Apple gave me some crayons with this Commodore I'm using. Not sure how to operate them though.
Seriously, I was wondering the same thing.

Do you have a PC or a Mac? Some people use IKEA software and some use SketchUP, both of which, I think are free. I really like the Chief Architect softwares, which I think are user friendly. Different versions vary in price, depending on the features you want/need. Some do construction calculations, and also landscaping design work, but some are more about interiors, and cost less. Also, older versions cost less, and those are usually available on Amazon, etc. However, Chief Architect is a Windows based software, so won't work on a Mac without Windows installed.

I found it VERY helpful in designing our house to be able to do layouts and see my ideas in 3D. Somethings that seemed good in my head didn't look at all good in 3D, so I could've had a very bad surprise had I not seen it first. It also enabled me to tweak colors and other design and function details until they were the best I could manage. I got to really know my kitchen space before it even existed.

One of my first ideas, seen from different angles:

Plan Renderings, trying different materials and colors:

Current Result for comparison:

There are also elevation types of renderings for more clarity on details:

And the floorplans look like this:

I'm also a big fan of Home Designer (by Chief Architect). Much easier learning curve than SketchUp, great support, really good video tutorials, excellent user forums for help, and you can upgrade as needed for reasonable amounts.

If you do take a look at Chief Architect, make sure to look under the "Home Designer" version(s), since that's the line for consumers and is much, much cheaper than the "Chief Architect" series (and is essentially the same software (at least in the lower tiers of both software sets), with the limitation you can't use it commercially). They have trial versions and because of the decent upgrade policy it's a good idea to start with a lower level and move up as you need features. Interiors is a good starting place. (though I ended up at Architectural and there is one feature I covet from Pro Home Designer but it's not worth an extra $300 to me).

Home Designer:

Chief Architect:

One fun feature is that you can 'paint' surfaces with your own photos. E.g. the countertop in the Home Designer image below used an actual photo of our slab:

Thank you!!!

What's $199 if it helps avoid $$$$ mistakes? LOL

My kitchen layout cannot be changed w/o a major investment, which is not worth it to me as I don't cook that much and I won't be able to return it at resale, so it pretty much comes to changing counters and cabinets.

Do you think I need Architectural or Suite would do?

I'll check out IKEA as well.

I use VP SmartDraw. It's also $199, but I found it MUCH easier to figure out & use than Chief Architect. They have a 'try it before you buy it' offer--7 day free trial. I highly recommend downloading the free trial and see what you think before you buy. After laying out the money for Chief Architect and having a difficult time using it, I didn't want to take anymore chances (thank goodness I had a 90 day return window on the CA software!) Here's what I drew with SmartDraw: my layout (underneath the finishes are the actual cabinet dimensions and specs), my initial elevations (they ended up changing slightly) & actual pics of the finished product...

Hope this helps!

Here is a link that might be useful: SmartDraw VP Link

Oh, thank you, mydreamhome!

It is good to hear about the 90-day return on CA and the free trial VP SD!

I am pretty good at learning new software but I also suffering from a "software-fatigue" as I have used way too many and my (mommy) brain is "on strike", LOL.

I'll post my kitchen plan as soon as I have time to figure out one of them.

Thank you everyone!!!

eleena--the 90 day return was on the CA downloaded directly from CA site. I would double check if they still offer the refund before I forked out the money for it. If you pick it up in your local Target, Office Depot, etc, you can't return it once opened. The SmartDraw is a free download minus some (IMO) minor bells & whistles, period. The clock starts ticking from the time you download and goes through 7 days. After that, if you purchase, you get 100% usability. If you choose not to purchase, you can still view the designs/layouts you did with the software, but you can't make any changes to them anymore. I think it took me maybe a couple hours to figure out 99% of Smartdraw on my own without reading the instructions by playing around with it. The next day, I was well into my first full house floor plan.

Thank you, mydreamhome!

BTW, I don't think I have mentioned how much I like your house.

I have specific questions about it and will ask separately later, if you don't mind. :-)

I have a Mac and I tried "Live Interior 3d" standard version which was about $50 to download. I used the free trial and input my measurements. It was simple enough, so I bought the program. Once I bought it, I found the kitchen layout, cabinetry, etc. to be limited and cumbersome to use. I ended up going back to my graph paper and pencil.

No problem eleena. Thanks for the compliments! You can email me via the link on my page if you like or just put a post up.

I use Microsoft's PowerPoint...but no "3-D" views.