Home Remodeling Software
"The Sims" is a computer game that kids enjoy a great deal that allows them to create a world with simulated people in it (called Sims) that live I little virtual homes that the operator can decorate, manipulate and change. If you have ever played this game or watched a youth play it, you may have looked at that game's amazing ability to simulate a home design and then allow the player to change it and thought, "What a great way to simulate remodeling your own home".
The computer software people are way ahead of you. There are programs that will allow you to simulate virtually every aspect of remodeling your home from the changes you wish to make to the structure to your home to the decorating process to the furniture and landscaping if you want to take it that far. These programs are not games but they were built on sophisticated computer tools called CAD, which stands for "Computer Aided Design". Not that long ago CAD programs were very expensive and only for engineers to use. But the technology has made its way to the desktop which means you and I can get copies of remodeling software that uses these same principles to let you step through the entire remodeling process in a virtual environment right on your PC.
These programs are applications of some serious research in computer design so they are not intended to be games. But despite that fact, when you get your copy of software package that lets you "play" with remodeling your home, it is inevitable that you are going to have a lot of fun experimenting with the process. Many home DIY stores like Home Depot or Loews sell or give these programs away because part of the functionality of the programs is that they can help you create a materials list when your design is done which you can take straight to the store and buy the materials to get started.
Before you get that far, the first thing you will do is to design your own home. That exercise alone is fun as you lay out a virtual world simulation of your home. When you save that "template", you can then take that base and start to redesign your home right there on the computer screen. You can move walls, add a bathroom or remodel your kitchen all with simple click and play buttons on the software screen like you are used to using with any computer program.
The range of things you can do with this kind of software is amazing. You can even "buy" new furniture to put in your remodeled home to see how you like it. The program will let you download "icons" or little computer pictures of the furniture and other items that might go into a remodeling project and move them around to your heart's content. You can save multiple versions of projects to go back and look at later or if you totally mess up your house, just delete the current model and start over. It is truly the easiest and most fun way to plan your remodeling project.