Add a sunken living room or a raised platform, with steps
Build → Sunken / Raised Floor, then drag a rectangle (or tap a room) to lower or raise that part of the floor. Set the depth or height, tap Add steps for a run of steps sized exactly to the drop, and check it in 3D. For a few steps anywhere else, use the Steps tile.
A sunken living room, a conversation pit, a raised reading platform or a dais is a change in floor level inside one floor. Sunken / Raised Floor draws exactly that: the area you pick sits lower (or higher) than the rest of the room, its flooring carries on at the new level, and anything you place in it stands on the lower or higher floor in 3D.
Two or three steps on their own (a step down into a bedroom, a step up to a landing) use the separate Steps tile. A full flight between two floors is a staircase: see Add a staircase.
What you'll need
- •A design with at least one room
Step by step
- 1
Choose Sunken / Raised Floor and drag the area
Open the Build panel on the left (on a phone, Structural & Interior) and tap Sunken / Raised Floor under Structural. A note at the top says Drag a rectangle or tap a room to lower or raise its floor. - Drag a rectangle over the part of the floor that changes level. Edges within a foot of a wall snap onto it. - Or tap a room to lower or raise the whole room. The area has to be at least 1 ft each way, inside the plan, and can't overlap another sunken or raised area (if it does, the note says so and nothing is added).
Build → Sunken / Raised Floor, then drag over the area. - 2
Set Sunken or Raised, and how deep or high
The new area is selected and its panel opens at the bottom: a name (Sunken area or Raised platform, tap to rename), Sunken | Raised, Depth (or Height), Add steps and the trash can. - A new area starts Sunken, 14″ deep (two 7″ steps). - Tap Raised to turn it into a platform; the number stays the same. - Tap the Depth / Height value to type it, from 1″ to 48″ (2.5 to 122 cm). On the plan the area is outlined and labelled with its level, for example −1′ 2″ for a 14″ drop.
The area's panel: Sunken | Raised, Depth, Add steps. - 3
Tap Add steps
Add steps puts a run of steps on the area's longest edge that isn't against a wall, centred on it. The risers are about 7″ each and add up exactly to the depth or height: 14″ gives two 7″ steps, 21″ gives three. Sunken areas get steps going down into the area; raised platforms get steps going up onto it. The steps are selected, so their own panel shows: UP | DN, Reverse, Rails, Steps, Width, Length, Tread, Riser and the Total height. Drag the steps to move them along the edge, or drag a handle to reshape them.
Two 7″ steps for a 14″ drop. - 4
Check it in 3D
Open 3D. The floor drops (or rises) with a finished edge, the room's flooring continues at the new level, and furniture inside the area stands on the lower or higher floor. In Walk mode you step down into the pit and back up.
A 14″ sunken living room with two steps down. - 5
Just a few steps? Use the Steps tile
For one to a few steps that aren't part of a sunken or raised area (a step down into a bedroom, two steps up to a landing), tap Steps under Structural, next to Stairs. The note says Tap where the steps start, then where they end. Tap the start, then the end: - New steps go down (DN), are 36″ wide, and get one step for about every 11″ of run, each 7″ high. - In their panel, set the number of Steps, Width, Length, Tread and the Riser height (2″ to 12″); Total shows the overall rise. UP | DN and Reverse flip the direction. Steps are solid blocks in 3D (no open risers) and never link to another floor.
Build → Steps, then tap the start and the end.
Tips
Size the depth to whole steps
Comfortable steps are about 7″ high. A 7″, 14″ or 21″ drop gives one, two or three even steps with Add steps; an odd depth such as 10″ still works, but the steps it adds are shorter or taller than 7″.
Keep furniture on one level
Smart Flow Check warns … sits across the edge of a sunken or raised floor when a piece hangs over the step. Move it fully into or out of the area. See Smart Flow Check.
A raised dais or stage
Draw the area, tap Raised, set the height, then Add steps: the steps start outside the platform and climb up to its open edge. For a movable stage at an event, the catalog's stage risers may suit better: see Plan a classroom, gym, stage or event space.
Common mistakes
Using Stairs for two steps
The Stairs tile builds a full staircase between floors (at least two steps, rise set by the floor height). For a short level change within one floor, use Steps or Add steps on a sunken or raised area.
Drawing over another sunken area
Areas can't overlap. To change one, select it and change its depth or height, or delete it (trash can, or the Delete key on a computer) and draw it again.
Frequently asked questions
Can I design a sunken living room or conversation pit?
Yes. Build → Sunken / Raised Floor, drag over the area (or tap the room), set the Depth, then tap Add steps. Furniture placed inside sits on the lower floor in 3D.
How deep or high can it be?
From 1″ to 48″ (4 ft), typed in the area's Depth or Height box. New areas start at 14″, two 7″ steps.
Can I change the shape after drawing it?
Not by dragging its outline. You can change Sunken / Raised and the depth or height at any time; for a different shape, delete the area and drag a new one.
Can the area be an L-shape or follow a room's walls?
Drag gives a rectangle. To follow a room's outline, tap the room instead of dragging: the whole room becomes the sunken or raised area.
Where do the steps go when I tap Add steps?
On the area's longest edge that isn't against a wall, centred, 24″ to 48″ wide depending on the edge. Drag them to another spot afterwards, or delete them and place your own with the Steps tile.
How is this different from Stairs?
Stairs connect two floors of a multi-storey design and take their height from the floor heights. Steps (and Add steps) change level inside one floor, from a single step up.
Does it work on a phone and tablet?
Yes. On a phone, Sunken / Raised Floor and Steps are in Structural & Interior; drag with your finger and use the same panels.
Start designing your room
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