Skip to content
Design free

About

A deck drawn for your site

Most deck plans come in one size, drawn for conditions you may not have. The Patio Planner starts from the building you need and the snow, wind and frost line where you build, places every member, and shows each check in green, amber or red with the rule behind it.

How it works

  1. 1

    You set the building

    Width, length, height, roof, doors and windows for your deck.

  2. 2

    You set the conditions

    Snow, wind and frost line from your building department.

  3. 3

    It frames the deck

    Every wall, opening and roof member placed and checked against the rules.

  4. 4

    It counts the materials

    Lumber packed onto the boards the yard sells, plus sheathing, trim, fasteners and concrete.

The method

Every rule in the planner comes from a source we read: the building code, makers' specifications and extension guides. Each check shows green, amber or red with the rule behind it.

Green passes. Amber means read the note: the design is buildable, but it sits outside the range the prescriptive guides cover, and an engineer or your building department should look at it. Red has to change before the builder's plan is for sale.

Where the sources say nothing, we chose a value and call it our default.

What it is not

The Patio Planner is a planning aid. It is not an engineered design, it does not know your soil or local rules, and it is not a substitute for your building department, an engineer. Check the plan with your building department before you build.

The designer and the free designs cost nothing and need no account. What pays for them is the builder's plan: a PDF for the exact building you design, with the dimensioned layout, the framing, the cut list and the shopping list, for $49 once. If our plan has an error, we fix it or refund you. The site carries no advertising.

Who runs it

The Patio Planner is an independent project operated by Westernmost LLC, 30 N Gould St Ste R, Sheridan, WY 82801, USA. If you find a mistake in a rule or a number, please tell us: a fix to the engine fixes every design at once.

Design the deck you need

Open the deck designer Open the pergola designer