  
• You may also find it helpful to adjust the size of a soffit in a Camera  view.
  
  
• Once you have one soffit (or a Closed box shape) with the appropriate dimensions, use the Copy and Paste edit tools to simply make duplicates of the object.
  
  

Angled timber members can also be created in the Home Designer Architectural and Home Designer Pro versions by using a sloped soffit.

1. To specify a soffit as sloped, use the Select Objects tool to select the soffit, and then click the Open Object edit tool to display the Soffit Specification dialog.
   
   
   
2. On the General panel, place a checkmark in the Sloped Soffit option and notice how the dialog updates to reflect this change.
   
   
   
   
   • Width is measured left to right across the soffit.
      
   • Horizontal Length is measured from back to front in floor plan view. Since the soffit is sloped, this measurement is not the actual length of the soffit. It cannot, for example, be used to determine the length of a sloped beam.
      
   • Height at Back is measured from the finished floor to the lowest point at the back of the soffit.
     
     
   • Height at Front is measured from the finished floor to the underside of the soffit at the upper end.
     
     
     Note: Both the Height at Back and Height at Front values of a sloped soffit must be defined. 
     
     
     
3. Click OK to apply these changes.
   
   

Also, available in Home Designer Architectural and Home Designer Pro is the option to apply a molding to a soffit in its specification dialog, which allows you to further customize its appearance.

Trim

Corner boards can be placed by selecting Build> Trim> Corner Boards  and clicking on the exterior corner of the structure in either 2D floor plan view, or a 3D camera view.

Corner boards will extend from the top plate down to the bottom of the floor platform of the floor on which it is placed. They will not extend to other floors, so you must add corner boards to all of  the floors in a building that you want these to be placed.

Millwork

Items from the Millwork section of the Library Browser such as corbels, and even fencing panels, can be placed as objects directly into the plan to add further decorative touches.

Shapes

To access the geometric shapes to further customize the exterior of the structure, select View> Library Browser  to display the Library Browser and locate the Shapes folder.

Click on the arrow  sign to expand out the Shapes category and see the shapes that can be placed as objects into the plan, and then resized to suit your needs.