Homestead Layout Planner
Draw your property to scale, add structures, then search and drag every crop and animal into position — with adjustable shapes, multiple rotation paddocks for larger livestock, and zoom controls — and see if your plan fits together.
Haven't worked out your quantities yet? Start with the Complete Homestead Planner first to work out what to grow and keep, then come back here to lay it out.
Set Up Your Property
0° means north points to the top of the layout below. Setting this enables sun-exposure suggestions — a simplified Southern Hemisphere rule of thumb, not a shadow simulation.
Add Structures
Add as many of each as you need — every structure gets its own dimensions.
Add Crops & Animals
Uses the same space-per-item figures as the Complete Homestead Planner. Larger grazing animals can be split into multiple rotation paddocks.
Your Layout
| Item | Type | Width (m) | Depth (m) | Rotation (°) | Position | Area | Actions |
|---|
Width and depth are editable here. For crops and animals, changing one side automatically adjusts the other to keep the same area — useful for a long, narrow bed instead of a square one. Structures adjust freely since their size isn't calculated from a quantity.
Full guide, more detail, and a printable version at https://hollyshomestead.com.au/tools/homestead-layout-planner.html
How This Works
Your property is drawn to scale based on the width and depth you enter. Every structure and every crop or animal block is sized from dimensions — structures from what you enter, crops and animals from the same space-per-item data used throughout this site. Drag any block to reposition it; the property boundary keeps everything contained. Larger grazing animals (goats, sheep, cattle, pigs) can be split into multiple rotation paddocks instead of one static block, reflecting rotational grazing practice.
When two blocks end up next to each other, this tool checks the same companion planting data used in the Companion Planting Checker, plus animal-related conflicts — goats near young fruit trees, pigs near garden beds, poultry near berries — and flags anything worth reconsidering.
This tool doesn't estimate cost or water capacity itself. Once you've sized your fencing, water tanks, and animal housing here, the Setup Cost Estimator gives Australian price ranges for what you've laid out, and the Rainwater Harvesting Calculator works out a tank size for any water tank you've added.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from the Complete Homestead Planner?
The Complete Homestead Planner works out what to grow and keep and how much space it needs in total. This tool takes it a step further — draw your actual property, add structures, and drag every crop and animal block into position to see if your plan fits together, not just adds up on paper.
Can I add multiple of the same structure or animal?
Yes — every structure, from water tanks to garden beds, can be added as many times as you need, each with its own dimensions. Larger grazing animals — goats, sheep, cattle, pigs — can also be split into multiple rotation paddocks instead of one static block, reflecting rotational grazing practice.
Can I make an unusual shape, and is everything to scale?
Yes to both. Choosing a shape other than rectangle gives you one input per point (3 for a triangle, up to 8 for an octagon) instead of just width and depth, so you can shape an irregular block, structure, or bed to match land or buildings. Every block is sized from your property dimensions and each item's calculated footprint, not a rough sketch.
Does this check for bad combinations, and how accurate are the sun exposure suggestions?
Yes — the same companion planting data used in the Companion Planting Checker applies here, plus animal-related conflicts like goats near young fruit trees or pigs near garden beds. The sun exposure suggestion is a simplified Southern Hemisphere rule of thumb — checking whether a crop sits roughly south of a structure — not a shadow simulation accounting for structure height, season, or latitude. Treat it as a prompt to double-check, not a guarantee.
What does the Auto-Arrange button actually do?
It places your blocks largest-first into the available space with no overlaps, as a starting point — not an optimised or final layout. You'll still want to drag things into position that actually makes sense for your property.
Why do some blocks show as a plain colour instead of a name?
Every item has its own colour — water tanks blue, carrots orange, and so on — matching the key below the layout. Once a block is too small to hold readable text as well, common on mobile or when zoomed out, it drops the label and shows just the colour, rather than cramming unreadable text into a tiny box.
How do I move, lock, or remove a block after adding it?
Whatever you've just added, or last clicked on in the layout, shows its own quick-edit controls directly below the map, so you can adjust it without scrolling to the full list below. From there, or the full list, you can nudge a block's position with small directional buttons for precise placement without dragging, lock it (or double-tap or double-click the block itself as a quick shortcut for the same lock and unlock toggle) to stop it being dragged or auto-arranged by accident, or remove it entirely — removing is deliberately only available this way, not by dragging a block off, to avoid losing something by accident.
How do I rotate a block or move around once I'm zoomed in?
Every block has its own rotate-left and rotate-right buttons, moving in 15-degree steps, plus a direct degree input for a precise angle — deliberately not a drag handle, since that's hard to grab accurately on a phone. Once zoomed in, swipe or scroll on any empty part of the property to pan around, on both desktop and mobile; dragging directly on a block still moves that block rather than panning. On a keyboard, the arrow keys nudge whichever block you've last selected, and Delete or Backspace removes it.
Will my layout be saved, and can I get a copy of it?
Only if you click Save Layout, which saves to this specific browser on this device, not to an account — name it and save as many separate layouts as you like, and load or delete any of them from the dropdown. Export as Image downloads a PNG of your property and every block, including a north arrow and scale bar. Print gives you a full page of the visual layout followed by a simple items and quantities list, ready to take outside.
Can I undo a mistake, copy a block, or start over?
Yes to all three. Undo reverses the last change — adding, removing, moving, resizing, or rotating a block — and works back through your recent changes, not just the last one. The duplicate button copies a block with all its settings, placed in a free spot nearby. Clear All removes every block but keeps your property shape, and asks you to confirm first since it can't be undone once you leave the page.
Can I move or edit several blocks at once?
Yes — turn on Select Multiple, then tap or click each block you want (they'll highlight), and use the group toolbar that appears to nudge them together, lock or unlock them all, or remove them as one action. Turn it off again with Done to go back to moving blocks individually.