Drawing a Pony Wall


Reference Number: KB-00064
Last Modified: October 19, 2022

The information in this article applies to:

Chief Architect Premier or Chief Architect Interiors



QUESTION

How do I create a pony wall?

Front of house and side of garage. Walls have four feet of brick at bottom with siding on top


ANSWER

In Chief Architect, a pony wall, sometimes referred to as a split wall or stacked wall, is a single wall composed of two separate wall types, one built above the other.

There are two ways to create a pony wall: by drawing it using one of the Pony Wall tools or by specifying a normal wall as a pony wall. 

 

To draw a pony wall

  1. Select Edit> Default Settings  from the menu.


  2. In the Default Settings dialog that opens, expand the Walls category, click on the Pony Wall or Glass Pony Wall option, then click Edit.


  3. On the Wall Types panel of the Pony Wall or Glass Pony Wall Defaults dialog:  

    Wall Types panel of the Pony Wall Defaults dialog

    • Specify the wall types that you would like to use for the upper Wall Type and Lower Wall Type.  

    • Specify the desired Lower Wall height by setting the Height Off Floor or Elevation of Lower Wall Top.

      Note: These two settings are dynamic. When one is changed the other will update automatically. "Elevation of Lower Wall Top" is measured from absolute elevation 0" - the default floor height of Floor 1. "Height off Floor" is measured relative to the room defined by the selected wall.

      For example, if the pony wall is located on Floor 2 these settings might have the Elevation of Lower Wall Top as 157 3/4" and the Height Off Floor of 36".

    • Select how you would like the pony wall to display in plan view.

      For additional information on these options, please see the Related Articles section below.

    • Select how you would like openings, such as windows and doors, to be displayed in the portion of the wall that won't be displayed in plan view.

    • Click OK and then Done to apply the changes and close the dialogs.


  4. Select Build> Wall> Straight Pony Wall  or Straight Glass Pony Wall from the menu.  


  5. Click and drag to draw a pony wall based on the default settings that were just specified.

 

To specify a normal wall as a pony wall

  1. Using the Select Objects  tool, click on a wall to select it, then click the Open Object  edit button.


  2. On the Wall Types panel of the Wall Specification dialog that opens:  

    Wall Types panel of the Wall Specification dialog

    • Check the box beside Pony Wall.  

    • Specify the wall types that you would like to use for the upper Wall Type and Lower Wall Type

    • Specify the desired Lower Wall height by setting the Height Off Floor or Elevation of Lower Wall Top.

      Note: These two settings are dynamic. When one is changed the other will update automatically. "Elevation of Lower Wall Top" is measured from absolute elevation 0" - the default floor height of Floor 1. "Height off Floor" is measured relative to the room defined by the selected wall.

      For example, if the pony wall is located on Floor 2 these settings might have the Elevation of Lower Wall Top as 157 3/4" and the Height Off Floor of 36".

    • Select how you would like the pony wall to display in plan view.

    • Click OK to close the dialog and apply your change to the selected wall.

      Pony wall with siding on the top and brick on the bottom


Wall caps can also be added to pony walls. For more information, please see the "Working with Wall Caps" resource in the Related Articles section below.