Revit House Plans

It's taken me a while but I am really convinced that Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Traditionally buildings have been drawn using 2 dimensional CAD technology - or by hand drafting. But with BIM you create a 3 dimensional "virtual" model of the building. In order to communicate the design to client and contractors you then generate various views from the model (plans, elevations, sections, etc). I'll show you an example of how this works below.

Here you can see an axonometric view of the 3 dimensional model of this house plan. The model was created using REVIT software, by Autodesk.

Now I have "sliced" a view from overhead looking down onto the plan. What is great here is you can see the relationships between the various elements (windows, doors, trim and even furniture) so that you can better evaluate the design.

Here is another sliced view, but this time from a side. You can see the roof, ceilings and the decorative trusses.

The section below is just another "slice" taken from the model. The walls, floors roof and ceiling profiles are all in precisely the correct position. To make it into a construction drawing you just need to add the pertinent detailed information.

Here the virtual model has been exported into Google Sketchup, which is a great design tool. In this case all I did was added the materials, colors and a little entourage. Isn't this a better way to convey the interior design concept?

All images above are of the "Hudson Cottage" house plan which is available for sale at Simply Elegant Home Designs.

It takes a while to learn and become efficient at BIM. But in the end I am convinced it is a better way to understand your design, a better way to communicate the design and a better way to assemble the construction drawings.

Site Prep

Last week (10/12 to 10/14) we finished the following steps in making the footings.

-The site was cleared.

-D1 gravel: We had a gravel pad made on the lot by Admiralty Construction.

-Stone retaining wall: There is a large stone retaining wall that was assembled by Admiralty Construction.

-Excavation: Once again, this was made possible by Admiralty Construction.

-Survey lines : Our class made the survey lines. We squared the corners using the Pythagorean Theorem, then checked for squarness by measuring diagonals.

We would like to extend a big thanks to Admiralty Construction, they did a great job doing the groundwork for the site.

The Crew

Get to know the students who are working on the JDHS house with some fun and interesting facts!

Name: John

Nickname: J-Man, Johnny Boy, Fatty

Age: 17

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "This project is a great way for me to get out of the classroom, but still get credit. I don't do well sitting at a desk and here there are none."

Specialty skill(s): "I am an ETT medical service provider in the state of Alaska. I have worked construction in the past and prefer it to working with paper and pencil."

When I am not in school I am usually..."with my friends or trying to be. Trying to prepare myself for firefighting."

When I graduate high school I would like to... "begin a career in firefighting."

Why am I taking this class: "I figure knowing how a house is built will help me in a career as a firefighter."

Name: Dillon

Nickname: DJ

Age: 16

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "Being able to do something that I may never get to do again...possibly."

Specialty skill(s): "Sailing, chopping wood, and sleeping."

When I am not in school I am usually... "driving or at sports practice."

When I graduate high school I would like to... "build another house and learn more welding skills."

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?


Name: Kevin

Nickname: "Nope"

Age: 17

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "Getting the chance to build a house."

Specialty skill(s): "Cooking"

When I am not in school I am usually... "working."

When I graduate high school I would like to... "I am not sure."


Name: Chris

Nickname: Budbill

Age: 17

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "Seeing the finished product of the house."

Specialty skill(s): "I am really skilled at being awesome. And hockey."

When I am not in school I am usually... "at the ice rink or at my girlfriend's house."

When I graduate high school I would like to... "weld stuff, or be an engineer."

Name: Brian

Nickname: Condor

Age: 18

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "This Class."

Specialty skill(s): "Ski racing and tennis."

When I am not in school I am usually... "playing tennis or ski racing."

When I graduate high school I would like to... "I am supposed to graduate early, but Mr. Dukes said that he was going to fail me so I would have to stay in this class to finish the house, but when I do graduate I would like to work construction and go trolling."

What is your goal in this class: "Work as a team, keep moving forward on the house, and learn from the experience."

Name: Devon

Nickname: None

Age: 18

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "Just getting the chance to experience all of the skills needed to build a house.

When I am not in school I am usually... "running around with friends."

When I graduate high school I would like to... "stay in the construction field."

Name: Dan

Nickname: Forklift, Danimal

Age: 17

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "I like putting stuff together and watching my work take shape."

Specialty skill(s): "I'm pretty good at welding. And being awesome."

When I am not in school I am usually... "hanging out with my friends, listening to music, or hiking around in the woods."

When I graduate high school I would like to... "travel the globe and get certified for welding."

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow: "African or European Swallow?"

Name: Elway

Nickname: Smellway

Age: In dog or human years?

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "I get lots of visitors and sticks to chew."

Specialty skill(s): "Chasing sticks, chewing sticks, hanging out, and sleeping."

When I am not in school I am usually... "out in the woods looking for sticks!"

When I graduate high school I would like to..."High school? I'm a dog. I already graduated from obedience school."

Why am I taking this class: "Make sure everyone on the job site is working and staying safe. I also like sticks."

Building a Set of Stairs

I've started building the main-floor stairs. Although it appears simple enough, building a set of stairs is definitely not an easy task. Getting all of the "underneath" parts to fit together so that the rise (the distance from the top of one step to the top of the next step) and the run (the distance from the front edge of the step to the back edge) are all correct is pretty tricky.

I'm using LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) for the stringers. It's very strong and won't warp or shrink. The steps will be made of two layers of 3/4" plywood. Everything will be glued and screwed together. When they're done, they should be strong and squeak free.

The first task was to build the landing. It's constructed of 2x8's and is supported on the outside walls by the same ledger beam that supports the floor. The inside corner is supported by a stub wall. There is a post in the basement that sits directly below the stub wall; so the corner of the landing is supported all the way down to a concrete footing in the basement. The floor of the landing is made from two layers of 3/4" plywood.