There are dozens of home-improvement programs on computer emporium shelves. Some deal with all aspects of the home, from designing an entire house to landscaping the grounds; some are special project programs that deal only with kitchen remodeling, or bath remodeling. Prices range from about $10 to about $60. Some run under Windows, some under DOS. Because they generate graphics, they may require a fair amount of memory. Check your system capacity before you start shopping and be sure to read the system requirements on the software packaging.
Just to give you an idea of what's available, here's a sample of some of the programs found at a computer store recently.
* Basic Floorplan, Computer Easy Inc., Tempe, Ariz. $9.99. (602) 829-9614. Offers 100 object symbols, 16 colors, plans up to 27 million square feet.
* Floor Plan PLUS for Windows, Computer Easy Inc., Tempe, Ariz., $29.99. (602) 829-9614. Offers 100 object symbols, allows planning of wiring and plumbing, plans up to 16 layers.
* Visio Home, Shapeware Corp., Seattle, Wash., $59.99. (206) 521-4500. Drag-and-drop Windows operation, allows drawing home and landscape plans (also allows drawing greeting cards and maps).
* Home, the Home Series (also in series, Kitchen & Bath, Deck, Landscape), Autodesk Retail Products Division, Bothnell, Wash., $19.99. (800) 435-7771. DOS application that exports to CAD. Offers 2D and 3D, plan overview and elevation views, and such details as handrails for handicapped-accessible baths.
* 3D Home Architect, Broderbund, Novato, Calif., $59.99. (415) 382-4400. Windows application that offers 3D views and hundreds of object symbols, a "Rainbow" tool for experimenting with color; automatically labels dimensions and calculates area. CD-ROM version includes 150 house plans and some remodeling plans; you can order blueprints.
* Planix Home, Foresight Resources Corp., Kansas City, Mo. $59.99. (816) 891-1040. Windows application with 840 object symbols; includes floor plan planning, kitchens, interiors and landscape design.
* 3D Landscape, Books That Work, Palo Alto, Calif., $43.98. (800) 242-4546. Windows application with more than 400 specimen symbols that can be searched according to climate, soil, light and water needs. "Growth over Time" feature plus "Shadow Caster" feature show how shadows will fall at any time of the day. Slope feature for planning landscapes on contours. Plant and materials estimator to calculate costs of a design. How-to guide on principles, techniques includes animation.
* LandDesign for Windows, Spinnaker Software Corp., Newport Beach, Calif., $49.99. (714) 975-0890. Windows-compatible drag-and-drop operation with more than 300 symbols, allows designing of landscapes, gardens, walkways and sprinkler systems (the model can be "turned on" to check coverage); automatically calculates cost and quantity of all plants and materials in a design.
* Garden Architect for Windows, Swift Platinum, Rancho Dominguez, Calif. $9.99. (310) 833-2000. Drag-and-drop operation; capacity to create unlimited objects; time-lapse feature to see how landscapes will look in future.