If it actually worked it would be very valuable. Seriously, if it provided useful answers to all those questions I would have paid $500 easy.

Thanks for your quick response - Jeff

Designers do this for you. At least they should. Good luck!

Computers are not there yet.......We humans are the ones that still do this in an Architecture firm. Of course not all firms are this talented, but hopefully you can find one near you.

You have a good list of questions to ask when you are interviewing firms...........

"Designers do this for you..." Well, yes and no. The full cost of architectural and construction management services comes to a heck of a lot of money. It would be nice to have some kind of check because otherwise the average client is pretty much flying blind.

I took the question to mean would I pay for such a service if it was offered and I said yes. I don't think there is such a service out there so it is more a hypothetical question and my willingness to pay some random sum obviously was pulled out of my hat!

Or perhaps Mr. Arron is thinking of developing such a service and is checking interest!

Best wishes!

Its in the works. More to come. Thanks for your input. PROS - How much would you pay for such software? What should not be left out?

You're not looking for a website, you're looking for an architect.

With all due respect, this is a tool for an architect to save time, do a more thorough job and add value to their work. It won't replace an architect or designer but it will make their programming, research, costing, specification and commissioning phases of their work far less time consuming and comprehensive.

It sounds like a tool for homeowners so that they can eliminate the need for a professional.........Can you make sure that it is imaginative, creative, playful and has the ability to design delightful and beautiful places for people to live.........?

Definitely not. Architects and designers bring the human creativity factor that computers cannot. Just because anyone can learn ACAD or Revit doesn't mean they can do anywhere near the job of the professionals. Just because everyone has pots and pans and utensils in their cupboards doesn't mean they can cook.

What is needed is a communications tool in the quiver of all project participants to be used by architects/designers, contractors and clients to be on the same page throughout the course of a project. The lack of true understanding inevitably leads to breakdowns in communications resulting in all the horror stories the industry is famous for.

I might value a tool to assist in this, but find that there are so many variables that my investment in a learning curve for the tool might be better spent working on the project itself. I don't want to be discouraging--I would be interested in your keeping Houzz informed as to your progress.

Bear in mind, too, how data will be maintained over time and the liabilities that attend data aggregated into information that results in project decisions. The retention period for some records will be the life of the building, so consideration of the technical implications is important. (As background, I should say that I teach in this area at the graduate level at the University of British Columbia and as a former director of a government records service in Asia, have theory and practice and consulting experience for an international construction firm) under my belt. Application of the tool as described will likely have varying implications in different jurisdictions.

I'm all for tools that support the kind of communication necessary to ensure the optimum end result, but am also very conscious that tools inevitably shape outcomes...they guide interaction and this can lead to shaping a project prematurely. Of course, that can happen among people regardless of tools, which is why I see my own role as the client rep, an interface among all parties (architect-contractor-owners-suppliers) as important.

Thanks for the great feedback. It is a bit premature to let the genie out of the bottle on how this will work, I promise that the professional design world will say its about time that this is available. I have 44 years experience as a professional immersed in the same world as you and have spent the past 3 years studying how to make this happen. Your cautionary message is much appreciated.

Gonna take a gazillion GB processor to account for all of the potential variables. It's more complicated than trying to predict the weather.

Sophie this will have the heft of Autocad. The goal is to lead the browser to deliver information that serves specific circumstances instead of providing hundreds of thousands of pages based on the algorithms determined by the browser's criteria. I suspect that currently there is valuable information not being accessed because it is buried too deep in the search engines responses. The browser's search response criteria is often not the same as the searcher's criteria. I am looking to bring intelligence to the browsing experience.

Wouldn't it be better to have the system work with Revit rather than Autocad.
The beauty of Revit is that the architect is making decisions early on and imputting them into the computer model. This makes it easier for the contractor, the architect and the client to see the project in 3D and to make decisions.

The only problem with Revit is that it is not formatted for residential design, but it would be great if it were........

Why not both?

To all those who responded 12 years ago, the app is in the works!