5 Best Tiny House Design Software Platforms

The HGTV crowd has been quite familiar with the concept of tiny home living for years. Tiny homes are perfect for people looking for a simple life who want to minimize living costs. Tiny houses help overcome the roadblock of entry to home ownership. 

They are also a boon for the ubiquitous housing crisis solution. Several states across the U.S., like Los Angeles, have launched pilot projects focusing on constructing tiny homes, especially for the unhoused community. Thus, we can say that the idea of building your own tiny home is enticing, to say the least. At TinyHouseMe, you will find 100s of builders offering customized and off-the-shelf tiny homes for the backyard, houses on wheels, cabins, log homes, and structures of similar kinds.

Irrespective of your motive for getting into the tiny house game, these pint-sized builds have their own set of requirements and challenges, something that conventional home design software cannot adequately address. Here, we will discuss some of the best tiny house design software that is quite helpful in renderings, generating floor plans, etc. Scroll down to find out the tools that made the cut. 

 

  •    Cedreo

Ideal for: Designers, real estate pros, home builders, architects, remodelers 

Overview:     Cedreo is a 3D home design platform. This software not only finds wide applications for tiny house construction but also for apartments, traditional houses, and landscape designs. You certainly don’t have a firm specializing in building or designing tiny houses. So, if you plan to build a tiny home in the backyard, this software might be the best fit for you as you can use it for all kinds of projects. Cedreo offers a wide array of tools that makes 3D renderings and floor plan generation a cakewalk. There are tailor-made designs that can aid you in getting on the same page with the builders and help you gain more transparency. You also benefit from real-time collaboration tools for gathering feedback and sharing ideas, ensuring the projects are accomplished immediately.                  

This software functions well as a tiny home floor plan maker. Here, you can craft 2D floor plans from scratch or even edit an existing one. On top of that, you can also custom-tailor building materials to furnish the space. 

 

Top Features: 

Craft floor plans both in 2D and 3D

Design proposals and presentations 

A well-equipped 3D library with 3,500 + construction materials and                                          

3000+ furnishings and objects.              

Share design projects with team members and clients

Save the templates and reuse them for upcoming projects

 

  •    SketchUp

Ideal for: Designers who design 2D plans 

Overview: SketchUp is a 3D modeling platform allowing you to build atiny home for the backyard from scratch. You can use the pencil tool to sketch the plan and then pull and push each element to its appropriate specifications. 

The best part about SketchUp is that it is so designed that it can integrate with different third-party tools and apps, thereby allowing you to compile a custom stack. 

 Top Features: 

Gain access to the largest catalog of precise 3D models. 

Reporting tools 

3D designing 

Third-party integrations and “Extension Warehouse” enhance functionality

Mixed reality presentation tools 

 

  •  Planner 5D 

Ideal for: Decorators, Interior designers, DIYers 

Overview: Planner 5D is basically an architecture tool that aids decorators and designers in crafting custom floor plans, designing 3D presentations, and furnishing and embellishing designs. Here, you will find a library of pre-designed, custom-tailored templates, décor, and furniture library, making crafting room designs much easier. 

This software has some mind-boggling features like automated furniture arrangement and AI plan recognition that make it no less than a leader in this segment. 

Top features:

3D room visualization  

Drag-and-drop editor 

Floor plan tool 

VR presentation tool 

Snapshot feature 

 

  • Smart Draw 

Ideal for: Remodelers, designersarchitects, contractors 

Overview: This software is an outlier among all the home design software. It’s a planning and productivity tool with unique features and floor plan design templates. You will find numerous tools for individual rooms, cubicles, and conventional houses here. You can modify and save them as tiny house templates and use them to build your tiny home for your backyard. This is one of the best software for visual planning. 

Top Features: 

Intelligent formatting 

Automatic resizing 

Integration with pre-existing tools like Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, Trello, etc. 

Thousands of custom-tailored templates and symbols for more than 70 diagram types

Built-in extensions allow users to craft diagrams from connected data sources

 

  •    Sweet Home 3D 

Ideal for: Remodelers and home builders 

Overview: This home design tool makes it easier for builders to craft tiny houses for their clients. The best part of this app is that you can craft designs with precise dimensions, even if you are a newbie in the design field. 

Top Features: 

Add dimensions and annotations 

Generate videos and images with custom lighting

3D and 2D designing from multiple viewpoints 

A huge catalogue with custom-tailored furniture, textures, materials, and other 3D objects. 

Import textures, 3D models, and blueprints from external sources. 

 

Which tiny house design software might be the best fit for you? 

Ultimately, the idea of building yourtiny home for the backyard is just like crafting normal-sized houses. You have to utilize the same tools for these tiny builds as well. If you plan to design your own tiny home for the backyard, then the software tools above can help you build the perfect house of your dreams.

However, it’s better to take the help of a professional and then set up to design your own customized tiny home build. At TinyHouseMe, we connect you with multiple tiny home builders who would be willing to help you design the perfect backyard tiny home. By signing up with TinyHouseMe, you connect faster and get priority service from the builder and expert advice on planning and financing the tiny house project.