That drafting software I swore was overpriced actually saved me 6 hours on one job

I used to think paying $200 a month for that premium drafting program was a total ripoff. Stuck with free trials and basic tools for like 3 years until I took on a complex commercial project in Nashville. After fighting with my old software for 2 days on a simple elevation change, I finally caved and bought the subscription. First try with it I laid out the whole floor plan in under 3 hours and the client approved it same day. Has anyone else had a tool they thought was a waste but turned out to pay for itself fast?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_nancy1mo agoTop Commenter

Did you read that article from a few months back about how the average architect spends like 15 hours a week just fighting with crappy software? I swear that's the real reason projects take forever. I had the same thing with a rendering plugin that I thought was way too expensive, but after using it once I got a project approved on the first pass, which never happens for me lol. It's wild how quickly the cost of these tools disappears when you stop wasting time on the free stuff. I'm a little mad at myself for not switching sooner honestly, but at least I finally learned my lesson.

jordan1841mo ago

Right? @the_nancy probably spent that 15 hours just watching loading spinners. My wallet still hurts but at least my deadlines stopped laughing at me.