AcrePlanner
Plan your property plot in 2D and 3D
AcrePlanner is a free, interactive property and plot planning tool. Draw your boundary, arrange buildings, roads and landscaping, check the sun and wind, and see how everything fits together before you build.
What you can do with AcrePlanner
Plan your land
Trace your property boundary from a reference image or draw it by hand, then set a real-world scale so every measurement on the plan is accurate, in metric or imperial units.
Arrange your property
Place buildings with doors, windows, terraces and a roof shape, then add roads, driveways, fences, hedges, trees, gardens and pools around them.
Visualize the result
Switch between a precise 2D plan and a 3D view to see how the layout actually looks, then save your project as a file and come back to refine it later.
Check sun and shade
Enter your plot's location to see the sun's position and the shadows your buildings and trees cast at any date and time, and how much direct sun each part of the plot gets across a day, month or year.
Understand the wind
See the prevailing wind direction for your location from historical wind records, and how often the wind blows from each direction, to help place terraces and outdoor areas.
Compare layout suggestions
Ask for a house, garage, driveway, garden or pool and preview four different arrangements in 2D and 3D before applying the one you like. You can then keep editing it by hand.
How it works
- Draw your plot. Trace it from a reference image or draw the boundary manually.
- Set the scale. Calibrate one plot edge to its real-world length so measurements are accurate.
- Add roads and site elements. Lay out driveways, roads, fences and hedges.
- Add buildings. Place your house, garage or other structures and refine their footprints.
- Arrange and refine. Position everything, add trees and landscaping, and manage the plan from Layers.
- Explore it in 3D. Switch views to see the finished layout from above and at ground level.
Who AcrePlanner is for
- Homeowners planning changes to their property
- People planning a new house before construction begins
- People buying or developing a plot of land
- Anyone comparing different house, driveway or garden layouts
- People planning gardens or landscaping around their home
Frequently asked questions
- Is AcrePlanner free, and do I need an account?
- AcrePlanner is free to use and runs in your web browser. There is nothing to install and no account to create. Your plan is autosaved in your browser, and you can save it to a file at any time.
- What can I plan with it?
- You can draw a property boundary, calibrate it to real-world scale, and place buildings (with doors, windows, terraces and roofs), roads, driveways, fences, hedges, trees, gardens, pools and utilities. You can then view the whole plot as a 2D plan or in 3D.
- How do the sunlight and wind tools work?
- Enter your plot's latitude and longitude once. AcrePlanner then shows where the sun is at a chosen date and time, the shadows that buildings and trees cast, and how much direct sun each part of the plot gets over a day, month or year. Wind analysis uses historical wind records for your location to show the prevailing wind direction and how often it blows from each direction.
- What are layout suggestions?
- Layout suggestions generate four different arrangements of the buildings, driveway, garden and pool you ask for, taking your plot, setbacks, sun, wind and neighbouring buildings into account. You preview each one in 2D and 3D, and nothing changes in your project until you choose to apply one.
- Does it work with metric and imperial units?
- Yes. You can switch between metric (metres) and imperial (feet) at any time.
- Can I use it on a phone or tablet?
- You can explore the demo property on any device. The full editor is designed for a desktop or laptop screen.
- Is it a replacement for a survey or an architect's drawings?
- No. AcrePlanner is a planning aid for exploring how a property could be laid out. It is not a legal survey or a set of construction drawings, and setbacks and building rules vary by location, so check local regulations before you build.