Alfresco and covered outdoor living size in Australia

The defining room of a modern Australian plan. How deep it needs to be to hold a table, why 4m matters in Queensland, and how the eave decides whether you use it.

Covered outdoor living is the room that separates an Australian plan from a generic one, and the one most often drawn too shallow to use.

The numbers

Where the minimum comes from: 2000 table + 900 chair pull-out = 2900; ideal 4 × 4 also meets the QDC 4m private-open-space dimension.

Source: AU outdoor-living trade guidance (last checked 4 August 2026). Convention: 3×4m holds a table and chairs, 3×5m a lounge and dining setting, 5×5m a larger gathering.

These are the figures Draftie's layout review measures your plan against, generated from the same table the checker uses, so this guide and the tool cannot disagree. Minimums are the point below which a room stops working, not a legal floor: outside ceiling heights, ventilation, sanitary facilities and egress, the NCC does not mandate most room dimensions.

Depth is the whole question

An alfresco's width usually looks after itself, because it runs along the living area. Depth is what decides whether it works.

A 2,000mm-deep table plus 900mm to pull a chair clear is 2,900mm. So 3,000mm is the floor for a covered outdoor area you would actually eat at, and 4,000mm is where it becomes a room rather than a wide verandah.

The Queensland 4m rule

In Queensland, the QDC sets a minimum dimension of 4m for private open space. An alfresco shallower than 4m may not count towards that requirement, which turns a design preference into a compliance question.

If you are in Queensland and relying on covered outdoor living as part of your private open space, check this before the plan is fixed. It is a specific example of a general principle: outdoor space is often regulated, and the rules differ by state and council.

The eave, which decides if you use it

A covered outdoor area facing west with a shallow eave is unusable from about 2pm in summer, which is exactly when you wanted it. The sun is low in the west, so a horizontal eave cannot shade it: you need vertical shading, a screen, or planting.

North is the good orientation: high summer sun is easily shaded by an eave, and low winter sun comes in when you want it. East works for mornings. South is shaded year-round, which is pleasant in the tropics and cold further south.

Aim the alfresco the same way you aim the living room, because the two are the same room with a wall between them.

Making it one space with the living area

The point of the modern alfresco is that it extends the living area, and the details that deliver it:

• A wide opening. A 3,600mm+ stacker or bifold, not a single sliding door. Think about the clear opening, not the overall width: a stacker opens far more of the same hole than a slider.
• Level threshold. A step down breaks the continuity and is the single biggest tell of an afterthought.
• Continuous or complementary flooring. The floor reading through is what makes one space out of two.
• The kitchen within reach. If food has to cross the living room, the alfresco gets used less.

What it costs you

An alfresco under the main roof is cheaper than a separate structure and it takes area from the building footprint, which counts towards site coverage. Check that before you extend it: on a tight block the alfresco can be what pushes the footprint over the limit.

Checking your own plan

Draw the room, put the furniture in it, and see what is left. Draftie flags every room that falls under the figures above and tells you the shortfall in millimetres, so you find out on the drawing rather than after a builder prices it.

Related: standard room sizes across the whole house, and how to read a floor plan.

FAQ

How deep should an alfresco be?

At least 3,000mm to fit a dining table with room to pull chairs out, and 4,000mm to have circulation behind the chairs as well. At 2,000mm you have a wide verandah, not an outdoor room.

Does an alfresco count as private open space?

Often, but the rules vary by state and council. In Queensland the QDC sets a 4m minimum dimension for private open space, so an alfresco shallower than that may not count towards it.

Which direction should an alfresco face?

North is best: high summer sun is easily shaded by an eave and low winter sun comes in. West is the problem case: the afternoon sun is too low for an eave to shade, so it needs vertical screening or planting.

Related guides

General information for Australian residential projects, not professional advice. Product specifications and prices change, confirm current details with the manufacturer or supplier before you rely on them. Draftie produces concept plans, not construction documents.