SMARTDRAW IN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT:

Creating Floor Plans for Commercial Remodeling

Seeking Permission
Mark Villalobos, owner of Villalobos Design Group, was looking for an effective way to create floor plans. His new business required submitting remodeling plans for restaurants located in several different cities. The problem? He had no experience with drawing software.

"I needed to submit professional-looking plans for approval, and I definitely didn't want to do them by hand!" said Villalobos. "I did a small job last year by hand, and it took me three days. Forget it!"

His brother-in-law found SmartDraw on the Internet, and they decided to experiment with SmartDraw's free trial.

A Fast Fix
It was obvious from the start that SmartDraw was the answer to their drawing dilemma.

"In no time, we were drawing like experts!" said Villalobos.

SmartDraw offers thousands of built-in symbols, images, and templates-plus all the tools needed to create perfect floor plans. From ready-made symbols for home and office design, to HVAC equipment, to landscaping, SmartDraw makes it easy to draw virtually any type of floor plan or facilities diagram.

"The symbols are very cool!" he said. "I love being able to search for a symbol and find a whole library filled with things I can use. I even created my own symbol and saved it in the library."

While reading through SmartDraw's detailed on-line tutorials, Villalobos was delighted to discover that SmartDraw was fully integrated with Microsoft Office^®.

"This made it easy for me to create tables in Excel^® and import them into my drawings," he said. "It's great!"

Villalobos also discovered that SmartDraw allowed him to separate his drawings into several layers, each containing a different component.

"I love that feature," said Villalobos. "I can create different layers for electrical and plumbing, and I can print just the layer I need for each plan review or trade contractor."

The Plan Comes Together
Villalobos now uses SmartDraw almost every day. The software is helping him create floor plans at lightning speed.

"With SmartDraw, I can knock out several plan layers in a single evening."

The results are so professional that they are earning recognition from city employees.

"I love the way the floor plans come out," said Villalobos. "Even the city plans examiners have given me a big thumbs up for the work I'm creating in SmartDraw."

Villalobos is excited about his booming approval rate, and is optimistic about SmartDraw's role in his business.

"My new business is based entirely on SmartDraw!" he said.