Site plan software for patio and shed builders in Australia
Each kind of software does a different part of the job. RapidSiteplan draws the site plan, on the real lot, in minutes.
Look at the lot on the aerial before you pay anything. Unlocking the property is $75, once, with unlimited edits.
Any address in AustraliaEvery boundary measured as you place itPer plan pricing, no seat fees
The five kinds of site plan software
What each kind is made for, with the tools a patio or shed builder is likely to come across.
- Siting and sales platforms
- canibuild and uDrew place a builder’s own designs on the customer’s lot, with the zoning, setbacks and overlays read for the address, so the customer sees the job on their own block before they buy. They are made for businesses that sell homes, granny flats, pools or sheds from a range of designs.
- Design and quoting software for kits
- ShedTech and PatioTech, from the same maker, design the shed or the patio roof in 3D or in elevations, then produce the quote, the order and the bill of materials with the engineering behind them. They are made for shed and patio sellers and their dealers.
- Drafting on a tablet or in the browser
- SolidDrafter runs in a browser on a laptop, a tablet or a phone. It drafts site plans, floor plans and elevations with setback and dimension tools and Australian planning templates, and exports a scaled PDF. It suits builders and owners who draw the whole set of drawings themselves.
- General 3D drawing
- SketchUp and programs like it model almost anything in 3D, from a deck to a whole house, and suit a builder who wants to show the customer the finished look. The lot and its boundaries are modelled like the rest of the drawing.
- Online drafting services
- A drafter draws the plan from the address, your measurements and photos, and sends it back for you to lodge. It suits a job you would rather hand over than draw.
Where RapidSiteplan fits
It does one part of the job, the site plan, for any address in Australia.
- The real lot, from the state’s recordsIn every state and the ACT the lot loads from the state’s own land records when you type the address, drawn over the aerial. In the Northern Territory you trace it over the aerial.
- Your structure, at its sizePlace the patio, shed or carport at the size you quoted. The distance to every boundary and the site cover update as you move it.
- The sheet a certifier asks for, in minutesDimensioned and to scale, as a PDF and a view link the certifier opens without an account. On a Professional plan your logo, licence and ABN go in the title block.
- Wind, bushfire and corrosionThe wind class and the corrosivity for the lot in their own reports, and the bushfire attack level where the lot is mapped bushfire prone, added to the sheet if you choose.
- A partner API for manufacturersA manufacturer’s design or quoting software sends the structure across, and the site plan opens with it already drawn, ready to drag into place on the lot.
- Paid per planOne property for $75, once. A business that draws every week takes a Professional plan from $190 a month, with no seat fees.
What the certifier will ask you
The questions a patio or shed application comes back with, whichever software drew the plan.
On either job
- Is the lot in an overlay, and what is the zoning?
- Are there easements, sewer mains or other services?
- Who gives the approval, and who draws the plan?
- Which council, and how big is the lot?
On a patio
- How big is the patio, and how high?
- Is the patio attached to the house, or freestanding?
- How close to the boundary can the patio go?
- Is it a pergola, a louvred roof or a solid roof?
On a shed or carport
- How big is the shed or carport, and how high?
- Is the shed or carport attached to the house, or freestanding?
- How close to the boundary can the shed or carport go?
- Is the carport open, or closed in?
Questions builders ask
There are five kinds: siting and sales platforms such as canibuild and uDrew, design and quoting software for kits such as ShedTech and PatioTech, drafting software such as SolidDrafter, general 3D drawing such as SketchUp, and online drafting services, where a drafter draws the plan for you. Each one is made for a different part of the job.
The siting platforms, the drafting software, the drafting services and RapidSiteplan all draw site plans. RapidSiteplan starts from the real lot, loaded from the state’s land records or traced over the aerial in the Northern Territory, and places your structure at its size, with the distance to every boundary on a dimensioned sheet.
Yes. Keep designing and quoting the kit where you do now, and draw the site plan in RapidSiteplan. A manufacturer can also connect its software through the partner API, so the job opens with the structure already drawn, ready to drag into place on the lot.
Site plans by job
What the sheet carries for each structure, and what the council wants to see.
Put the address in and see the lot.
Patios, carports, sheds, decks and slabs come out of the same editor, on the same sheet.