Here is how patio regret usually happens. The structure goes up, the furniture arrives, and suddenly the 6-seater table only leaves a shuffle-sideways gap to the barbecue. The patio is beautiful. It is also one metre too small, and that metre is expensive to add later.
The fix is to size the space around what will live under it, before anything is built. Use the free calculator below: tick your furniture, choose how far the roof can come out from the house, and it will estimate the minimum and comfortable sizes for your new custom Stratco patio or pergola, walkway space included.
Patio & Pergola Size Calculator
Tick what you want under your new patio or pergola and we’ll estimate the minimum size you need, including walkway space.
1 What will live under it?
2 How far can the patio come out from the house?
Tick at least one item to calculate a size.
Your recommended patio size
| Depth from house | Width needed |
|---|
Includes an allowance of roughly 15% for walkways between zones. These are guide sizes only. Roof style, post positions, boundaries and council rules all shape the final design, and a good designer can often fit more into less.
Not sure what fits your block? Book your free on-site design consultation. Call 0494 571 131.
For a 6-seat dining setting plus a barbecue, most homes need a patio of around 16 to 19 square metres, which is roughly 5 m wide x 3.6 m deep. Add an outdoor lounge and you are closer to 26 to 30 square metres. As a rule of thumb, add up the space each furniture zone needs, then add about 15% for walkways.
How the calculator works
Every piece of outdoor furniture needs more room than its own footprint. A dining table needs chair pull-out space on every side. A barbecue needs elbow room and somewhere to put the tongs. The calculator assigns each item a realistic zone, adds them together, then adds circulation space so people can move between zones without turning sideways.
It then converts that area into practical dimensions based on how far the patio can project from your house, and shows alternative width and depth combinations that give the same usable space. A long narrow patio and a short deep one can hold identical furniture; they just suit different yards.
Guide sizes for common setups
| What you want under it | Guide area | Example size |
| Morning coffee spot (2-seat setting) | 5 to 7 m² | 2.5 m x 2.5 m |
| 6-seat dining setting | 12 to 14 m² | 4.0 m x 3.0 m |
| 6-seat dining + BBQ | 16 to 19 m² | 5.0 m x 3.6 m |
| Dining + BBQ + outdoor lounge | 26 to 30 m² | 7.0 m x 4.0 m |
| Full outdoor room (kitchen, dining, lounge) | 35 m² and up | 8.0 m x 4.5 m |
The three measurements that decide your patio size
1. Depth: how far it comes out from the house
Depth is usually the constrained dimension, set by your yard, boundaries and roofline. Around 3.6 m is a comfortable, common depth: enough for a table with walking room behind the chairs. At 3 m things still work but feel snug. At 4.5 m and beyond you can run two zones deep, dining in front and lounge behind.
2. Width: how far it runs along the house
Width is where most homes have room to be generous, and it is the cheapest way to gain space because it often follows the existing roofline. Running the patio the width of your living area also makes indoors and outdoors read as one connected space.
3. Height and span: what the structure can do
Bigger patios need roofing that can span further without a forest of posts. This is where product choice matters: Stratco insulated roofing such as Cooldek achieves wide spans with clean, open undersides, and the New Generation Gable can span up to 12.2 m with 75 mm Cooldek [VERIFY against current Stratco literature]. You can browse the Stratco patio and carport range to see the styles these spans make possible.
Does patio size affect council approval?
Yes, and it is worth knowing before you fall in love with a size. In NSW, smaller attached structures can sometimes qualify as exempt development with no approval required, subject to strict limits on area, height and setbacks (a 25 square metre limit is commonly cited for some structures) [VERIFY current exempt development limits]. Larger builds often proceed as complying development, a faster pathway than a full development application when your project ticks the standard boxes. The right pathway depends on your block, your zone and the design, which is exactly the kind of thing a free on-site consultation sorts out early.
Patio or pergola? Sizing is slightly different
The same furniture maths applies to both, with one difference: shade. A solid-roof patio shelters its full footprint, rain or shine. An open pergola with Shade Blade louvres or shade options casts shade that moves with the sun, so if you are sizing a pergola for a west-facing area, err a little larger so the shaded zone still covers your seating late in the day.
Bigger is not always dearer per metre
One quiet advantage of getting the size right the first time: structures share their most expensive elements. Posts, footings, beams and connection to the house are largely fixed costs, so an extra metre of width usually costs far less than the first metre did. Extending an undersized patio later means re-engineering, matching materials and paying twice for the privilege. Measure once, build once.
Frequently asked questions
What size patio do I need for a 6-seater table? Allow around 10 square metres for the table zone itself, or 12 to 14 square metres once walkway space is included. That is roughly 4 m x 3 m as a minimum.
Is a 3 m deep patio big enough? For a dining setting on its own, yes, though it is cosy. If you want a barbecue or lounge as well, run the extra zones along the width rather than trying to fit two zones deep.
What is the most popular patio size? Around 5 m to 6 m wide by 3.6 m to 4 m deep is the sweet spot we see most: room for dining and a barbecue without dominating the yard.
Can a patio be too big? Occasionally. Very deep patios can darken the rooms behind them, which is one reason insulated and light-managing roof options exist. Good design balances covered space with natural light.
Do I need council approval for a patio on the Central Coast? It depends on size, height, setbacks and your property zoning. Some small structures are exempt, many proceed as complying development, and some need a development application [VERIFY]. Outdoor Leisure Living guides you through this as part of the design process.
Does the calculator give me a quote? No, it estimates size only. Your exact fixed-fee price comes from a free on-site design consultation, where we measure your space and design around your home.
Get a patio sized for how you actually live
The calculator tells you roughly how much space your wish list needs. Your block tells the rest of the story: the north-facing aspect, the slope, the neighbours, the way the afternoon sun crosses the yard. That is where design earns its keep.
Outdoor Leisure Living is the Central Coast’s authorised Stratco and Stratco Outback dealer: family owned, over a decade in business with more than 35 years of industry experience, and 75+ five-star reviews across the Central Coast and Lake Macquarie.
Every structure is custom designed and installed, from Stratco patios for Central Coast and Lake Macquarie homes to pergolas, all backed by a 25-year warranty, with interest-free finance and fixed-fee quotes.
Book your free on-site design consultation. Call 0494 571 131.