Review by Paul M. Provencher

I have used early versions of this product. I must confess it was some time ago. Notwithstanding, I found this product a joy to use, with most of the operations familiar and for new users, intuitive. There’s a lot to like about this version:nnEasy to InstallnRequires Internet Connection (High-Speed)nIncludesnTutorial Videos (Online)n- Home Designn- Kitchen and Bathn- Interior Designn- Decksn- LandscapingnnDesign Resourcesn- Find Plann- House Wizardn- Users Guiden- HomeTalk Forumn- Product UpdatesnnBonus Contentn- Event Planningn- Furniture Space PlanningnnHelp and IndexnHome Designer SupportnnIf you’re playing around with the idea of designing your own home, or doing some updates to your existing home, this is a great tool. You have several features that make it easy to plan and then visualize your home as you have designed it. The 3-D views are impressive, and really give a sense of what you’re designing.

It’s important to have an up-to-date computer for this program because it requires fast video, plenty of memory (both RAM and hard-drive) and a large monitor makes working a lot more productive and pleasant.

If you’ve used similar products, you will find this familiar and easy to use. First time users should have a basic understanding of home design, and the ability to use fairly standard computer drawing tools. But whatever your skill level, this product is a blast and can easily become addictive. I spent a day measuring all the rooms in my home and then rendering it with this program. Then over a few years, executing the plans we made, knowing with pretty good confidence, what the finished product would look like!