Recording-2025-03-12T20_08_35.439Z

Initial Project Overview

• Site: Large one-acre lot purchased as a foreclosure.

• Renovation Goals:

  • Add an attached garage at a lower level (2-30 inches below the main floor).

  • Increase from 3 to 4 bedrooms and add an office.

  • Convert an existing bedroom and bathroom into a master suite.

  • Final square footage goal: 2,700 square feet with a two-car garage.

Existing Conditions

• Current structure: 1,619 square feet, single-story ranch home with three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

• Main entry located on the west side of the house.

• No garage present, which is a critical aspect of the renovation.

• Exterior walls: 5.5-inch wood frame (use 6 inches in modeling), 3.5-inch for interior walls (round to 4 inches).

• Windows: 3 feet 6 inches for sills, head height same as doors (6 feet 8 inches).

• Top plate of exterior walls: 9 feet.

• Roof slopes:

  • Gable roof at entry: 9/12 pitch.

  • Shed roof: 3/12 pitch.

Modeling Process

• Use Revit to model existing conditions:

  • Import DWG file for accurate exterior walls, roof, and site layout.

  • Note that DWG may lack interior wall details.

  • Scale the image correctly before modeling.

• Assignment Focus:

  • Accurate modeling and view creation in Revit.

  • PDF setup and printing for presentation.

Modeling Assessment Criteria

• Craft accuracy: 50%

• Use of working views: 30%

• Presentation sheets and view customization: 20%

• Required drawings:

  • Floor and roof plans (First & Second floors).

  • Exterior elevations and cross sections.

  • Interior elevations of the kitchen.

  • Additional perspectives and line drawings.

View Customization Techniques

• View Range:

  • Definition: Adjusts what appears in plan views based on set cut planes.

  • Importance of the cut plane, usually around 3-4 feet above floor level.

  • Example: Adjusting the cut plane to visualize windows that might be above the standard cut height.

• Plan Regions:

  • A tool in Revit to create custom view settings for specific areas of a plan.

  • Enables targeted adjustments without affecting the entire floor plan view range.

Creating Plan Regions

• Steps to create:

  • Define a closed boundary for the area needing adjusted cut planes.

  • Edit view range settings specific to that plan region (e.g., set specific heights for cut planes).

• Example of use: When upper floor windows are above the standard view cut plane, creating a plan region around that area allows proper view of those elements.

Practical Exercise in Revit

• Create a new residential project file in Revit.

• Develop a basic floor plan, adjusting default cut planes/parameters as needed.

• Emphasize saving frequently and leveraging underlay features for spatial reference during design.

Next Steps

• Start working on the assignment over the weekend, leveraging class discussions and creating a forum for questions.

• Prepare for further inquiries in the following weeks as project details come into focus.

• Reminders on importance of using view depth and plan regions for improved modeling clarity and presentation quality.