How to Design a Patio Layout and Backyard in 3D

Home PlannerApp Team · October 22, 2026

Draw your patio or backyard to scale in Home Planner, set the type Yard or Patio, split it into zones with their own floor and add open passages.

You want a dining area by the kitchen door, a path to the gate and a lawn for the children, all in one yard. Before you order pavers, you want to know where each part goes. Here is how to design a patio layout in Home Planner and walk through the result in 3D.

In Home Planner, a patio or a backyard is an area you draw around or next to the house, like a room. You give it the type Yard or Patio, split it into zones with their own floor, and leave openings where people walk through.

How it works

1. Draw the outdoor area in 2D, around or next to the house.
2. Set its type to Yard or Patio.
3. Split it into zones, choose a floor for each, and add openings.

Before you start

To draw the yard to scale, see how to draw your plan to scale.

How do I design a patio layout in Home Planner?

Draw the patio as a room, then set its type to Yard or Patio. The type is what makes Home Planner treat the area as outdoor space.

1. Open the design in 2D and select Edit Walls.
2. Draw the outline of the patio or the whole yard, around the house or next to it.
3. Select the floor of the new area. A Select room type button appears under the selection. Select it, and Set Type & Name opens.
4. Select the Room type row. In the Select room type grid, select Yard or Patio.
5. Open the 3D view to check the result.

Select room type is only in 2D. In Edit Walls, it is a button under the selected floor. Outside Edit Walls, open the three-dot menu (More) to find it. In 3D, switch back to 2D first.

Why does the floor flicker in my yard?

Because the area still has an indoor type. Set its type to Yard or Patio and the flicker stops.

A yard drawn around the house overlaps the floors of the rooms inside it. With the type Yard or Patio, Home Planner places the yard floor just below the room floors, so the house floors stay on top. With any other type, the two floors lie at the same height, and in 3D they flicker where they overlap.

Common mistake: you draw walls all around the house and expect a yard. Closing walls around the house does not turn the area into a yard. Set the type yourself.

How do I design a backyard layout with separate zones?

Draw a wall across the yard, then hide it. The wall splits the yard into separate parts, each with its own floor, and the hidden wall becomes an open passage.

1. In Edit Walls, draw a wall across the yard where one zone ends and the next begins, for example between the terrace and the lawn. The yard splits into two parts.
2. Only the larger part keeps the type Yard or Patio. Select the floor of the smaller part, then Select room type under the selection. Select the Room type row, then Yard or Patio.
3. Select the new wall and open the three-dot menu (More).
4. Select Hide wall. The wall is no longer drawn in 3D.
5. Select the floor of a zone, then select the round color swatch, the first button of the small toolbar that appears with the selection. In the palette that opens, choose a material, for example on the Stone, Tile or Wood tab. Repeat for each zone.

To show a hidden wall again: in 2D, a hidden wall shows as a gray dashed line. Select it, and it turns into a blue dashed line. A small toolbar appears just above the wall. Select the round gray button with a crossed-out eye. It has no label. Or open the three-dot menu (More) and select Hide wall again.

Use the same steps for the outer edge. A yard with a fence on one side and open ground on the others keeps one wall and hides the rest. For decking materials and their trade-offs, see decking design ideas.

How do I add an open passage?

Add an opening to the wall. Home Planner offers doorless openings for this, and you can add them in two ways.

In Windows and Doors, Openings and Arches are separate groups next to Doors. They are not inside Doors. If you look for a doorless opening under Doors, you will not find it.

Where are outdoor plants and patio furniture?

In the catalog category Yard or Patio, named the same as the room type. Plants, stones and garden decor are inside Landscaping. Patio sofas and armchairs are under Seating Furniture → Outdoor Furniture. Patio tables and dining sets are under Tables and Chairs → Outdoor Furniture.

Garden styles is a filter, not a ready-made garden. It shows the items of one style, and you place them yourself.

On the free plan, part of the items in each category carry a PRO badge, in Yard or Patio too. Select one, and Home Planner opens the plan offer. The other items are free.

Is there a free patio design app?

Home Planner is free to start. On the free plan you can draw a patio, set its type and see it in 3D. Walls then snap to a 1 m grid (3 ft in feet and inches). Exact lengths to the centimeter need PRO. In the catalog and in the floor materials, items with a PRO badge need PRO too. Plain colors are always free.

Measured your yard? Draw it in Home Planner and try two patio layouts on the same plan before you buy a single paver.

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