← Back to Learning Center

LANDOVA / LEARNING CENTER

Planning & Design

Start with how you want to live outside. Explore layouts, site questions and design reviews before choosing the finishes.

Organize your backyard ideas

Guides for your next decision.

Outdoor design plans and a scale ruler on a veranda table overlooking a curved pool.

planning-design, pools-spas, hiring-contractors

Our story / Jeremy Ruben

The Pool Design Experience Behind LANDOVA

Jeremy Ruben shares the pool sales, design experience and professional education behind LANDOVA—and why homeowners deserve a clearer plan before construction.

4 min read

AI concept of a warm paver patio with a dining area and a broad open route beside a tan brick home.

planning-design, landscaping-hardscapes, hiring-contractors

Trade planning / Hardscape & Pavers

Before You Hire a Paver Contractor, Define What the Patio Must Do

Before choosing a paver installer or patio contractor, define the space for furniture, paths, pool edges and future features—not just a square-foot total.

4 minute read

AI concept of a small pool and spa planned with a pale deck, lawn and garden behind a white stucco house.

planning-design, pools-spas, hiring-contractors

Trade planning / Pools & Spas

Before You Hire a Pool Builder, Plan the Whole Backyard

Looking for a pool builder? Define the pool, patio, landscape and future features together, then compare qualified builders against the same project.

5 minute read

AI concept of a cottage dining patio with an empty gravel area reserved for a future outdoor kitchen.

planning-design, budget-phasing, outdoor-features

Phased projects

Plan the Future Kitchen Before You Build the Patio

You can build a backyard over several years while planning its major relationships together. Identify future space, services and access before completing early surfaces. This guide explains what to discuss now, what can remain flexible and what needs renewed professional review when a later phase moves forward.

4 minute read

AI concept of an outdoor kitchen and shaded dining table separated by a clear serving route.

planning-design, outdoor-features

Cooking + connection

Place the Outdoor Kitchen for Cooking and Connection

An outdoor kitchen should work for the person cooking and the people gathering around it. Trace food preparation, serving, seating and movement through the same plan. Then coordinate actual appliance and utility requirements before allowing a finished rendering to settle the location by appearance alone.

6 minute read

AI concept of a gently sloping backyard beside a brick ranch home with a survey tripod and mature oak.

planning-design, landscaping-hardscapes

Property + practicality

A Beautiful Backyard Plan Still Has to Fit the Site

A design should respond to the property that will receive it. Gather site information, identify drainage and access questions, and clarify who will resolve technical requirements. This guide shows how to keep those questions visible without mistaking a visualization or homeowner approval for permission to build.

4 minute read

Illustrative coastal terrace with lounge seating beneath a timber pergola and warm evening light across the lawn.

planning-design, outdoor-features

Sun, shade + after dark

Sun, Shade and Evening Use: Plan for the Hours You Live Outside

The best place to lounge depends on when you want to use it. Review morning routines, afternoon shade, evening gathering and the view from indoors together. A useful design conversation connects those preferences to the property and keeps illustrative lighting or sun studies separate from technical verification.

4 minute read

Illustrative round patio table and four chairs with an open walking route beside a coastal cottage.

planning-design, landscaping-hardscapes

Furniture + circulation

Can Your Patio Fit Your Furniture—and the People Using It?

Furniture that fits inside a patio outline can still leave an awkward space to use. Review chairs pulled out, loungers reclined, serving routes and access around the pool. This guide provides a practical way to discuss those relationships before the layout becomes a construction decision.

4 minute read

Illustrative tablet showing a backyard design preview beside an open notebook on a kitchen counter.

planning-design

A collaborative process

How Video Updates and Design Checkpoints Reduce Late Surprises

The final design review should build on decisions you have already helped shape. Learn how to use video updates, give focused feedback and record approvals through layout, details, everyday experience and final review—while keeping revision expectations tied to the actual scope of your project.

4 minute read

Illustrative backyard with distinct covered lounge and dining areas connected by a path around an open lawn.

planning-design

Layout + lifestyle

Why Your Backyard Layout Comes Before the Finishes

Before choosing finishes, make sure your backyard works. LANDOVA uses layout review to resolve placement, traffic flow, furniture clearances, and drainage considerations—and requires your approval before detailed design and 3D modeling.

8 minute read

Keep exploring.

Search all guides in the Learning Center