As Divamum noted- I am amazed at the change in quality of life for our whole family. We went from tiny horrible nasty 1920's kitchen (fridge blocked a doorway, no counter space, stove blocked doorway, no vent....) to a marvelous kitchen that has the perfect feel. We captured 1920's charm with modern convenience. The space is so functional now- so much counterspace that it doesn't matter if there's a mess, there's still plenty of room. There's better lighting, more room all over. Not to mention a Wolf range that is amazing and a nice new fridge (Thermador freedom). Nothing hides in the back, nothing freezes in the fridge. We have this marvelous invention that is called a "dishwasher". My whole adult life I'VE been the dishwasher... On top of the function, there is beautiful soapstone that goes without oiling for months, and a beautiful floor of checkered marmoleum. Most of all, the function and space have now set me free to cook with my kids and throw dinners together after a long day out at work. We did tons of holiday baking and used cookie cutters for the first time (never had a clean enough, roomy enough kitchen to take that sort of time and care). The sheer space and pleasantness make the kitchen a focus for lots of living and entertainment. I'll also note the little desk we worked in to the side corner allows my husband or I to work late, but still be with family, and/or allows my daughter to do crafts galore. I knew I was yearning for a new kitchen, but I never thought it could make this kind of difference.

I have used Chief Architect for years but it is very pricy. A few years ago I switched to a MAC and was running Chief Arc through a partition (since I didn't want to pay for the MAC version) It became so cumbersome, I decided to look for a less expensive option. I found they make a "home" version for around $100: Home Designer Suite. It's very intuitive and MUCH easier to use than something like AutoCad. It automatically projects walls into 3D and you'll be able to use it for schematic designs and space planning in no time. Roofs, multiple floor plans, materials lists...they would all take a little longer to learn, but the information is out there. I also use Google Sketch-up (a free program) but it takes much longer to master (in my opinion!} Good Luck!

SketchUp is probably the best but not super easy to learn.

Your picture is much too small. Can you upload a larger one in a JPEG format? Off the top of my head, though, there is at least one bush that should be removed, because it is hiding the house.