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Design, Create and Visualize Outdoor Areas with RoomSketcher

Ready for summer? It’s time to move outdoors and start thinking about your outdoor living areas. Whether it’s a new deck, a backyard re-design, a garden plan or just time to update your “curb appeal” – use RoomSketcher to help you design, create and visualize outdoor areas in 3D!

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3D house and landscape plan with furnished rooms, a detached garage, a garden patio, lawn, trees, hedges, and stepping-stone paths.
Trine Bretteville
By Trine Bretteville
Published December 21, 2021 Updated October 23, 2026

Quick Summary:

Outdoor space can be designed in the RoomSketcher App the same way as interior rooms. Draw additional zones outside the walls of your floor plan to create lawns, paths, driveways and garden beds, apply surfaces such as grass, paving, gravel or soil, then furnish and plant them from a library of hundreds of exterior finishes, furnishings and planting materials. Balconies and decks are drawn using the divider line, with railings and steps added as needed, and water features including swimming pools and freestanding jacuzzis can serve as a focal point.

The 2021 Trend Report from Cision reveals that outdoor living areas are more valuable than ever before. Landscape architects reveal that more and more clients are looking to extend their living spaces outside.

They are hiring professional landscape designers to create outdoor “rooms” or they are turning to garden centers and DIY home improvement stores to reshape their properties themselves.

Top outdoor trends include design elements such as outdoor kitchens, dining areas, and lounges with built-in seating. As well as focal features such as pools and fire pits.

3D backyard stone patio plan with a dining table, outdoor sofa, barbecue, and a sun lounger on the surrounding lawn.

RoomSketcher provides an easy-to-use site plan software that you can use to plan and visualize how to transform your property – all online. Turn your backyard into a recreation destination!

The RoomSketcher Furniture Library includes hundreds of exterior finishes, furnishings, and planting materials. Design, create and visualize a wide variety of outdoor living and recreation areas. Create different terraces, pathways, and garden layouts. See how different materials will look. You can even try adding a water feature, such as a pool, to create a special focal point!

Outdoor Furniture

To ring in summer, we’ve added several additional water features including swimming pools and freestanding jacuzzis!

3D backyard patio plan with a raised deck, sectional sofa with red cushions, dining table, sun lounger, and a red garden umbrella.

Draw a Yard, Garden, or Outdoor Area

Add impressive outdoor living areas to your floor plans. Make lawns, paths, driveways, garden beds even a football pitch (soccer – for all you Americans). Just draw additional zones on the outside of your floor plans. Add grass, paving, gravel, soil, fences, etc. Then find the right outdoor furnishings and accessorize with plants and flowers.

Covered backyard lounge under a wooden pergola with outdoor sofas, a fire pit, mounted TV, and stone patio.

Draw a Balcony or Deck with Railings

Whether your home design or landscape design project includes a little outdoor space or a lot, you can draw a wide variety of balconies and decks using the RoomSketcher app.

Create your outdoor room using the divider line, add railings or steps, or both. Create covered porches or balconies or decks and patios open to the sky. Lay out outdoor furniture and planters. Add potted plants, outdoor accessories, and a grill to complete your design.

Small backyard pool with a large outdoor projection screen, wooden deck, lounge chair, and pebble landscaping.

Whether you’re a gardener, DIY enthusiast or you just want to layout a great spot to show off your new grill – RoomSketcher lets you be an outdoor designer too. Get started on your outdoor project with RoomSketcher today!

Get Started
How do I add a yard or garden to a floor plan?
Draw additional zones on the outside of your floor plan, then apply the surface you want — grass, paving, gravel, soil — and add fences. From there you can place outdoor furnishings and accessorize with plants and flowers. Lawns, paths, driveways and garden beds all work this way.
How do I draw a balcony or deck?
Use the divider line to define the outdoor room, then add railings, steps, or both. The approach works for anything from a small balcony to a large deck.
What outdoor materials and furnishings are available?
The RoomSketcher Product Library includes hundreds of exterior finishes, furnishings and planting materials, so you can build terraces, pathways and garden layouts and see how different materials look before committing to them.
Can I add a pool or water feature?
Yes. Water features include swimming pools and freestanding jacuzzis, which work well as a focal point for an outdoor design.
Why are outdoor living areas worth designing carefully?
The 2021 Trend Report from Cision found outdoor living areas are more valuable than ever, with landscape architects reporting that clients increasingly want to extend living space outdoors. Popular elements include outdoor kitchens, dining areas and lounges with built-in seating, plus focal features such as pools and fire pits.
Is this useful for homeowners or only professionals?
Both. The tools suit gardeners and DIY enthusiasts laying out a space for themselves, as well as landscape and home design professionals presenting plans to clients.

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