How to use these
Every dimension below is labelled with where it came from. Spacings taken from the RHS are cited; spacings that are the calculators’ own defaults are described as that; and anything that is simply a design choice is called a choice rather than dressed up as a rule.
None of these four is a design. They are the measuring-up part, done once, so that the figures going into the calculators are the right ones.
- Find the shape nearest your garden, then read the dimensions along the drawing.
- Change any figure to match your own measurements — the calculators take whatever you put in.
- Run the parts through the calculators with the buttons under each layout, and add them to your project list.
- Take the list to a merchant for prices; this site holds no prices.
- Work through the jobs in the order on Plan your garden.
Small courtyard, 4 × 4 m
A courtyard is walled or fenced on three or four sides, so the job is to use one small square well: enough paving for a table, a border round the edge that you do not walk on, and one way through. This one is a 4 m square with 2.6 m of paving in the middle.
Dimensions and spacings
| Part | Size or spacing | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Paved area | 2.60 × 2.60 m | A choice of size — the paving calculator takes any figure you put in. |
| Border width | 0.70 m round the paving | A planting width, so a design choice rather than a sourced rule. |
| Slab module | 600 × 600 mm with 10 mm joints | The paving calculator’s own defaults. |
| Build-up | 100 mm sub-base, 40 mm bedding | Paving calculator: a patio for sitting on, not a driveway. |
| Edge restraint | 11 m around the paving | Paving calculator, worked out from the perimeter. |
What goes where
- Paving in the middle, so the borders can be planted and weeded from the outside instead of being walked over.
- The tallest planting at the back, where it will not shade the table.
- The tap or power supply decided before the paving goes down — pipe and cable have to run under it.
- One clear way in and out. A courtyard with planting on every side is a courtyard you cannot get a wheelbarrow through.
The paving — from the paving calculator
| Material | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paving slabs 600 × 600 mm | 28 slabs | 5 × 5 = 25 plus 10% for cuts. |
| MOT Type 1 sub-base | 1.22 tonnes | ≈ 2 × 850 kg bulk bags at 100 mm compacted. |
| Sharp sand (bedding) | 0.43 tonnes | ≈ 18 × 25 kg bags, or 1 bulk bags, at 40 mm. |
| Edge restraint / kerb and concrete haunch | 11 m | Rule of thumb: the open perimeter, 10.4 m here. An edge that is not restrained lets the paving spread — a kerb on a concrete haunch, or a proprietary edge, is what holds it. Only the edges that meet soil or a drop need it. |
| Jointing sand or paving grout | estimate onlyestimate | Check the manufacturer's coverage for your joint width. |
Narrow border, 8 × 0.9 m
The strip along a fence or a wall is what most UK gardens actually have: long, narrow and in shade for part of the day. Edged and dressed with gravel it needs no planting at all; kept as soil it takes shrubs and perennials. This one is 8 m long and 900 mm wide.
Dimensions and spacings
| Part | Size or spacing | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Border width | 0.90 m | A choice — wide enough for a shrub or two, narrow enough to reach across without treading on it. |
| Dressing depth | 50 mm of gravel | Inside the 40–75 mm range the gravel calculator treats as usual over a membrane. 50 mm is a planning figure. |
| Edging | 2.4 m rolls → 4 rolls for 8.00 m | The maker’s own roll length. See the border edging plan. |
| Membrane | 8 m² of woven fabric | Gravel calculator: the area plus 10% for lapping the joints. |
| Working space | at least 450 mm in front | The RHS figure for getting a wheelbarrow past. |
What goes where
- Low planting at the front of the border and taller plants behind, so the front edge stays visible from the garden.
- The edging on the near side, set about 25 mm proud of the gravel, so the stone stays in the border.
- Drainage towards the soil, not towards the path — gravel beside a fence needs somewhere for water to go.
- Any plant that needs full sun somewhere else. The RHS is blunt about it: most fruit, vegetables and cut flowers need sun, and a strip beside a fence usually does not have it.
The gravel and the membrane — from the gravel calculator
| Material | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Decorative gravel (loose, by weight) | 0.59 tonnes | Merchants round loosely — about 1.0 t is a practical order. |
| Bulk bags (850 kg) | 1 bag | Needs somewhere flat and dry to sit, and a way to move them. |
| 25 kg bags | 24 bags | ≈ 594 kg in total. Fine for small areas. |
| Weed control fabric / membrane | 8 m² | The area plus 10% for overlaps — stops gravel sinking into the soil. |
Lawn and patio split, 10 × 8 m
The classic split of a medium back garden: paving next to the house where the door is, lawn beyond it. This one is a 10 m by 8 m garden with a 4 m by 3 m patio and a 6 m by 5 m lawn, which is about the smallest lawn that still looks like a lawn rather than a strip.
