by Malc2098 » 09 Dec 2016, 15:44
Hi Terry, (Got it right this time!!)
I'm on V 16. And they're telling me already V17 is ready. They seem to bring one out each year, and it's not an update, in that it does not update your existing version. It creates a new version. DaveR on this site is the SU guru!
Basic design - good start. Think about construction methods and materials and what you can get for cheap or free, (materials and work) and choose a design that incorporates the best compromise.
In my case, Level the plot and dig the trenches - I got people in.
I chose a brick and block plinth and am laying them myself.
I chose a suspended timber floor.
I chose timber frame walls. There's loads of help on this forum for this.
I chose a timber framed roof, sheathed inside and outside with OSB, and I will be covering the outside with metal sheeting that looks like clay tiles - expensive, but is easy to install.
Having got them decided, I was then able to model each element in SU. (I've still got the walls to do, because I'm waiting for 2nd hand windows to become available from a window replacement guy and I don't know the size yet).
Having got the elements modelled, I was then able to start working out a budget.
I suppose it's breaking it down into lumps, then breaking each of those down into smaller lumps and so on.
I'm fortunate in that I am recently retired and so I don't have the pressure to get stuff done on a weekend and other time off. So, if you're working, you should programme working opportunities into the project.
How does that sound as a process?
Malcolm
Malcolm