DIY Home Design for the Downsizing Baby Boomer

As they empty the nest and approach retirement, many baby boomers are thinking about what to do with their present home. Should they remodel to sell and downsize? Should they finally implement those upgrades for a carefree retirement lifestyle? What about new living spaces – what should be done with those?

< We’ve done enough buying, selling, moving, building and remodeling over the years to know how important it is to visualize a new living space before money is spent and work begins. Sure, there is plenty of interior and home design software out there. But it’s generally not free and not easy to use.

Now comes a new software tool from Autodesk called “Homestyler.” I’ve just begun to use it and I’m impressed. Here is what I like about it:

• It’s from Autodesk, a well-known supplier of professional CAD and desktop design software.
• It is free.
• It’s web-based, meaning that you can use it from any Internet-connected computer without installing anything.
• You can quickly create floor plans by dragging and dropping from a selection of different rooms, doors and furnishings.
• You can incorporate in your design different brands, styles, colors and finishes of commercially available products. Only a few brands are available now but I’m sure more will be added.
• You can see a 3D image of your designs – including furnishings – with one click. (This is awesome.)
• It is easy to share your designs with family, friends or contractors to get their input. (What a great way to work remotely with professional designers and builders.)
• It’s a community site so you can see and use designs created and publicly shared by other users.

Although the site and software are free to use, you must sign up for a free user account. This allows you to save your designs for later use.

If you are thinking about making changes to your existing home to sell or upgrade, or to build or remodel a future home after downsizing, definitely check out Autodesk Homestyler.

Let us know what you think in the comments.

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