Higharc hopes to make custom homes more accessible In a customization-obsessed era, consumers have more access than ever to products that can be tailored to their specific needs. But when it comes to creating a dream house, customization still carries a prohibitively high price tag.
New home design software called Higharc aims to change that, by offering consumers a new, cost-effective way to avoid a cookie-cutter house. According to founder and CEO Marc Minor, even custom homebuilders often work from a standard set of blueprints, simply making small tweaks.
What sets this still-under-development home design program apart is its ease of use for consumers?the web app allows users to simply drag and drop rooms and select options from a drop-down menu?and its usefulness to builders and contractors. Using an algorithm trained by architects, Higharc makes sure any alteration conforms not only to the rules of physics and good architecture, but local building codes. Higharc even spits out construction-ready blueprints.
For consumers, the ability to create real, workable designs before even talking with an architect will lower design costs and make it easier for buyers to afford custom work, says Minor.
?You?re always going to get something that?s well-designed, and it will always be buildable,? he adds.

Bringing the complexities of home design to a web browser
Home design software isn?t new. What?s potentially game-changing about Higharc is how it combines actual ter...