FAQ's
About our Home Planning and Model Kits
Do I need any drawing skills or computer skills to use any of your kits? No, they are designed to be totally intuitive, and easy for anyone to use. All the items are designed with clear graphic symbols so within minutes of opening the box anyone will have a scale plan of their house to start working with.
I can’t understand my architects’ plans – will I be able to use your kits? Absolutely, we designed Modelrooms for people who have difficulty reading plans – we still haven’t found anyone who can’t understand OUR plans.
Are the kits designed for single use or can they be used for more than one project? Our magnetic House Planning kits can be used for as many projects as you like. The magnetic pieces can be reused infinitely, so even when you finish this project keep it safe for future remodelling or that dream home you plan to retire in!
Our 3D Model is designed to be used for one project. The intention is for it to be a scale model of the house when the design is complete.
What scale are your kits? Our Home Design Kit, Kitchen Design and Interior Designer Kits are all 1:33
Our Scale Models area made at 1:50 scale (approx quarter inch to a foot.
I don’t understand scales – will I be able to use any of your kits? Don’t worry – we have done all the scaling work for you – simply use our rule (included with every pack) when designing with Modelrooms and it is the same as measuring your actual room – just a bit smaller! It really couldn’t be any easier.
Is this better than a software package? It depends how you like to work. Software packages can be great but a lot of people simply don’t have the time to invest in learning them. We also find a lot of our customers simply prefer the hands-on approach to designing – with Modelrooms it is very intuitive and quite tactile – what you see is what you get – immediately. Also, it can help when getting other people’s ideas that they can literally just move the sofa magnet to the other side of the room – rather than pointing to the screen!
I usually cut out pieces of card to scale as furniture – what is the difference between that and using your kits? Our 2D kits are based on the same idea but with two major advantages – Firstly, we give you several hundred pieces to work with, so it saves hours and hours (probably days!). Secondly, our 2D kits they are magnetic, so you don’t have to worry about the plan moving when you leave it for a while.
How long does it take to design a room with ModelRooms? An average room set will take about 15 mins to plan including furniture and an average house plan about 40-50mins. Of course, it depends on how complex the plan is – some plans will be quicker, and other plans take a bit longer.
Can I clean my kit? Yes, they are very durable. Use a damp soft cloth with a bit of washing up liquid in the water to wipe clean, or a wet wipe should do it. Don’t use anything abrasive as it will scratch the images off and should not be necessary anyway. It is not advised to immerse the kits in water.
Can my kids use your kits? They are not suitable for small children, due to the small parts. We do have a few older kids though who are budding architects using them. We also have customers who use them to tempt older children away from their computer games and get a bit creative!
Will my builder or architect understand my Modelrooms plans? Yes absolutely, if not you should probably ask to see their qualifications!
How do I know the wall sizes you have will work in my house? They are modular, so there is a huge range of sizes – for instance if you had a 5metre wall you could use a 5metre piece or a 2metre and a 3metre piece together. The 2D kits (Home Design kit, Interior Designer kit) can also be cut with a scissors if you need to get into really fine details.
Can I design my holiday home with Modelrooms? Yes absolutely, the kits will work for any residential home.
Do you use standard Architectural symbols in your kits? They are based on architectural symbols but simplified for ease of use. In some cases, we have added a graphic symbol that is more commonly understood, so someone with no architectural training will be able to use it.
Can I use the kit to plan my sockets? Yes, create you model rooms plan in the normal way and then make a photocopy. Use the title block so you can label it to give the electrician. Then use the copy to mark with pen an X everywhere you want a socket. Since the major appliances will be in the plan, it is easy to see at a glance what sockets are needed for them.
What about my lighting plan? The same as for the sockets – mark up your photocopied Modelrooms plan or scan it if it is handier and print out the scan.
Contents of the Kits
Does your kit have stairs? Yes several – Spiral Stairs, Straight Stairs, and an L shaped Stairs.
Can I use the kit to plan where my radiators will go? Radiators are included since they form a crucial part of the plan and need to relate to the furniture.
How do I know if there will be enough wall pieces for my house? We get asked this a lot and have been telling people to come back to us if they don’t have enough. So far no one has needed more. In the unlikely event that you do need more (we’d like to see the house design out of curiosity…!) simply drop us an e mail with your original order details and we will send you more free walls, windows and doors.
What if I need more pieces? If you are designing something specific like a large open plan office and needed lots more desks – no problem we can sell components individually. Drop us an email or call us and we can quote for that.
How do I…?
How do I show the door should hang the other way? Easy, all doors are reversible so they can hang from the left- or right-hand side, and swing into or out of a room.
