Thank you ninigret. I completely agree with what you are saying. We are in the chicago area and most of the houses which are rehab cost a fortune and hence we are considering a remodel project house which is not as expensive as a ready to move it.

its very short term less expensive tho, and something it took me years/3 houses to understand. we 'cheaped out' and bought an 800K house instead of the 950K. and within 5 years invested 400K adding a 'missing room' , general upgrades, and redoing just the kitchen. the bathrooms arent even done yet! unwise! sure we didnt have to pay it out all at once but if you are going to buy cheap + redo or buy pricier, all redone... ugh. not to mention finding someone to do the work.... and then you never really get your money back. better to take advantage of someone else's bad ROI.

if you arent the one who can do the tiling and plumbing and a lot of the labor, eyes open!

Save time and money and contact a local architect.

Wouldn't that be really expensive?

Contact a few and find out if it is expensive.

Years ago I had to repair my car. It was "too expensive" to have the shop do the work, so I did it myself. After several days of working on the car and many bandaids, I discovered how inexpensive the shop was.

it sounds like you want to have a diy project?
that could work, though there are some things to consider first. do you have any experience at design? or can you dedicate considerable time and effort to researching?
if you do, you could possibly redo the kitchens and bathrooms diy. you'd need to understand the principles of design of these areas, understand zones, how plumbing is affected, distances required according to codes and comfort, and so on.
You'd also need to function as your own designer, pick out good quality materials that work together, avoid and solve the problems along the way, co-ordinate and deal with all the trades you bring in.
if you intend breaking and building walls, you could do with an architect to find out how best to use and build on what you have. If you won't be changing much, you could give that pass
You could also work with some pros, not all. for instance, if you do thorough research on your materials, you could do without a designer doing that for you.
but the easier way, if you don't have the necessary skills, is to hire pros, get someone experienced specifically in kitchen and bathroom remodels.
yes, pros come at a price. mistakes come at a bigger price. The second is seldom negotiable, never pleasant.
In any case, software isn't your starting point. You're able to shove around a few cabinets and toilets, but this gives you no knowledge on making spaces work and flow, cost effective solutions, aesthetic harmony... If you decide to go the full diy route, research through a good book or website on kitchen and bathrooms. Maybe take a short course in kitchens and bathrooms to get more of an understanding. it will take a while, but if you want to diy and have a good end result, it will be worth it.
I suppose you don't have house yet? you'd need to sketch plans and changes. you need to decide on your budget, how many bathrooms you'd be re doing, what about existing bathrooms you could live with/ inexpensive short term upgrades you can do.
I'm not saying you can't do it. I'm saying you know best whether you can do it. You may even know someone close to you who's more clued up on renos and can oversee the project with you. but a good pro can make this a lot easier