Lynn, I am using Realtime Architect Pro. I have designed on a drafting table for over 30 years, and just converted to computer design this year. I am thrilled with the capability of the software. It does everything that much more expensive software can do. It's price is around $400, and the products I reviewed were over $1000.00. I researched it quite a bit, and think it is the best bang for the buck hands down.

I think trying to use "simple" and "easy" is a trap. It took me about 60 hours of trial and error to figure out how to use the software, but the tech support was incredibly helpful, and when I got competely stuck, a phone call always resulted in getting me through. Simple and easy, I don't think would have the capability to produce highly professional designs.

You may be much more computer savvy than me, so your learning process may be easier. Good luck, hope the input helps.

If you don't need to have it as precise as you would if you were doing this for a living, you may want to look at Showoff.com. It's free and has helped us out a lot! We've changed things around a bit at times because of how it looked ultimately. It's a fun and easy enough tool that provides a reasonable look of the end product. For most homeowner applications, this is more then you'll need IMO.

We submitted some mock ups of the yard to the HOA and they were VERY appreciative.

Good luck!