How to use Design Professional

The full drawing set: plans, elevations, sections, schedules and costs.

← Back to Design Professional

1. What this tool does

You describe the house you want. It draws three complete versions, scores them against the building rules, and gives you a full set of technical drawings you can hand to an architect or a builder.

This is a helper, not a finished building plan. A licensed ARCON architect must check and stamp your drawings, and LASPPPA must approve them, before you build.

2. Filling in the brief

The left side has six steps. Work down from the top.

StepWhat to put
1. ProjectYour name for the job, the client, and the location. This is printed on the drawing sheet.
2. Plot & planningLand width and depth in metres. Leave the setbacks at 0 and the tool uses the legal minimum for you.
3. BuildingBungalow or duplex, how many bedrooms, kitchen size, and how private you want the bedrooms.
4. RoomsTick the extras: study, gym, prayer room, cinema, maid's room and so on.
5. Site & parkingCars, BQ, gatehouse, generator house, borehole.
6. Style & budgetFinish level and your budget in millions of naira.

Then press Generate.

3. The three cards at the top

SPACE-EFFICIENT 182 sqm - 34% cover Uses the least land and costs the least to build Rules 19/20 BALANCED COMFORT 240 sqm - 44% cover Middle option. Usually the best starting point Rules 20/20 PREMIUM 341 sqm - 63% cover Biggest rooms, highest build cost Rules 18/19

Figure 1. Three versions of your house. Click one to load it.

Rules 20/20 means all twenty checks passed. A lower score is not always bad, but read the warnings before you choose.

Seed is a name tag for the design. Write the number down; typing it again brings the same house back.

4. Changing a room

Bedroom 2 6.9 x 3.6 Drag middle = MOVE Drag blue corner = RESIZE Right-click the room Opens the details box. This is where everything lives: exact sizes, rename, delete, veranda, doors, windows, step inside. On a phone: press and hold the room for 1 second. Brown bar = door. Blue bar = window. Drag them along the wall. Double-click to remove.

Figure 2. Right-click is the way in to everything.

Typing an exact size

  1. Right-click the room (on a phone, press and hold).
  2. Find Exact size (metres) in the box that opens.
  3. Type the width in W and the depth in D. You can also set X and Y to move it exactly.
  4. Press Apply size.
"Adjust neighbours to fit"
Ticked - the room next door shrinks or grows to make space, so the house stays the same total size. This is usually what you want.
Unticked - only that one room changes. This can leave a gap or an overlap, and the rule list at the bottom left will show a red X.

5. Undo and Redo

3 changes ↶ Undo Redo ↷ ⌨ Shortcuts Top right of the floor plan. Undo takes back your last change. The counter shows how many are left.

Figure 3. Undo lives at the top right of the plan.

Keyboard: Ctrl + Z to undo, Ctrl + Y to redo.

Careful: pressing Generate or New variation starts a brand new house and clears the undo history. Finish one design before starting another.

6. Verandas and balconies

  1. Right-click a room that touches an outside wall.
  2. Press + Veranda (ground floor) or + Balcony (upstairs).
  3. Pick the side from the drop-down: Front, Rear, Left or Right.

It appears as a purple dashed outline on the plan, and in the 3D view. Only sides that face outside are offered.

7. The drawing sheet

Press Architectural Sheet above the floor plan.

TabWhat it shows
PlansThe floor plan, room by room, with furniture
ElevElevations - each side of the house seen flat on
RoofThe roof from above
SectA section - the house cut through so you see inside
SchedSchedules - lists of every door, window and room
ElecLights, sockets and switches
PlumbWater pipes and drains
BoQBill of Quantities - the materials list for pricing
ExportWhat you get
PDF (A3)A printable sheet to send by email or take to a printer
Vector (SVG)A sharp drawing that stays crisp at any size
DXF (CAD)A file your architect opens in AutoCAD and edits
ScaleChoose 1:50, 1:100, 1:125 and so on, or leave it on auto
MonoBlack and white, for cheaper printing
Open the 3D view once before opening the sheet. The sheet then includes a small 3D picture in the corner.

8. The 3D view

What you wantWhat to do
Turn the houseDrag with the mouse
ZoomScroll the wheel
Slide sidewaysHold right button and drag
Remove the roofPress All roofs or G roof
Cut it openPress Dollhouse cut
Walk insideRight-click a room, then Step inside. Move with W A S D or arrows. Press Esc to leave.
Change the time of dayDrag the Sun slider to see the shadows move

9. The rule checks

Two lists sit at the bottom left. INVARIANT GATE is the hard rules - a red X means the plan is broken and must be fixed. ARCHITECTURAL RULES is good practice - a warning here is advice, not a blocker.

Both update live as you drag. If a red X appears after a change, press Undo.

10. If something goes wrong

ProblemWhat to do
Red warnings under the planRead them - they name the exact rule and room
Rooms overlapPress Undo, or tick "Adjust neighbours to fit" before resizing
House too big for the landFewer bedrooms, or set Archetype to duplex to build upwards
3D view blankRefresh the page. The plan still works without 3D.
Generate does nothingCheck plot width and depth are filled in and above 6 metres
Cannot right-click on a phonePress and hold the room for one second instead

11. Words you will see

WordWhat it means
SetbackSpace the law says you must leave between building and land edge
FootprintThe shape the house makes on the ground
CoverageHow much of your land the house covers, as a percentage
EnsuiteA toilet and bath inside a bedroom
ElevationA flat drawing of one side of the house
SectionThe house cut through, so you can see inside
PartiHow the rooms are arranged. Three are used: SPINE, SIDE-HALL, CENTER-LOUNGE
BoQBill of Quantities - every material listed so a builder can price it
DXFThe file format AutoCAD uses
ARCONThe body that licenses architects in Nigeria
LASPPPAThe Lagos office that approves building plans
← Back to Design Professional