Dimensions and spacings
| Part | Size or spacing | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Patio | 4.00 × 3.00 m | Sized for a table and four chairs. The paving calculator takes any size. |
| Lawn | 6.00 × 5.00 m | The turf calculator returns 32 rolls of 1 m² with a 5% cutting allowance. |
| Path between them | at least 450 mm | The RHS figure for a wheelbarrow; 1 m if a wheelchair has to pass. |
| Lawn edge | a cut edge or an edging | A choice. No calculator on this site sizes a lawn edge. |
| Turf timing | lay within about 24 hours | The turf calculator’s own note — order it for the day you are ready. |
What goes where
- Patio at the house end, level with or one step below the door, so the two feel like one space.
- Lawn beyond it, in the sunniest part of the garden rather than the shadiest.
- A border or a fence line behind the lawn, so the lawn is not the whole far end of the garden.
- A path down one side to reach the far end without crossing the lawn — the part people forget, and the bit that stops the lawn wearing into a track.
The patio — from the paving calculator
| Material | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paving slabs 600 × 600 mm | 39 slabs | 7 × 5 = 35 plus 10% for cuts. |
| MOT Type 1 sub-base | 2.16 tonnes | ≈ 3 × 850 kg bulk bags at 100 mm compacted. |
| Sharp sand (bedding) | 0.77 tonnes | ≈ 31 × 25 kg bags, or 1 bulk bags, at 40 mm. |
| Edge restraint / kerb and concrete haunch | 14 m | Rule of thumb: the open perimeter, 14.0 m here. An edge that is not restrained lets the paving spread — a kerb on a concrete haunch, or a proprietary edge, is what holds it. Only the edges that meet soil or a drop need it. |
| Jointing sand or paving grout | estimate onlyestimate | Check the manufacturer's coverage for your joint width. |
The lawn — from the turf calculator
| Material | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Turf rolls (1 m² each) | 32 rolls | Covers 31.5 m² including 5% for cutting in. |
| Turf edging / lawn sand (optional) | as neededestimate | For tidying edges and levelling minor dips. |
Seating corner, 3 × 3 m
A corner of the garden that gets the sun in the evening, dressed in gravel instead of paved, with a planting edge behind it. Gravel is the cheapest way to turn tired ground into somewhere to sit, and the two things that keep it tidy are the membrane and the edging.
Dimensions and spacings
| Part | Size or spacing | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Seating area | 3.00 × 3.00 m | A choice of size. The gravel calculator takes any figure. |
| Dressing | 50 mm of decorative gravel | Inside the gravel calculator’s usual 40–75 mm range. |
| Planting edge | 0.90 m behind the gravel | A choice of width — enough for a shrub, narrow enough to reach. |
| Edging | 2.4 m rolls → 2 rolls for 3.00 m | The maker’s own roll length. See the border edging plan. |
| Membrane | 10 m² of woven fabric | Gravel calculator: the area plus 10% for overlaps. |
What goes where
- Gravel where the chairs go, so you can move the table around without mowing round it.
- The planting edge on the far side, between the gravel and the boundary, so the seating is not sitting against a fence.
- Edging on the open sides, set about 25 mm proud, to stop the stone walking out onto the lawn.
- Something to stop the gravel moving on a slope: on a fall of any size, gravel needs an edge at the bottom as well as the top.
The gravel and the membrane — from the gravel calculator
| Material | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Decorative gravel (loose, by weight) | 0.74 tonnes | Merchants round loosely — about 1.0 t is a practical order. |
| Bulk bags (850 kg) | 1 bag | Needs somewhere flat and dry to sit, and a way to move them. |
| 25 kg bags | 30 bags | ≈ 743 kg in total. Fine for small areas. |
| Weed control fabric / membrane | 10 m² | The area plus 10% for overlaps — stops gravel sinking into the soil. |
Garden layout plans FAQs
What is a garden layout plan?
A shape with sizes: how big each part of the garden is, how far apart the parts go, and what sits where. It is the measuring-up half of a garden plan — not a design, and not a picture of what it will look like.
Will these layouts fit my garden?
Probably not as drawn — they are shapes at the sizes given, and every dimension on them can be changed. Check the layout against your boundaries, aspect, levels and access before you buy anything.
Where do the spacings come from?
Each one is labelled underneath its table. Bed and path widths are the RHS’s own figures. Joist centres, board sizes, slab modules and build-up depths are the defaults built into the ProjectCalc calculators. Sizes that are a design choice are marked as a choice.
Can I add a whole layout to my project?
Yes. The button under each part runs the calculator for that layout and files it in your project list — the same list the Project Planner and every calculator use. It is kept in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.