My kitchen remodel taught me AI floor plans still can't handle weird angles

Last month I redid my sister's kitchen in that old house in Charleston, the one with the crooked corner where the pantry door meets the window. I figured I'd try one of those AI floor plan tools to map out the space before driving her insane with measurements. I uploaded a bunch of photos and got a pretty layout in about 20 minutes, looked great on my phone. But when I actually went to order the cabinets, the AI put the sink under a window that faces a brick wall with no light. The tool nailed the square parts but kept flipping the angled wall, so the plan was useless for the real install. I ended up doing it old school with a tape measure and graph paper, took about 3 hours and came out perfect. Has anyone else had AI plans for or completely miss on older homes with irregular rooms?

2 comments

2 Comments

logansullivan6h ago

Did the tool mess up the ceiling heights too? I noticed the same thing when I tried to scan my place, it drew everything flat like the walls were all straight up and down. But my 1920s building has a wall in the back that tilts about two inches, and the AI just filled in that space like it was a normal rectangle. It also put every window at the same size, which is a joke for old houses where half of them are offset to match the original framing. Tape measure and graph paper might take longer, but at least it doesn't guess.

bailey.xena6h ago

Honestly, I get the frustration, but I’ve found the scanner pretty decent for getting rough ideas down before I start measuring. It’s not perfect, but it saves me a ton of time, and I’d rather tweak a few spots than draw the whole place from scratch.