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Garden bar layout checker: will the stools fit?

Drag the counter length, stool spacing and end clearances and watch a live plan show how many people your garden bar can seat.

By the Garden Bar Guide teamUpdated 10 November 2026Works in your browser

Measure the clear, usable counter run after allowing for end panels, doors and awkward corners. This checker turns that length into a seating reality check, drawn to scale.

Interactive set-out sheet

Set out the bar

Drag the sliders or type the numbers. The plan redraws as you go. Use the clear counter run, not the wall width.

cm
Measure where a person can actually sit with clear knee room.
Count regulars, not the party maximum.
cm
Centre to centre. Sit on your actual stools and measure.
cm
For end panels, a door swing or a hatch frame.

Enter the usable counter run to start.

A set-out aid, not an accessibility or building-compliance check. Mark the positions on the real counter with tape before you build.

Measure the useful length

Do not use the outside width of the shed or the full worktop length if part of it holds equipment. Measure only where a person can actually sit with clear knee space. If a door swings across one end, or the hatch frame sits inside the run, use the end-clearance slider to take it out.

Anatomy of a garden bar counterSide section of a counter showing the worktop, front overhang for knees, footrail, stool seat height and the clear working space behind the bar. Worktop: sheds water forwardOverhang: knee room for seated guestsSeat height:measure your stoolFootrailWorking spacebehind the bar:keep it clear ofdoor swing and steps
Measure from your own stools and the people who will use them. See the counter height guide for how to set it out.

Read the result as a prompt

Stool widths, arms and the way people sit all differ. Adjust the per-person figure, then mark those positions on the real counter with tape. Check how people enter, leave and pass behind the seats. The counter height guide explains how to get the height and overhang right for your stools.

Test the whole route

The result says nothing about the door swing, the server's working space or a step behind the stools. Set the layout out at full size before cutting timber, and read accessible garden bars if anyone using it needs level access or a lower counter.

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