I don't know about HGTV's but Better Homes and Garden's Powerful Home Design Software is awesome. My friend used it to design their home and then loaned it to me to work on our remodel. I love it! Both builders that we contacted to do our work were really impressed with the plans. Here I am even able to use the plans to get permits without paying hefty fees that a contractor/builder would do. It is an easy program to learn too. Hope this helps!

Below is a link on the software we used on our kitchen remodel. We area also using it for the whole house. Here is a link that might be useful: Design Software Info on My Blog

I recommend Chief Architect's Home Designer products. I've used Home Designer Architectural. You might be able to use Home Designer Suite, which is half the price. You have to be willing to invest some time to learn the programs, but for me it was fun to learn. They have a great library of information, video tutorials, etc. They also have a good forum if you're stuck on something. For remodeling and decorating, you can create objects of the exact dimension you're interested in, import pictures, and visualize your space very effectively. You can download a trial version of any of their programs to see what might meet your needs. https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/products/ I've seen a lot of positive reviews of SketchUp which may be free, but I haven't used it myself. Good luck!

You are making the mistake of equating the tool to the wielder of the tool. Software is just an electronic #2 pencil. If you can’t do it already, electrons won’t help. To be the wielder of the pencil, you learn by making mistakes during that 10 years of experience in the trades. There is no shortcut. The only software that some builders use is BuilderTrend, and that is just a fancy pencil for the experienced to use. It won’t tell you jack if you don’t already know it. Its like trying to find out how to sculpt marble from YouTube video. You can learn a bit about selecting stone, and maybe about tool choices. But until you’ve held the tool in your hand and given it a go yourself, all of the information in the world is useless. And it’s actually a hindrance to you hiring a stone sculptor.