Guides / Decks and patios · Updated November 2026

Patio layouts, drawn to scale

Furniture at its maker's recommended space, grills and fire tables at their manuals' clearances, and 2 ft to walk past, from NC State Extension. Fire rules vary by town, so check yours.

Estimate for planning only, not professional advice. Check the manufacturer’s instructions, your local code and a licensed professional before you buy, build or install. Use at your own risk. Terms.

Short answer

A table for four and a kettle grill fit on about 20 × 13 ft; a table for six, a gas grill and a sectional on about 20 × 20 ft. A gas grill can sit 24 in from the house, a charcoal kettle wants 5 ft, and a wood fire pit belongs out in the yard, 25 ft from the house where the fire code applies.

Dinner for four and a charcoal kettle: 20 × 13 ft

A kettle wants 5 ft from anything that burns, the house and the chairs included, so it sits out at the corner.

POLYWOOD Coastal 4-seat set	100 × 100 in, with chairs in use
Weber 22 in kettle	23 × 25 in, 60 in clear all round
Patio	20 × 13 ft, 260 sq ft, with 24 in to walk past everything

Price and count pavers for a 20 × 13 ft patio

Dinner for six, a gas grill and a sectional: 20 × 20 ft

A gas grill needs only 2 ft from the siding, so it can stand near the house, beside the table.

POLYWOOD Chippendale 6-seat set	116 × 81 in, with chairs in use
Weber Spirit E-310	48 × 31 in, 24 in clear all round
POLYWOOD EDGE sectional	111 × 85 in, with chairs in use
Patio	20 × 20 ft, 400 sq ft, with 24 in to walk past everything

Price and count pavers for a 20 × 20 ft patio

A sectional around a gas fire table: 14 × 18 ft

A gas fire table can go on a patio by the house: 2 ft from the burner to a wall and 6 ft clear above it, so not under a low pergola or umbrella.

POLYWOOD EDGE sectional	111 × 85 in, with chairs in use
Outdoor GreatRoom Beacon fire table	48 in across, 24 in clear all round
Patio	14 × 18 ft, 252 sq ft, with 24 in to walk past everything

Price and count pavers for a 14 × 18 ft patio

A wood fire pit goes out in the yard

The International Fire Code keeps recreational fires 25 ft from any structure or combustible material (section 307.4.2), in towns that adopt it, and many do with their own changes. Breeo also wants 10 ft clear above the pit and says to set it on dirt, sand or crushed stone, never on a wood or composite deck. Your fire department has the final word.

Gas fire tables are different: the Outdoor GreatRoom manual asks for 24 in from the burner to a wall and 72 in clear above it, which is why the plan above can sit by the house.

The fire code's 10 ft rule for grills (NFPA 1 section 10.10.6.1, IFC 308.1.4) covers balconies and apartment buildings, not one- and two-family houses, so at a house the grill manual's clearance is the number to follow.

Build it

Count pavers, base and sand with the paver patio calculator, or pour the patio with the concrete pad calculator. Planning a deck instead? See the free deck plans.