I am not one who has software but the link below is from a GW thread discussion in Dec 2012/ Feb 2013. I googled gardenweb kitchen design software and several threads came up. This was the most recent with the most entries. Maybe other GWers will check in to give you more help. Here is a link that might be useful: GW design software discussion

For those asking for pictures, here's one from the street: I totally understand Virgil's (and others) concerns -- rest assured we have already spoken with a few local professionals and we're very close to hiring an experienced residential designer. Reading over several threads the past few days (special thanks to ArchitectRunnerGuy) has helped me to understand the design process better. It has also allowed me an opportunity to see things from an architect's point of view -- I get how it could be frustrating to always have clients bringing in their suggested floor plans... what was the phrase I saw on here somewhere? It was like "bringing a fast food burger to a gourmet buffet" :-) I think for us, attempting to draw up our own ideas was just an exercise to force us to consider all the details and the push/pull of different needs and wants... and we figured they would be a good jumping off point for discussion with whomever we hired. As I was searching for different perspectives, I stumbled upon this site and saw some amazing threads where people were collaborating and building off each other. That's what inspired me to post our "armchair architect" layouts. Even if we hire the best architect we can find, some creative and wonderful idea may come out the collective wisdom on this site that could have otherwise been missed... One thing ARG's other threads have helped me to understand is that even having a few sketches of ideas still doesn't effectively communicate all the reasons why to an architect. You can't just hand over those ideas and say "here, start with this, but make it 10 times better". The design charrette process he described is really the key to getting everyone on the same page. I've definitely learned better questions to ask when evaluating potential architects and designers ("Tell me about your process"). Getting back to question answering: Rockybird - this is in Georgia. There would be windows in the master, and the spare bedroom near the studio (although in Take 2, there's barely any exterior wall space left for one -- I caught that, but was out of ideas on how to make it better). The shared bath would technically be the only interior access to the Studio -- the whole idea is for my wife to be able to have clients in the studio without them having to come into our house. The shared bath is really just for cost savings... BTW, the current house faces north. As I've read more about the importance of south facing windows and light penetration, I see that both our ideas haven't been considerate of that and we would have some dark areas... Quinn - Wow is all I can think of to say right now! Thank you so much for your thoughtful and creative ideas. We had not considered layouts with the studio in the front of the house - that could definitely work, and yes the studio could be an L shape. One of the only reasons we were thinking it would be new construction was also due to cost savings -- other than a few more windows and HVAC, the studio space could pretty much be the same fit and finish as a garage -- bare concrete floors, etc. So we were hoping the cost per square foot to build that could be cheaper... I like your placement for the garage and "bumping in" the L shaped addition to be more respectful of the original house. And I love that the squirrelly hallway bothered you so much you had to come back the next day and make it better. I'd love to know what software you're using... seeing exterior renders really helps me visualize what the completed addition could look like. We are in complete agreement about hallways - we tried our best to eliminate them too. As for keeping things on one level -- for the studio it's pretty important. We have a two story house now and some of my wife's equipment is upstairs. She has tons of gear (lights, backdrops, etc.) and sometimes travels to clients. She is quite tired of the multiple trips up and down the stairs... Depending on the cost savings, we would be willing to consider putting the game room and/or a 3rd bedroom and bath upstairs. I think that's all for now. Thanks again to everyone for contributing, and I'll be sure to update this as things progress.

For anyone curious, here is a YouTube playlist showing the capabilities of Home Designer Pro ($495). Suite ($99) is very similar and still fully 3D. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqOuoZKrHpQ&list=PL7J4ch5cuz99pBDuLJ5a8Nt6l3DSmTTCW&index=1 I respond to questions at the Home Designer forum and find many people are using the software to build a 3D model of the house. They want to see what many Architects and designers seem unable to provide -- what is the house going to look like? Many people find it difficult to translate a 2D floorplan and elevations into a three dimensional representation of their house. They often want to experiment with colors, place furniture and other objects inside. Some use it to meet HOA requirements, or for small projects where construction document requirements are minimal.

Does anyone have any suggestions for free floor plan software? I just want to make a single simple 2D floor plan for a house that I rent out. It doesn't even need to show furniture, but I wouldn't mind if it did. I just want to show room location and sizes and I'd prefer not to have to draw it up on paper. :-) I'd be willing to pay about $10 if free isn't an option, but it needs to be really easy to use.