Wandering around Home Depot until inspiration strikes is a terrible idea. If you've got a loose idea for a redesign, re-arrangement, or physical improvement to your house, apartment, or even a dorm room, we recommend these computer planning tools for the job.

What follows is a shortlist of digital tools for the job, listing the features they offer, the jobs they're best suited for helping with, and their strengths and weaknesses. Most of them are free, but we've noted the pricing for upgraded versions where applicable. We're leaving off tools like SolidWorks or AutoCAD/AutoDesk—if you have the time and licensing fees to get good with those, you're probably not looking for a free alternative.