Outdoor Projects Planner — Plan the backyard before the first dig.
Draw the yard and it prices the patio and the lawn, with the pool, planting, drainage, permits and contingency in one budget and every trade in order on one timeline.
- Free to start
- No sign-up to try
- Plan together
Everything in one plan
The drawing, the bids, the permits and the planting schedule usually live in four places. Here they’re one.
Includes a yard plan in 3D and a project checklist.
Idea board
Keep every backyard idea in one place.
The pool you saw lit at night, the pavers with grass between, the hedge for privacy, the builder’s walkthrough. Save them with a photo, a price and a note, and pass on the ones the budget won’t stretch to.
“Coming Thursday to look at access for the excavator down the side of the house.”An idea on the board of the “Pool, patio, and landscaping” example
- From search, a photo, or a link
- Track each one: researching, contacted, shortlisted
- Pass on the ones that won’t work, without losing them
Idea board 1/2
Yard plan
Draw the yard. It prices the patio and the lawn.
Sketch the property line, the house, the pool, the deck and the lawn, and every square foot you draw becomes a line in the budget — the same editor as the renovation planner.
Patio and paths · 916 sq ft drawn → Pool deck and patio, stone pavers $38,500 ($42/sq ft)“What it prices”, under the yard plan
- Pool, patio, lawn, planting beds and fences
- Change the drawing and the budget follows
- Trees and shrubs priced by the count
Yard plan 1/3
Budget
Know what the whole yard costs.
The pool, the hardscape, the planting, the drainage nobody sees and a contingency for what the dig turns up — each one quoted, booked, in progress or paid.
$286,500 · Pool and spa $140,000 · Landscaping and lawn $74,500 · Patio and hardscape $38,500 · Wrap-up and contingency $20,000The “Pool, patio, and landscaping” example’s budget
- A contingency reserve from the start
- Quoted, booked, in progress and paid
Budget 1/2
Timeline & checklist
Bids, permits and the 811 call, in order.
Design, bids, permits, the utility locate, drainage before the deck, planting in the right season — each with the week to do it by, counted back from when you want to swim.
Design and scope planThe first thing on the “Pool, patio, and landscaping” example’s checklist
- Permits, locates and inspections
- Contract scope and change orders
Timeline 1/2
Recommendations
The questions to ask before the first bid.
What order keeps finished work from being torn up, whether one contractor takes the whole job, what a pool really costs once the decking and fence are counted — and local picks once you add your town. Open one and it answers for your plan, with its own numbers and dates.
Whether one contractor takes the whole job, or each trade is separateA guide in the “Pool, patio, and landscaping” example’s recommendations
- Sequencing, hiring, seasons and costs
- Add your town for local picks
A guide, answered 2/2
About the Outdoor Projects Planner
Yard projects rarely come one at a time — a pool brings a patio, a patio brings landscaping. This planner lets you check off every scope in one plan (pool, patio or hardscape, landscaping, fence, deck, outdoor kitchen, sport court, shed) while counting the shared work — site prep, permits, drainage, contingency — exactly once instead of once per scope.
Each scope you select adds its own cost lines and checklist items on top of the shared base. Edit every line in place against contractor quotes, then save, share, or export the plan to CSV or PDF.
What you can do
- Combine scopes: pool, patio, landscaping, fence, deck, kitchen, court, shed
- Shared site prep, permits, and drainage counted once, not per scope
- Contingency reserve for what the yard hides
- Per-scope cost lines and checklist items
- Save, share, CSV, and PDF export
Frequently asked questions
Can I budget a pool, patio, and landscaping together?
Yes — that is the point. Check every scope your project includes and the plan adds each one's specific costs while keeping shared site prep, permits, drainage, and contingency as single lines, so the combined total does not double-count the groundwork.
Which outdoor projects need permits?
Commonly pools, decks and other structures, and anything electrical, gas, or plumbing — like an outdoor kitchen. Rules vary by municipality, so the plan carries a permit line and checklist item to confirm locally before work starts.
Related calculators
Other planning tools that pair well with the Outdoor Projects Planner.
Photo by Ultimate Safaris Namibia on Unsplash.