Valerie won 1st in our Residential Design Contest and has been using Home Designer software since 2012! As a repeat Design Contest winner, she has continuously shown her love for design through many styles and spaces.

“I started drawing floor plans when I was 9 years old, and I have been hooked on it ever since. I know I have much yet to learn, but Home Design is my passion, and my dream is to work for an Architect and learn more. I returned to school in 2002 and studied drafting which included Hand Drafting and AutoCAD. I earned an entry level drafting certificate in 2003 with a 3.9-grade level. About 1997 we got our first computer and it was not long before I bought my First Design software. Broderbund was my first program, then Better Homes and Gardens and lastly Chief Architect’s Home Designer software. Someday I would like to own the professional version. I live in central WV, but we will soon be moving back to my home state of PA. Besides designing homes, I enjoy reading, pets, cooking, drawing/painting, camping and more. This is a great honor for me and I thank everyone who voted for my entry for this month. I’m looking forward to next month’s contest. Congratulations to the other two winners!”

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Megan placed 3rd  in June’s Remodel-Addition Design Contest! She discovered Chief Architect a few years ago when she was looking for a program to use to remodel her own kitchen.

“I’m a software developer from Utah who loves to design and create in my spare time (which isn’t plentiful with a full-time job and a toddler).  I have loved doodling since I was little and remember using my dad’s engineering paper to draw up designs as to how I’d remodel my parents’ home and yard when I was young.  I love browsing floor plans and touring homes and imagining my ultimate dream home.  I’m certainly not an expert, but love to play around with ideas and try to think outside of the box.  (And would probably be happy doing something along these lines as a job if the opportunity ever came up.) (more…)

Havier is a 15-year-old student from Sheboygan, Wisconsin and placed 1st in our Remodel-Addition Design Contest! It’s an honor to be a part of bringing his passion to life.

“My parents bought my first Chief Architect Home Designer Suite software for Christmas in 2013.  I started learning how to use the software and my first designs were pretty simple.  I’ve since designed countless homes and buildings.  The Chief Architect software began my passion for exterior and interior home design and I always look forward to software updates.  I am planning to go to college and obtain a degree in architecture and design.” (more…)

Corey won gold at Kansas SkillsUSA! His passion for architecture began at an early age and has developed through college and now into a full-time career.

“My dad is a land surveyor and I was always interested in architecture. In fact, when I was young my mother would take me to the library and instead of checking out normal young adult/children’s books I would get a few copies of Architectural Digest and look at all the house designs. My interest was always there, it just took me a bit after high school to get settled and figure out what I was going to do. (more…)

Rene of Daoust Design and Construction placed 3rd in May’s Kitchen/Bath and Interior Design Contest. He has been using Chief Architect for almost 10 years and focuses on the 3D tools to beat out the competition.

“I grew up in Oakland California and went into building custom homes in the Bay Area right out of high school. I have been a builder for over 17 years in residential remodeling, which is what inspired me to start designing. Ten years ago I was fortunate to have the opportunity to do some freelance design for an architecture firm that was using Chief Architect X3. I fell in love with the software and its ability to create realistic visual depictions of the kitchens and baths I would then get to build. I am currently a licensed General Contractor (inactive) working for Daoust Design and Construction as Lead Design/Production Manager. (more…)

Debra placed 1st in the Chief Architect Kitchen/Bath & Interior Design Contest. She develops house plans and has been a Chief Architect customer for almost 20 years!

“I’m from south Mississippi. I live/work in a little town called Wiggins since my husband and I got married 32 years ago.  I’m a Certified Professional Building Designer and a professional member of the American Institute of Building Design (AIBD).

“I started what would be my “career” after taking an architectural drafting class in high school. After college I started working for an engineering firm, drawing road projects, subdivisions, and local projects “on the board.”  After working with them 8 years (and doing house plans at night) I decided to leave there and open DesignHouse Inc – House Plans in 1991, full-time. I knew if I was going pursue this design field I would have to transition off the board onto a CAD program.  I’ve used several programs over the years but nothing has offered my clients the views that Chief does. (more…)

Richard placed 2nd in the Chief Architect Residential Home Design Contest. He has always had an eye for creative design and is now working with Norris Architects to dive deeper into architecture.

“I lived my former years with the notion I wanted to go into Real Estate. As a child, I had a burning passion for building with Legos, crafting creative objects from obscure materials and creating abstract, yet understandable forms through any medium I could get my hands on. Essentially, my passion for architecture, houses, the glitz, the glam, the overall peculiar curiosity for a betterment of design of the sort had always been a prevalent part of my upbringing. The moment I turned 18, I obtained my real estate licensure in Arizona and soon discovered that I had an insatiable desire for more; I started working alongside my father, who is an architect, learning the complex jargon and every bit of minutia involved in the trade. I still love what I do to this date despite the constant desire to discover and master everything in the realm of architecture. (more…)

Chris placed 3rd the Chief Architect Residential Home Design Contest in April. He has been designing since the 80’s and has moved from residential design to the commercial marketplace.

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William of HearthStone Homes placed 1st in the Chief Architect Residential Home Design Contest in April! He fell in love with log home design back at the very beginning.

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Justin Link placed 2^nd in the Chief Architect Remodel/Additions Design Contest in March. He is from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, and owns a small drywall business called LX Drywall.

“My wife, Helen, and I are really just home renovation enthusiasts, but I’ve had an interest in design and remodel as far back as I can remember. As a young child, I remember looking through Sears catalogs not at toys, but at the furniture and home décor imagining what my home would look like when I became a “grown-up.” (more…)