One of the worst things that can happen when you renovate or build new is having to rip down finished work because of a design flaw or mistake. It’s really frustrating, expensive and a huge waste of time. This is where the best home design software for your project can help.
We’ve tested many (and I mean many) design software products over the years and as a result we’ve published an extensive list of articles that lists/discusses the leading options for a variety of rooms, structures and projects.
Below you can access our individual articles that set out several leading options.
A. Our Free Design Software Options
We offer 2 free design software options. One is 3D online home and room plan software. The other is a room color paint visualizer software offering (also entirely online). Check them out:
1) Free Interior and Home Design Software
Click here for our free home design software. No download needed. It’s all online.
2) Free Kitchen Design Software
Are you designing a new kitchen? Kitchen reno?
Check out this amazing FREE kitchen design software. Loads of design features. Create any layout. Attention to detail is second-to-none.
3) Free Floor Plan Design Software
Do you need to create floor plans? If so, read on because this is cool.
Check out this FREE floor plan software to create amazing 3D floor plan designs just like the example shown above. Yes, you can also do the more simple 2D designs… in fact, that’s the better format to design your floor plan layouts with.
4) Free Paint Visualizer Software
Click here to use our free online room color paint visualizer software. With this software you can upload interior and exterior photos of your home and then mix and match hundreds of different paint colors.
B. Other Interior Design Software Options
Renovating or planning a home is a lot of work, both at the planning stage and in actually doing the renovation work. We have several friends going through some serious renovations currently and it’s a seemingly never-ending process… but it’s sure cool to see their results.
If you’re starting a renovation, consider trying some planning software. Check out the many options below.
1) 27 Interior Design Software Options
This is our flagship article where we comprehensively cover 23 free and paid home design software options with a focus on interiors. There are basic 2D free floor plan software options as well as much more robust 3D room and home design software options – both free and paid.
Click here for interior design software options
2) 24 of the Best Kitchen Design Software Options
Sometimes less is more and if you’re simply renovating your kitchen, you just need kitchen design software. Fortunately, there are specific kitchen software options but more likely you’ll opt for a comprehensive option that designs kitchens as well as other aspects of your home.
Our article explains each option in detail. From there you can choose.
Click here for kitchen design software
3) 8 Closet Design Software Options
This is a fun article because let’s face it, coming up with clever storage ideas is fun. At least I like it. Closets are storage systems, whether a simple reach-in closet or an expansive walk-in closet.
If it’s a closet you’re designing, we got your covered with our in-depth article canvassing all the main closet design software options.
Click for closet design software
4) 16 Living Room Software Options
Living room design isn’t nearly as complicated as kitchens or bathrooms, but it’s still important to have a plan. If you like using software, it may well be worth getting floor plan software to sketch out a living room design. Even a simple 2D design with free floor plan software can help you out. However, you can opt for more comprehensive options that will help you choose furniture, wall colors, flooring, lighting and more.
See living room design software options here
5) 5 Virtual Paint Color Software Options
Paining a room or rooms is a simple and inexpensive way to dramatically change the interior look and feel. Arguably, the hardest part of the entire exercise is choosing the right color.
That’s where virtual paint color software can come in handy. These software options let you upload images and then you can apply different colors to the walls, floors and ceilings. This gives you an idea of what the room will look like with various colors.
While virtual paint software isn’t a replacement for doing some testing, it can help you narrow your options early on in the research phase.
Click here for Paint Visualizer software options
6) 16 Bathroom Design Tools
If you’re designing a bathroom, whether a renovation or building a new home, you could definitely benefit from a bathroom design tool such as online software.
We have an article setting out 16 great bathroom design tools. Check them out:
Click for bathroom design tools
7) Home Theater Design Software
If you want to add a home theater to your home, whether in the basement or an extra room or go all out with an addition, the starting point is to design it. Optimally you’ll design it with AV design software.
Click here for Home Theater Design Software
8) 9 Best Interior Design Apps in iOS and Google Play Stores
Check out this shortlist of the best paid and free interior design apps from iOS and Google Play.
Click here for the best interior design apps
9. Floor Design Software
If you’re getting new flooring or want new flooring, a great place to start is to use a floor visualizer. A floor visualizer is online software that enables you to visualize different flooring options in a room. Most let you upload your own image or use a provided room image.
We put together a list of the best floor design visualizers. Check it out:
Click here for floor design software (visualizers).
10. Wall Art Visualizer Software
When you want to see what a piece of art will look like on your wall, you need what’s called wall art visualizer software. Yes, people do think of everything.
