SMARTDRAW IN HOME AND OFFICE PLANNING

SmartDraw, the Cure for the Common Floor Plan

Under the Weather
Dr. Jay Pearce has a private practice in a small town on the Texas Gulf Coast. While building a new office adjacent to his home, he realized he was in need of a little extra help.

Since his home sits on stilts to keep it above flood level in the event of a hurricane, he had to pay special attention to the home's architectural elements.

"I needed a way to draw the floor plan layout, and the foundation for the new structure," said Dr. Pearce.

"I never really thought I'd give up on ClarisWorks, but I decided to download SmartDraw's free trial," he said.

The Remedy
Dr. Pearce's wife, Rochel, told him about SmartDraw, having discovered it herself while doing an Internet search for "landscaping tips." By the time Dr. Pearce got started with SmartDraw, his wife had already mastered the program.

"She was proud that she was able to learn how to use a drawing product so quickly," he said. "She never wanted to try the other programs I'd used in the past. They seemed too complicated."

Dr. Pearce was immediately impressed with SmartDraw's thousands of professionally made symbols and templates. This includes an entire collection of symbols for floor plans, including images for offices, homes, bathrooms, kitchens, furniture, architectural elements, and more.

"I love the huge collection of symbols that fit easily into my drawings, and I'm impressed with how they remain scaled to the size of the drawing," he said.

In addition to extensive symbol and template libraries, SmartDraw offers several wizards that walk users through the common steps for creating various floor plans, from choosing a template, to adding symbols, to printing to scale. Of the many wizards within SmartDraw, there some specific to floor planning (e.g., a Floor Plan Wizard, a Furniture Wizard, and a Room Wizard).

"Before, my floor plans were always boxes with rectangular shapes stuck in as placeholders for doors and windows," he said. "With SmartDraw's easy-to-use symbol set, I can complete a professional-looking floor plan in a snap."

Just What the Doctor Ordered
Dr. Pearce says he's used SmartDraw every day since he first downloaded it.

"SmartDraw is easier and faster than the other programs I've used, and I can choose from its many symbols instead of having to create objects myself with simple shapes," he said.

His SmartDraw floor plans help him communicate his ideas better to others, including his plumber. In addition, SmartDraw has eliminated the need for him to go and hire extra help.

"I was able to complete all of my plans in SmartDraw, so it saved me from having to go out and hire a contractor or an architect," said Dr. Pearce. "Using SmartDraw definitely saved me money."

The bottom line? "SmartDraw makes a big job easy," he said.