Outdoor furniture planner

How to use the outdoor furniture planner

Plan a patio layout before moving or buying outdoor furniture. Set a rectangular or round patio, choose furniture quantities, and check whether the arrangement fits.

1. Choose Rectangle or Round for the patio shape.
2. Enter the patio Length and Width, or enter its Diameter.
3. Set the quantity for each furniture type.
4. Set the fire pit seating clearance when a fire pit is included.
5. Select Auto-arrange, then drag, rotate, or nudge pieces to refine the plan.

What to enter

Patio shape

Choose Rectangle or Round.

Length

For a rectangular patio, enter the length in feet. The default is 20 ft, with a minimum of 4 ft and 0.5-ft steps.

Width

For a rectangular patio, enter the width in feet. The default is 16 ft, with a minimum of 4 ft and 0.5-ft steps.

Diameter

For a round patio, enter the diameter in feet. The default is 16 ft, with a minimum of 4 ft and 0.5-ft steps.

Dining set for 4

Choose 0 to 2 sets.

Dining set for 6

Choose 0 to 2 sets. The default is 1.

Dining set for 8

Choose 0 or 1 set.

Lounge sectional

Choose 0 or 1 sectional.

Chaise lounge

Choose 0 to 4 chaise lounges.

Fire pit

Choose 0 or 1 fire pit. The default is 1.

Grill

Choose 0 or 1 grill. The default is 1.

Fire pit seating clearance

Set the distance from the fire pit to the front of the seats. Choose 36, 42, or 48 in. The default is 42 in.

Example: Arrange furniture on a 20 × 16 ft patio

Start with the default Rectangle patio: Length 20 ft, Width 16 ft, one Dining set for 6, one Fire pit, and one Grill. The planner opens with a 42 in fire pit seating clearance. Select Auto-arrange to place the pieces, then drag a piece to adjust it. The plan shows a 320 sq ft patio because 20 × 16 = 320, along with the square footage covered by the furniture. If a piece overlaps another item, extends beyond the patio, or conflicts with the fire pit clearance, the plan marks the issue so you can move or rotate the piece.

How the planner works

The planner converts patio dimensions entered in feet to inches for its layout. It uses built-in footprints for each furniture type and places the selected quantities with Auto-arrange. The top view uses a grid in which 1 grid square represents 1 ft. The layout checker compares the furniture positions with the patio boundary, other pieces, and the selected fire pit seating clearance. You can move pieces in 3 in snaps, nudge them with the arrow keys, use Shift plus an arrow key for a 12 in nudge, and rotate the selected piece.

Reading the results

The plan reports whether the arrangement fits, the patio area in square feet, and the square footage covered by furniture. Furniture with a layout problem is highlighted as a conflict. Use the drawing to see clearances and open space, then move or rotate pieces until the arrangement works. Use Print to make a paper copy of the plan.

Limitations and common mistakes

• The planner uses built-in furniture footprints rather than the exact dimensions of your specific products.
• The shape controls support rectangular and round patios only.
• The furniture quantity controls have fixed limits: up to two dining sets for 4, two dining sets for 6, one dining set for 8, one sectional, four chaise lounges, one fire pit, and one grill.
• Auto-arrange is a starting layout. Manually moved pieces may need further adjustment if the checker reports a conflict.

Frequently asked questions