How do I show a double door? Use two doors instead of one. The important thing is that you clearly mark on the plan the area of the room that needs to be left free of furniture etc, so the two door swings will do this perfectly.
I have a very large house plan – how do I do it? Two ways – you can work on your plan in stages. Our Home Design Kit & Interior Design Kit will give you 140m square of floor space (1500Square feet). Copy each part as you work it out. Or you can purchase additional boards and make an extra large board - email us for prices.
Making copies of your design using Modelrooms Kits
Can I make copies of my design? Yes, couldn’t be easier. You can pop the Modelrooms plan into a photocopier or scan it and print out the scan. If you don’t have a copier or scanner handy, then use a digital camera or your phone to capture your design before you change it. The symbols are quite strong graphics, so they photograph very well.
Will I be able to take my designs on site to check with the builder? Yes, that’s where the magnets are invaluable – they should be fine to take around to the builder or into the kitchen showroom … wherever you need to discuss your options.
What if I want to show my ideas to friends – can I email them my designs? As with the copies, all you do is scan the plan (or take a digital pic) and then attach to your email for your friends input....or pop the pic on your social media channel and get some feedback or ideas from your followers.
Which kit should I buy?
I’m confused – which kit should I buy? It depends on your project or profession. If you are a home renovator or self-builder we recommend the House Design Kit.
If you are an interior designer our Interior Designer kit will have everything you need to plan any luxury house and present it to your client.
Our 3D models are perfect for high end projects where you want to wow a client with a physical model of the interior space.
Still Unsure? Please feel free to phone us or email details of what you want to use the kit for, and we will be happy to help.
I am about to start studying Interior Design – can I use your kit in college? Absolutely, students and teachers of Interior Design love our kits. They are helpful to work out lots of ideas for a project before deciding on the best layout. You will still need to learn the techniques of drawing to scale but for planning the space first they will save you hours and hours.
Additional Modelrooms Services
We have a unique curved wall in our house plan – do you offer a bespoke service? With the 2D kits you simply use small pieces to make up a curve (called faceted in architecture) We also offer a bespoke service to Architects for 3D extras. To get a quote for a 3D bespoke piece please e mail us an Auto Cad drawing of your item and we will quote for it. The bespoke service only available for 3D Architect, and min order price is $150.
A few of us want to order kits for our Interior Design course – do you offer bulk discounts? Yes, for large orders we can offer bulk discount. Please call or email for prices. Students can email us their course details and we will send a 10% off code for their order.
I am designing a restaurant and need about 20 tables of a specific size – can I order these? Email us for prices but we are happy to offer tailored solutions to professionals.
Delivery
How are the kits delivered? We use a courier service for most of our orders (Interior Design Kits, Home Design Kits, Bespoke model products).
Do you deliver worldwide? Yes, please check the order page for prices.
How long does delivery take? In the UK and Ireland most kits take only a few days, though we cannot guarantee they will be there this quick (there are issues beyond our control once we part with your kit!). You should allow 14 days for delivery. Outside of the UK & Ireland please allow 21 days.
If I need a kit in a hurry for a meeting with a client can I have it faster? Yes, normally this can be arranged. We may need to charge extra for urgent deliveries. Please call us or e mail for details.
If I buy more than one product can I combine postage? Absolutely, we will only charge you for delivery of the heaviest item.
90 Day No Quibble Money Back Guarantee
What is your returns policy? We offer a 90 day ‘no quibble’ money back guarantee (including P&P charges for the original delivery). So, if you really are not sure if Modelrooms is for you – order it, have a look, and if it is not as good as we led you to believe just send it back unused, and get all your money back. No catches – we promise. The only thing you will have to pay for is the return postage (we refund the outward postage)
How can you offer to refund postage too – won’t you be out of pocket? Yes & No… since we launched Modelrooms design kits in March 2006 we have had so few returns that we are happy to run with it. We like to buy stuff online ourselves, so we understand that it can be a bit nerve wrecking wondering if the product is as good as it looks. We are confident that our products are better in reality than online…and we are willing to stand over that!
What if I pick the wrong kit – will you exchange it? Absolutely, no problem. Send us back the one you want to exchange, and we will send the one you want by return. We will only charge postage once too. If there is a difference in price, please call or e mail us so we can charge/refund the difference.
Will you keep my details private? Yes. We will never give or sell your contact details to a third party.
Who invented ModelRooms? It was invented by Katie Galvin. Having worked with Architects for 15 years and run a model making company she spotted the need for a user-friendly way to plan spaces, for people who don’t have drawing skills, or the time to learn them. The original Modelrooms was made for her brother, when he was struggling with plans for his house extension! It worked so well for him that she decided to refine it and launch it onto the market. Since then the range has expanded and grown but the core product – the Home Design Kit still remains our bestseller.