OK guys, I know. Just seems that sometimes a simple question sets off a firestorm. I enjoy trying to visualize projects before I bring out the shovels. I use Showoff, Photoshop, and even Paint to take a photo of the area I am fooling around with and trying different combinations of things until something clicks. It doesn't even have to be a true representation of the specific plants- sometimes just drawing out some bones and different shapes to balance things can be incredibly helpful to me. I choose my exterior colors this way, my roof color, bed placement, plants groupings, hardscapes, and so on. So while such novice timewasting might be useless to someone trained in the art of landscape design it can be incredibly useful to someone who is not. I know what I like but can't always call it right up- I need to finagle things on paper/screen before I commit. If we want to play with it what's the harm? Some of us enjoy the process of learning what works and what doesn't work and while of course not every eventual problem will show up on a simple program, some things do work this way. I don't want to hire someone to make decisions for me, and them bam do an installation and it's done. I want to continue to work the area and improve it in a way that pleases me and satisfies my own needs while at the same time providing me a fun hobby. I want it to look great, too, but I want it to be my creation. I'm way off course and apologize for butting in. But I still say it's fun to play around with the programs available even if they aren't 100% accurate or fluent in teaching design.

The key issue is whether you are trying to design the house or create construction documents - two very different goals. Many homeowners tend to think of the "design" of a house as a "plan" when, in reality, it is just one of many ways to help someone to visualize the actual design and it is not always a very good one for complex designs. Plans, elevations, details and schedules work well for builders because they aren't trying to evaluate the overall design, only build the house one piece at a time. IMHO nothing compares to SketchUp for preliminary design at any price (SketchUp basic is free, SketchUp Pro is $495, the Student version of Pro is $49/year and a trial version of Pro is free.) Since it is unlikely a homeowner will have the knowledge to draw a set of construction documents I would suggest sticking to preliminary design and hiring someone with the proper experience to do the rest. A SketchUp model can be easily looked at in plan view especially with the Section Tool shown in the link below. It doesn't take a skilled drafter much time to enter the information from a SketchUp model into a 2D CAD file because the drafter can use the tape measure tool to find all of the dimensions (if they are not already labeled in the model) and it is possible to import a 2D version into almost any CAD program (Pro has DXF export and the free version will need a plugin script that is available free online.) SketchUp may seem intuitive and for a grade school student it is but for a house designer it has so many valuable features that it requires taking a course at a school or online to be used effectively. You should study and experiment for a month before starting to design your house. There are books available at Amazon and online courses from SketchUp and from SketchUp for Dummies/aidanchopra.com. When I open a SketchUp model from 10 years ago I am surprised at how few of the features I was able to use. There is never an end to learning with any CAD program. Each new version of the software adds incredible features. SketchUp view inside model

Except for a topographic survey of the property and a photo or two to help convey your preferences in interior and exterior style, I suggest you not bring any visuals--especially plans--or even a bubble diagram to your architect. Focus on articulating your lifestyle needs in a way that doesn't pre-suppose a particular design or dictate a room arrangement. Then work in collaboration with your architect and your builder to develop the design following a process like Architectrunnerguy outlined. Contrast these two approaches: Typical Approach: We need a large, 16'x 18' kitchen with an island that's 4' x 8' minimum with a granite top to accommodate at least 5 bar stools facing away from the range (I don't like people looking at me when I cook.) We need a 10' x 12' round or octagonal breakfast nook to accommodate our existing table (which was my grandmother's and we can't part with it.) We're planning on installing some big hunkin', guest-jaw-dropping appliances that I've been saving for over the past 10 years. I'm really having a hard time deciding between the 48" model A and model B range and whether to go with stainless or paneled appliances. Of course, we wouldn't install panels on the range, unless we could find coordinating metal panels with the antique glazed look that I crave and a sliding door so we could look in the oven window without opening the door. I picked out the granite 10 years ago, too, so check that off the list. I'm thinking to do painted perimeter cabinets with the island in a contrasting color. I want a double-bowl under-mount stainless steel sink with a 10 hp model XYZ disposal for each bowl (one would function as a back up in the event of a failure and both would be capable of grinding tree stumps so we can save on site clearing cost.) I desperately need a pull-down faucet that's long enough to fill pasta pots on the stove across the kitchen (that should save money compared with a dedicated pot-filler faucet.) I want my cabinets to have a traditional look, and I want one of those curved French Country range hoods maybe in copper if that's not a budget buster. And I want a walk-in pantry big enough to qualify for its own zip code and a butler pantry between the kitchen and formal dining room. And I've carefully planned this out on graph paper with 1/4" squares so all you need to do is "draw it up." Alternative Approach: We are pretty informal people. We're not gourmet cooks (the microwave is the most used appliance in our kitchen,) we don't host formal parties (our existing dining room is a museum) and we tend to gather around our kitchen island for most meals. We'd like the kitchen designed to have lots of natural light, and to take advantage of the views toward the rear of the property. We'd like the kitchen design to consider our aging in place and the special needs of one of our children who lives with us. We shop for, and stock up on staples and paper goods on sale, and we'd like adequate storage for those items.

You are a dare devil for chopping off the deck on your split ranch, and I love it. I just had a blast scribbling on your house too! Your last inspiration pic gives you a great spring board. Focus on creating new squares and rectangles that align with and distract from your current windows. Create a shallow trellis around the first floor doors - center the left on the middle of your 2nd story triple doors, and center the right on the middle of your 2nd story double windows. Make an iron railing outside the second story doors, a very shallow balcony the same depth as the trellis and line it with some pots of greenery. Make a rectangular hedge around the patio to give more geometry for the eye to focus on away from the wall of the house. Add in ground trees on the left, with some heft. Towards the middle and right go for tall evergreens set in urns, mixed with some shorter ones. Something else needs to happen with the second story far left window and far right double windows. Not sure what.