Building a hobby shop, looking for some software to help with desgin

[9Fingers]

Hi, I'm starting to plan my hobby shop build. I currently have an existing pad I'll be working with. The dimensions are about
24.5' x 32'. The township I live in has asked me for some drawings to review so that they can tell me if the building meets their requirements. Has anyone used a design software they'd recommend. I'm currently considering one called HGTV Home and Landscape Platinum Suite but am open to suggestions and feed back from anyone that has used that particular software. I'd also like to keep the cost down on this so it doesn't have to have all the bells and whistles. It is a shop and it will be pretty basic. Thanks for your help.

 

[peter halle]

Have you considered Google Sketchup which is free?

Peter

 

[junk731]

When I built my shop addition I used Sketchup drawings. Every town/county seems to have slightly different requirements in what they want to see in order to get a permit. Ask them what they need  and just give them the minimum to get permit. The nice thing about Sketchup is it a 3D program but I also know nothing about the program you mentioned.

John

 

[Klemm]

Software often promises great results with little effort - beware!
All software has a learning curve. Ask yourself if you want to be designing a number of items on a ongoing basis or just this shop. If the number one task is to get the shop building permit and built, have you considered paying someone to make these simple drawing(s) for you?
Your lumberyard may know someone who would do a small project like that.

If you are going to learn to use a drawing software, I would definitely recommend SketchUp, a proven mainstream platform, with serious capability and tons of support and tutorials on YouTube including Ron Paulk videos.
Puchased from Google by TRIMBLE some years ago, SketchUp "Make" 2016 version is free for non-commercial use and you can try it without risk (except for your time - it's addictive).

Let us know what you chose to do and how it worked out

 

[scgwhite]

Another vote for Sketchup.

I drew this in Sketchup;

Screen Shot 2015-06-13 at 23.33.23 by Scgwhite, on Flickr

...and then built this;

Barn by Scgwhite, on Flickr

Very quick learning curve once you know what the icons mean, and infinitely useful. Every aspect of that building was designed in Sketchup - all angles calculated, all materials specified, and all planning process using the output.

 

[Klemm]

now if that shop is not motivation, I don't know what is.
Very handsome, Mr White!

 

[Master Carpenter]

And another vote for Sketchup. I used it when I built my shop a few years ago. Local municipality was fine with the printouts. But it did take a bit to learn how to get it to print to scale and get things centered on the page.

Also, learning Sketchup is also useful for designing many other projects I have built and I can show designs to clients before building.

 

[nclemmons]

+1 on using Sketchup.

One of the big advantages to Sketchup is the 3D Warehouse with lots of third-party contributed models.  Need a bandsaw or a drill press to drop into your drawing for sizing / perspective?  There's probably one in the 3D Warehouse...  Download them into your model, or share your models in the Warehouse.
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/?hl=en