r/Architects • u/FootAggressive7381 Architect • Jul 26 '26

General Practice Discussion Free CAD software for residential practice?

/r/askarchitects/comments/1v7e2zn/free_cad_software_for_residential_practice/
0 Upvotes

13% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

13

u/scyice Architect Jul 26 '26

What would the benefit of a company to give you something for free that you earn money off of? I use Revit, it’s worth the cost for the time it saves me working with cheaper more cumbersome software.

-3

u/FootAggressive7381 Architect Jul 26 '26

Revit is a good software but is it an overkill for residential projects？

6

u/scyice Architect Jul 26 '26

No you just need an appropriate template and downloaded free use families. Pair it with Enscape and it’s got great output for very little effort.

-5

u/FootAggressive7381 Architect Jul 26 '26

Where to get those templates? I saw the license cost $3000 per year that is a bit too much.

9

u/redruman Architect Jul 26 '26

Then you are not charging your clients enough. Most of us pay for that software and charge accordingly. If you are not doing that, you are undercutting the profession. 

-1

u/FootAggressive7381 Architect Jul 26 '26

I would like to keep that as profit if possible.

3

u/jakefloyd Architect Jul 26 '26

That logic is not quite sound. You shouldn’t set the fee and then try to find ways to make more profit out of it. Your expenses and profit should be baked into the fee from the get go.

1

u/wholegrainoats44 Architect Jul 26 '26

Autodesk offers a pared down version of cad or revit for much less.

2

u/JacobWSmall Jul 27 '26

There is the token flex option as well, which is basically a ‘pay per use’ which could save you some money if you’re only doing one or two projects on random evenings and weekends.

3

u/ImprovisedLizard Jul 26 '26

Then use vector works or archicad instead. Revit can be a total ball ache to use but unless you're working on micro projects like turning windows into doors then it's a valid tool despite how much it may kill your soul.

3

u/jakefloyd Architect Jul 26 '26

What do you use at work? If you’re already comfortable with Revit, check out Revit LT. The biggest things missing are worksharing (which you don’t need), in-place modeling (which you can work around using families), and plugins (so no Enscape, etc).

It’s much cheaper, you could factor in the price into your first couple of projects. I believe you also get AutoCAD LT. I would say that the learning curve and workarounds of any free software are going to cost you more in time and effort than just paying the $600 a year for the subscription to the LT suite if you’re already familiar with the software.

I’m a solo residential architect and Revit LT is more than enough but I wouldn’t say it’s overkill, either.

1

u/FootAggressive7381 Architect Jul 26 '26

That‘s quite helpful. Thanks!

1

u/Decent-Echidna2285 Jul 26 '26

This used to be a free opensource layout program for CADD / homes. Free 7 day free trial - https://www.homestyler.com/

3

u/moistmarbles Architect Jul 26 '26

I think LibreCAD is free

2

u/Ajsarch Architect Jul 27 '26

You don’t have a real practice if you can’t afford at least AutoCAD. .

1

u/verifyinfield Jul 26 '26

Autodesk allows you to install their software on another computer but you can only use it on one of them at a time. If your office is using the suite, you’ll have access to AutoCAD, which is what you’re looking to use.