By Emily Black

Eric, an Idaho native, places third in the Chief Architect Remodel/Addition Design Contest. His artistic talents were a perfect fit for a career in home design.

“I was born in Pocatello, Idaho and then moved to Idaho Falls and lived on the family farm and worked with my father who flew airplanes and was a metal fabricator. I took on a job as a laborer that placed me in the building industry framing houses and building cabinets. I was very intrigued by the plans that we worked from. I am an artist and planned to go to college in Boise, Idaho to study Art, Advertising and Design. To pay my way through college, I worked construction at various levels including building houses.

By Jake Murray

Lori Schrock places second in the Chief Architect Kitchen/Bath & Interior Design Contest. After designing her own home, Lori decided to pursue her ambition and start a design firm, LKDesignco.

“I’m currently from Burr Oak, Michigan but a native of Phoenix, Arizona. After having the luxury of not working out of the home for most of my life, about a year ago my husband really encouraged me to pursue my dreams of designing homes. We built a home in Florida together in 2015 that I designed and actually drew in an online software program that I found at the time. Of course, we took it to an actual architect who made the prints official before the build. This really fueled my passion for design. Its been a “hobby” and ambition of mine for as long as I can remember to design and draw homes, I had just never pursued it; being a busy mom and raising kids.

“I launched LKDesignco just over a year ago, primarily intending to design interiors for people in 3D and help them through the entire design process, choosing finishes, and seeing their remodel or new build through to the end. I tailor my services to each client, learning exactly what they need from me. It’s my passion to make home building fun as it should be!

By Jake Murray

Tahani Share places first in the Chief Architect Kitchen/Bath & Interior Design Contest. She has a background in CAD and now uses Chief Architect as her go-to software for kitchen and bath remodels.

“My work at Landis Architects/ Builders involves designing additions to existing structures and remodeling interior and exterior spaces in existing homes. Almost every project requires redesigning a kitchen and at least one bathroom. We started using 3D software four years ago. I am part of a team of 5 designers with architectural backgrounds. We now use Chief Architect, AutoCAD Architecture, Sketchup, and Revit. When I design a kitchen or a bathroom, my go-to software is Chief Architect. It’s easy to use, make changes and develop detailed construction drawings. The 3D visualizations are beautiful, clear and quite convincing. They allow me to present my designs efficiently and get faster feedback from the clients. But that’s not all. Designing in 3D changed the whole design process. It also changed my approach to design. I now not only think about the space and form in 3D. I think about every little detail in 3D. Chief helps me explore the size, scale, proportion, color and texture of these details.”

By Jake Murray

Edgar places third in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest! Edgar’s achievements have led to his own business, Pena’s Drafting & Design, located in his hometown.

“I am from McAllen, a small town in south Texas, where I started technical drafting in High School. I obtained my Architectural Drafting Associates Degree at South Texas Community College and have designed homes since 2003. After months of planning and researching, I decided to go with Chief Architect. I have been using Chief Architect since 2013, and am glad I made the right choice. Besides customers being amazed to see their home in 3D, I love being able to do a preliminary floor plan in just hours instead of days. Now I can complete a full set of construction drawings in two to three days.” (more…)

By Kendra Dorosh

Alexis places 2nd in the Chief Architect Kitchen, Bath, and Interior Design Contest! She is a Chief Architect Certified Apprentice who has found her passion in interior design.

Alexis McDaniel, Chief Architect Certified Apprentice

“I’m a senior at Klein Collins High School in Spring Texas, who at a young age fell in love with interior design. My high school has a class where we can design living and commercial spaces using Chief Architect software. It has truly ignited the flame in me to design. I gain so much joy and pleasure from what I do. I have been using Chief Architect for around 3 years, and plan to continue using it. I prefer Chief Architect over other software products because it’s easy to use, and the renderings make a design really come to life.

“I, along with my fellow classmates Mary and Krystina, became a Chief Architect Certified Apprentice last year, which is a huge accomplishment to me. I would also like to mention my teacher Mrs. Mock, who has pushed us to be our best in what we do and has helped in my realization that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” (more…)

By Jake Murray

Thomas placed 2nd in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest! After retiring as a Production Art Manager, Thomas continues to showcase his design abilities through a remodel and custom home design.

Thomas pictured on his recent wedding day.

“I grew up on the farm my family settled in 1852 in the small town of Cedar Lake, Indiana. I had always gravitated towards art and drafting in high-school, but it was a field trip to Chicago that truly inspired my fascination with architecture. So much so, I broke with family tradition and spent the summers of my Junior and Senior year working as an artist for a graphics company. I then attended Ball State University for the first year of their Architecture program. (more…)

By Jake Murray

Zak placed 1st in the Chief Architect Kitchen/Bath & Interiors Design Contest! A start with Lego houses has led to a long career and successful company of his own, Livara Design Inc.

Zak, his wife, and two children. With a passion for design that began at an early age, his work is the product of an experienced and talented designer. Congratulations on winning 1st place!

“I was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with a small stint in British Columbia.  I always knew I wanted to design homes.  I can remember sitting on the floor as a kid building Lego houses and hotels, and I always gravitated to drawing sprawling dream homes over all the other topics little kids usually draw! I was gifted my first drafting table when I was 13 or 14, and I was off to the races.  I had a great Drafting & Design program in my high school and it definitely solidified my want to do this for a living. (more…)

By Emily Black

Jennifer placed 2nd in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest! Her passion for design began when she was 10 years old and has flourished in her career as a home designer.

I chose Chief Architect because of its realistic appearance, reasonable price, and user-friendliness.

“Unofficially, I started drawing house plans on graph paper when I was 10 years old, and I knew that designing was something I wanted to pursue as a profession.  Officially, I started designing in 2005, when I began working for and training with a local designer in my hometown of Memphis, TN.  In 2010, I began doing freelance residential design while also pursuing a career in another field.  I founded Ideal House Plans, LLC in 2017 and am currently working on growing the business.

“I’ve been a Chief Architect customer since May 2018.  Earlier in the year, I knew that I would need quality 3D renderings to post on the new website, so I began my search for the right software to use.  I downloaded several trial versions of various software to determine what would work best for me. In the end, I chose Chief Architect because of its realistic appearance, reasonable price, and user-friendliness.”

We really enjoyed seeing Jennifer’s work. To see more examples of her designs, visit idealhouseplansllc.com/shop. We wish Jennifer the very best with the launch of her new website.

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By Emily Black

Sarah placed 1st in the Chief Architect Residential Design Contest! She is a home design hobbyist, but you can see her eye for design shine through in her winning home design.

Sarah was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and now calls the Dayton, Ohio area home with her husband.

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By Adrean Stephenson

Taunton Press’s Fine Homebuilding Magazine has been the gold standard reference, covering quality home design and construction for over 30 years. I remember as a youngster sifting through the stacks of my dad’s coveted back issues, soaking up the details and anticipating the next “Great Moments in Building History” featured on the last page. It wasn’t long after I purchased my first fixer upper that I started an archive library of my own. (more…)