Sample landscape design plans, drawn by builders.

Single Space≈192 sq ftPatio · wall · planting · lighting

Paver patio plan with a seat wall

The homeowners wanted a patio off the back slider for dinner outside, a place to sit without buying more chairs, and planting that wouldn't turn into a weed patch. The yard rose behind the patio, so the seat wall does two jobs: it holds back the slope and it seats six.

What the plan decides

• 16 × 12 ft, sized to paver modules so the cuts stay in the border.
• Patio one step (6–7 in.) below the door sill, pitched ¼ in. per ft to the side lawn, never toward the wall.
• 20 in. seat height: two exposed courses plus a glued cap, one course buried, clean stone and a perforated pipe behind.
• 16 zone-matched shrubs and grasses, seven low-voltage lights, and a new GFCI outlet for the transformer.

How we plan patios: the online patio design guide →

Planning guides: Paver patio ideas · Patio size guide

Build-Ready detail≈38 LFUp to 4 ft exposed

Retaining wall plan at a driveway edge

A parking area sat right above this wall, with wheels inside 3 ft of the top. That load, called a surcharge, is why the plan flags stamped engineering and a permit even though the wall is only about 4 ft tall. We drew the layout, the courses and the drainage so the engineer and the installer start from the same page.

What the plan decides

• A 3 ft return into the slope at one end. The low end steps down one course per block, so there's no raw end.
• 6 in. compacted 2B leveling pad, first course buried, no filter fabric.
• Geogrid at 6 ft on the lower layers and 8 ft under the wheel path. These are preliminary; the engineer sets final lengths.
• A 12 in. clean stone column and a 4 in. perforated pipe to daylight.

Walls under a driveway or parking area fail when the grid and drainage are guessed. Most online designs never mention it. Ours put it on the sheet before anyone bids.

The online retaining wall design guide →

Planning guides: Retaining wall design · Retaining wall ideas

Full Yard2 terracesFrench drain≈70 plants

Backyard drainage and terraced garden plan

The addition on this house sat lower than the yard around it, so water ran toward it every storm. The plan fixes the water first, then turns the slope behind it into two garden terraces.

What the plan decides

• A 4 in. perforated French drain on three sides of the addition, in a fabric-wrapped stone trench with 1% minimum fall.
• A solid outlet about 40 ft down the side slope to daylight, with downspouts in their own pipe.
• Two 2 ft walls set 6 ft apart, at least twice the wall height, so each tier stands on its own.
• Swales above the top wall and at the foot of the lower wall carry surface water around the house.
• Boulders from the site, about 70 plants, and an existing specimen tree moved to anchor the top bed.

The online backyard design guide →

Planning guides: Terraced backyard ideas · Sloped backyard ideas

Single Space≈120 sq ft3 block steps

Front walkway plan with steps

A front stoop, a driveway 20 ft away, and a yard that drops about 19 in. between them. The plan puts the whole drop into three equal steps near the house so the rest of the walk is easy.

What the plan decides

• 4 ft wide so two people can walk side by side, with a contrast border on both edges.
• Three 6¼ in. risers and 14 in. treads, with the top unit flush with a 3 ft landing off the stoop.
• Walk slope 5% max. and a slight cross-slope so water sheds to the lawn.
• Topsoil and seed along both edges so the lawn meets the pavers clean.

Compare design packages →

Planning guide: Front walkway ideas

Single Space + framing sheet340 sq ft≈32 in. high

Freestanding deck framing plan

The owners wanted a low composite deck off a new slider, built over an old concrete patio that heaves and floods, with storage underneath. A ledger would have meant cutting into the siding, so the plan stands the deck on its own two beam lines.

What the plan decides

• Deck surface 1 in. below the slider threshold, so there's no step out of the house. The door goes in before the framing.
• 12 piers, 24 in. × 48 in. deep. The inner six are cut through the old slab with an isolation joint.
• 2-ply 2x10 beams on 6x6 posts, and 2x8 joists at 12 in. on center for composite decking, with a hurricane tie on every joist and joist tape on top.
• Two 4 ft stairs with equal risers, 36 in. aluminum rail on the open sides, and a lattice skirt with a 4 ft storage door.

The framing sheet is a starting point for the builder and the building department, not a stamped drawing. It still gets everyone pricing the same structure.

The online deck design guide →

Planning guide: Freestanding deck plans