The software options we set out are very easy to use. For the most part you upload an image of your room and then an image of the art. Assess and decide. It’s pretty cool. Check them out:
Click here for all wall art visualizer options
C. Outside, Exteriors and Structure Software
These days there’s software for everything including many aspects outside the home. Below you can access our feature articles and videos on a fleet of various design software options for outside your home.
1) 12 Landscape and Garden Design Software Options
If you have a hard time picturing a variety of flowers and plants in a garden, it may be worth getting landscape or gardening software to sketch out some garden layouts first. This can help you plan out your budget and which plants, flowers, trees, shrubs, etc. to buy and then how to organize them for best effect.
However, quality landscape design software doesn’t end there. The paid options offer a full suite of outdoor design features such as decks, pools, patios, retaining walls, home exteriors, lighting … pretty much every design element you may require for your yard.
Click for landscape design software options
2) 14 Deck Design Software Options
Deck design software is highly sought after because many people build their own deck, yet it’s a complex structure that really requires a plan.
While you can buy deck plans, these are typically generic and may require some customization which is where the software can help. Or, you simply wish to design your deck from scratch to best meet the space, aesthetic design and sought features.
Click for deck design software options
3) 10 Fence Design Software Options
While fence software isn’t popular because it’s not a terribly complex project, it can be helpful in calculating material needs and experimenting with various looks. There are a lot of fencing options out there such as pre-built panels in wood or vinyl which makes fence building pretty easy. Most people go this route which requires merely figuring out how many panels and posts are needed.
See fence design software options here
4) 9 Garage Design Software Options
In our neck of the woods, more and more people are building garage structures with units for rent above the parking area. This can be a very good investment because of the rents you receive… enjoying rental income without tenants actually in your home, but instead in a separate structure. After all, if you need a garage, why not get the most out of the structure by making it an income-producing structure.
That said, there are many other uses for garage structures; not just rental suites. The upper level can be anything you want; truly bonus space.
See garage design software here
5. Shipping Container Home Design Software
More and more people are looking to create unique, stylish homes from shipping containers. Fortunately, there’s also home design software specifically for designing homes built from shipping containers.
We put together a great list of container design software. Check it out:
Click here for shipping container software options
6. Shed Design Software
Sheds are a great feature for any backyard. It’s terrific for storage or as an additional room. We have one and use it for storage, but they can be used for many purposes. Here’s the good news – you can design your own custom shed using some really great software. We put together a terrific list of such software. Check it out:
Click here for 6 shed software options
7. Gazebo Design Software
If you want to design and build a gazebo, get some gazebo design software. There are several good options. We list them out and provide a lot of screenshots showing you what the software does.
Click here for gazebo design software
8. Log Home Design Software
Do you want to build a log home? They are truly stunning structures. Like so much in design, a good place to start is the design stage. Software can help. We put together a great list log home software design tools.
Click here for log home design software and tools
9. Tiny Home Design Software
Tiny homes are popular. Perhaps they’ve had their heyday, but I suspect not as home prices rise and as many of us become more environmentally aware. Tiny homes are far more efficient and use up far less resources. Perhaps not ideal for families with kids, they can be a terrific option for couples or single folks.
The starting point is designing such a home. That’s where the following article can help where we list 6 different software platforms that design tiny homes. Check them out:
10. Playhouse Design Software
Do you want to design and build a playhouse for your kids? If so, consider using one of several playhouse design software programs. Check it out:
Click for playhouse design software options
11. Home Exterior Visualizer Software Options
If you want to visualize different elements of your home exterior such as roof shingles, siding, exterior color, exterior material, trim, windows and more, check out our list of free home exterior visualizer software options.
Click here for home exterior software options
12. Front Door Visualizer Software
Don’t guess which front door you should get. Visualize it with free online front door visualize software. Yes, it exists and it’s easy to use. Fun too. There are loads of doors to choose from. Check these out.
Click here for front door visualizer software
13. Professional Architect Software (Pro-Grade)
If you’re a professional architect or simply want the very best building and structure design software, you have to check out our list of the best architect software options. This stuff isn’t cheap, but the results are as good as it gets.
Click here for architect software options.
That wraps up our main articles of home design software options. As you can see, there are plenty of options for each room of the home as well as structures. Of course, having many options makes choosing not so easy.
TIP: I own a license to Chief Architect. It’s an outstanding home design software platform. If you’re investing a lot of money into renovations, the cost of this software options isn’t very much in the overall scheme of things.
