I used a videogame to design my house

Getting Started

When I decided to build my house in the Philippines, I did what many people do: I looked at tons of house designs, picking out features I liked and considering what I could afford. It was a good place to start, but I soon realized I needed to turn my ideas into something more tangible.

Early Attempts

I tried using draw.io, a free online tool, to sketch my plan. But figuring out distances, where to put windows, cabinets, and other details was really challenging. The learning curve was steep, and even simple tasks took up a lot of time.

A New Idea

Then, while playing a game called Enshrouded with friends, which involves building structures, it hit me—why not try designing my house in the game? It was fun, but it didn’t offer the realism I needed to truly visualize my future home.

Discovering the Game

Not giving up, I searched online for games that let you build with real-world measurements and materials. That’s when I found House Flipper 2. This was a real breakthrough, but you can use any other, I didn’t try others, that was good enough for the job.

In a short time, I built the basics of my house and could walk through it virtually. Experiencing the space this way led me to make changes and improvements I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

Teaming Up with an Architect

Satisfied with my virtual design, I sent it to my architect. This saved us a lot of time. He immediately understood what I wanted and why. He suggested changes and improvements because he had a clear picture of my ideas.

The final professional plan, made using Revit, ended up quite different from my initial game design, but it kept the main concepts. Using the game as a starting point helped us communicate better and made the whole process smoother.

Feel free to contact me if you need an affordable architect that can do a great job, I’ll be happy to suggest you some, no strings attached.

Thinking Differently

My journey from browsing house designs to using a video game to plan my home was definitely unconventional. But it worked. By using gaming technology, I was able to not only visualize my dream home but also experience it in a way that flat plans can’t provide.

If you’re planning to design your own home in the Philippines, don’t hesitate to try new tools. Even if they seem a bit unorthodox, they might help you in ways you didn’t expect. A little creativity can go a long way in turning your dream home into reality.