We are facing that exact decision! We love the freedom of a Mac because we are computer dummies. But, as we are trying to design our retirement cottage without an architect and I obsess over proportions (Will a 24" linen closet door look too big in our tiny hallway?), I really need a way to see 3D designs of our plans. I've down-loaded Google Sketch Up, which looks to be a powerful tool, but the house will be finished before I get the hang of it. Last night Hubby took me to the library because Merillat looks to have an awesome, easy-to-use but powerful 3D kitchen designer but couldn't use it because it requires downloading some software onto "your" computer. Maybe a cheap PC is the answer. What design software do you use?

From what I understand, there is no recycle collection so I am not sure how we will handle trash. We are so used to recycling in our primary home. So they could get tossed together, but may not hurt to have a recycle bin in case they change eventually (or if we find some recycle containers somewhere ourselves). The trash will go out the back sliders. That is a good point on the island.. we were thinking of a longer island, somewhere around 80"+ to have comfortable seating for 3 and then possibly a smaller stool around the side for overflow seating (more likely a kid if we are at the dining table) and maybe even squeeze in a 2nd smaller stool as needed) . We were just discussing if we would want the larger ikea slab (97x25.6) and cut the length to ~80" but run them side by side to have a wider island-but that seems awfully big. We will have to test out the various overhangs to see what is comfortable. I imagine it would be the kids there alot or the ladies sipping a nice drink while I prep/cook. Not sure how we would use the rest of the space if the cabinets ran 24" deep in the island. Then we are left with 24+" of overhang behind it. Overkill? I will check out the ikea fans web as well! thanks-peeked at it , but seems beyond what I can absorb right now! They are very clever with all their tricks! Not sure I understand it all.

Your welcome sayde. Don't forget to get the Bonus Packs too. When I started using it three months ago, I just did my kitchen. It was very useful and allowed me to visualize my new kitchen. But then I realized that I needed to see more of the house because I was knocking down a wall and I was curious about the sightlines. So I went back to the drawing board. After a few weeks of measuring almost everything, I now have my entire first floor sketched. I can now do a complete walkthrough. I have to say, it's pretty accurate too. It's almost like being in my house. I'm not sure about the Mac version, but at least for the PC version there is a really good rendering plugin, SUPodium, that's also free. It allowed me to see the lighting effects. I put in some cans, pendants and undercabinets. All I can say is wow.

@julieste The general contractor will do everything EXCEPT install the cabinets. Traemand doesn't doe the construction work but you will need your final design BEFORE your general contractor can get started as they need to know exact measurements and where all the electrical and plumbing needs to be. Our process was: 1) Come up with our design and find a general contractor. This meant measuring, measuring, measuring and checking with a contractor (electrician, plumber, hvac) to make certain what we wanted was even possible as we needed to move plumbing, electrical, A/C ducts, and remove a wall. I played around on the IKEA site (very frustrating but also very educational) and finally paid $300 to Inspired Kitchen Design (IKD) to do a couple of design options for me. I learned about IKD here on Houzz and although their designs weren't perfect they did help me refine what I wanted. Once I had their design I went to IKEA (a few times) and also had them do a design for me which they sent to Traemand for an estimate on the installation costs. I didn't buy the cabinets or contract for installation because I didn't want the cabinets delivered and in the way during construction, but I did have a good idea of the costs. 2) Construction was done by a general contractor. In our area no one has experience or wants to do the installation of IKEA cabinets so first we had to find someone who was willing to do just the construction portion and let me use IKEA to do the cabinet install. You don't want someone unfamiliar with the IKEA system to learn on your kitchen install so make certain if you have non-IKEA people do it that they are very experienced. We had lots of construction work to be done before we got to the cabinet installation. I removed a wall to open the space up to our TV room, we then had to build a small wall to bring electrical to the island, we removed a dropped ceiling, moved all of the AC ductwork that was in the way of my new kitchen plan, put in all new lighting and ran new electrical wiring, and then put in a new high ceiling, and moved the plumbing line to the sink. The general contractor does all that work before you get to the cabinet installation. They need detailed design plans to assure that everything is going to fit perfectly when the cabinets are installed. 3) Once we got to a point where we had a ceiling and walls we could have the cabinets installed. I ordered the cabinets about midway through the process and had them delivered but waited to finalize an install date. During that period my contractor had questions about how the island would be secured, who would build the base for my peninsula, etc. I was able to talk with the Traemand estimator to get the questions answered. That process was actually much easier than I anticipated. I had Traemand build the peninsula base (I was using upper cabinets as lower cabinets and they have no legs so they need to rest on something, plus I was installing a floor AFTER installation of the cabinets so I needed to assure enough clearance that the doors would open after the floor install.) 4) IKEA/Traemand installed the cabinets. That was a two day job. When they left the appliances were in place but not hooked up, electrical work needs to be completed, countertops need to be templated and installed, plumbing needs to be reconnected. 5) The countertop man came the following day @Hannah(he is part of my general contractor agreement, not IKEA) and measured, You don't need to use IKEA countertops. I'm actually using two countertop people as I have a mix of quartz counters in my prep areas and a wooden bartop that is being made by a different person. 6) After my counters are installed (about 3 weeks from now) the tile person will come to do the backsplash, and finally the electrician will be back to finish the electrical hookup, hang the hood, etc. and the plumber will come to hook up the sink, dishwasher, etc. It seems like it has taken forever but I've done remodels before and have tremendous patience with the process. We also had Thanksgiving and Christmas in the middle of our construction which slowed things down. My husband mentioned that my first email to a contractor about getting this project started was Feb 1, 2019 so it will be just over a year from start to finish. Actual construction didn't start until Nov 11 when they did the demo of my old kitchen so I figure we will have had about three months of actual construction.