Customer Reviews

Better Homes and Gardens Landscaping and Deck Designer Bundle

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a novice to landscape design. I have in the past used a drafting table, drafting machine, and created a plan view that was almost professional looking thanks to a course I took by mail several years ago. My problem was that I did not have the drawing skills to create an elevation view, and I felt that was a vital missing skill.

I had looked at several brands of software (CAD) that would give me the ability to create what my gardens should look like if I were standing looking at them. Some that were too simplified were not able to allow me to get the exact picture I wanted. Others that were even more expensive than this one were not as sophisticated in their look. I did not have the money or the inclination to spend thousands of dollars on programs that were probably meant for professionals.

I am a master gardener and I get my satisfaction from designing for schools, retirement centers, and others who are looking for perennial gardens, bird, and butterfly gardens. I am a retired educator and only want to use the program to help me give back to my community. The way I can do this is to help them design a garden.

I found this program relatively easy to understand as I first read it. The quick start guide and tutorial is excellent and touches on all that I need to get started. It also has a variety of plant material in the zone that I live in. This is something that I also looked for in the design software. I can also import photos of plants that are not listed in the Better Homes and Garden encyclopedia. This program also lets one know how many plants of a certain kind are needed in a certain area, and how they will look in 0 to 10 years.

Although I donate my own time, it is important for an institution to know how much they are going to spend on plant material, mulch, pathway material, etc. This is done in the project cost estimating portion of the program.

I got the bundle because I am always looking for new garden books to use and add to my library. This is a thoughtful, well written one. I just wish it were in hard cover rather than soft cover.

Anyone who takes the time to follow the tutorial can create a design of their liking within a relatively short period of time. It is well worth the money and cheaper than other products I looked at that did not give as sophisticated a picture of what you want your design to look like.

I bought the software for the landscape design portion. After working with it for several hours I decided it would be easier to cut out pictures and use my trusty architect scale and work with pen and paper. The program was cumbersome to use and was limited with plantings which were not to scale.

This software was extremely helpful in planning my deck and landscaping. I have an extremely large yard and with this software, it looks like something from a magazine. It does take some time to use, but when you consider if you build a deck or do any amount of landscaping, you're spending quite a bit of money. Isn't it worth putting some time into it so it looks great? I would recommend this to anyone that wants the best yard on the block.

I only give this 3 stars because although I am quite computer savvy, this software is just very time consuming to use. It is just easier to use graph paper to map out your gardening plans. If you are really in need of a graphic view of your gardening plans and have a lot of time on your hands, then sure this product is fine for you. One other thing I dislike about it is that there is not a big variety of plants to choose from to add to your plans. I'm just a amateur gardener and thought this set would help me learn some landscaping ideas for my new home, but it was really a waste of money for me. But for someone who is more experienced and has the time to use this software then it may be more appropriate for you.

This software attempted to change my computer's video settings upon installation, and then wouldn't install instead attempting to change my video drivers.

I am very experienced in using computers and I've never seen behavior like this before. My only guess is that this is a port from what was originally a Macintosh product and is basically incompatable with XP. That's not to say it couldn't be installed but I was not into fixing my computer after letting a piece of discretionary software break it.