Most custom pavilions we build land between 14×16 and 20×24, and the right size is set by what you will put under it and how people move around it — not by the yard. A six-seat dining table needs a zone about 10×12 feet once you add chair pull-out and a path behind; a sectional and coffee table want about the same; a dining-and-lounge pavilion wants both, which is why 16×20 is the most common answer. Then the lot gets a vote: Lenexa's 20-foot rear setback kicks in at 200 square feet, Kansas City, Missouri caps height at 10 feet, and Lee's Summit at 15 to the peak. Here is the furniture math, then the fit.
Start with the furniture
Published furniture dimensions and clearances (an outdoor-furniture maker's design guides, dining tables and layouts, accessed 2026-09-30):
| Piece | Footprint | Zone with clearance |
|---|---|---|
| Dining table for 4 | 48–60 × 34–38 in (or 42–48 in round) | about 8×10 ft |
| Dining table for 6 | 72–84 × 36–40 in (or 54–60 in round) | about 10×12 ft |
| Dining table for 8 | 84–96 × 40–42 in (or 60–72 in round) | about 12×14 ft |
| Dining table for 10 | about 108 × 42 in | about 14×16 ft |
| 3-seat sofa | 89 × 35 in | add 14–18 in to a coffee table (36 × 36 in) |
| L-shaped sectional | 89 × 89 in | about 10×10 ft with table |
| U-shaped sectional | 110 × 110 in | about 12×12 ft with table |
| Grill or kitchen run | 24–30 in deep × length | 36–42 in of working room in front |
| Wood-burning fire feature | — | 6–7 ft clearance from anything flammable (gas: 3–4 ft) |
Clearances that decide comfort: 36 inches behind a chair is the minimum to pull it out; 42 inches is comfortable; 48 inches lets someone walk behind seated guests with a tray. Walkways narrower than 36 inches make people turn sideways. Roughly 24 inches of table edge per guest.
The size-fit table
| Footprint | Square feet | What fits | Permit note (varies by city) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12×12 | 144 | One zone: dining for 4, or a small lounge | Over 120 sq ft: permit in Lee's Summit, Parkville, Lenexa, Shawnee |
| 12×16 | 192 | Dining for 6 with a walkway, or an L-sectional and table | Under 200: exempt in KCMO, Jackson Co., Overland Park, Olathe, Johnson Co. |
| 14×16 | 224 | Dining for 6 plus a reading chair, or dining for 8 tight | Permit everywhere that publishes a threshold |
| 14×20 | 280 | Dining for 6–8 and a sofa zone | Permit everywhere |
| 16×20 | 320 | Dining for 6–8 and a sectional — the most common custom size | Permit everywhere; Lenexa 20/7 setbacks |
| 16×24 | 384 | Dining for 8, sectional, and a grill run | Permit; Olathe/Lenexa size caps by lot |
| 20×20 | 400 | Dining for 8–10 and a lounge, or a square great-room layout | Shawnee: 36-in footings and JoCo license above 400 |
| 20×24 | 480 | Kitchen run, dining and lounge | Shawnee rules above apply; check Lenexa/Olathe lot caps |
Height, pitch and overhang
- Eaves at 8 feet or more if you want a ceiling fan; fan makers want blades at least 7 feet above the floor, and a damp- or wet-rated fan depending on how far in from the open edge it hangs.
- Pitch: our standard roof is shingles over sheathing, which needs at least 2:12 with enhanced underlayment and is usually built around 4:12–6:12. Steeper sheds hail and snow better and raises the ridge: a 6:12 roof over a 16-foot span adds about 4 feet above the eave, so 8-foot posts put the ridge near 12–13 feet.
- Height caps: Kansas City, Missouri 10 feet for accessory structures; Lee's Summit 15 feet to the roof peak; Overland Park 20 feet and not taller than the house; Olathe 25 feet to the ridge; Lenexa 25 feet. In KCMO, a conventional pitched pavilion exceeds the cap and needs a variance; see the KCMO page.
- Overhang: we build a 3-foot overhang. It keeps blowing rain off the first few feet of floor and shades the edges; it also adds to the roof footprint for setback purposes in some cities, so a 16×20 pavilion has a 22×26 roof.
- Hot tub under the roof: allow headroom for steam and for getting in and out, and plan the electrical and the floor drainage first; the tub's weight is a slab question, not a pavilion one.
Will it fit your lot? Worked examples
Lenexa, R-1, 16×20. Over 200 square feet (and over 10 feet tall), so the pavilion sits 20 feet from the rear line and 7 feet from the side. On a 75×120 lot with the house 45 feet from the rear line, that leaves a 25-foot band: it fits with the pavilion 10–12 feet off the house. A 12×16 under 10 feet tall would get the 5-foot setbacks instead. (Lenexa accessory structure guide)
Olathe, 16×20. Five feet from rear and side lines, 10 feet from the house, out of the rear utility easement, under 25 feet at the ridge. Olathe's size caps are written for sheds — 3 percent of lot area on a 7,000–13,000-square-foot lot is 270 square feet on a 9,000-square-foot lot — so we ask the reviewer which cap applies to an open pavilion before drawing. (Olathe UDO 18.50.060)
Shawnee, 20×24. At 480 square feet the pavilion crosses both of Shawnee's lines: footings to 36 inches and a Johnson County Class A/B/C contractor's license. Over 250 square feet it meets the district's bulk setbacks rather than the 5-foot rule, and if a shed is already on the lot the one-accessory-building rule comes first. (Shawnee guidelines)
Lee's Summit, 16×20. Ten feet from side and rear lines, more than 10 feet from the house so the house's 25-foot R-1 rear setback does not apply, and under 15 feet at the peak — which rules out tall posts under a steep roof. (Lee's Summit UDO Art. 6 Div. IV)
Kansas City, Missouri, 12×16. Setbacks are only 1.5 feet from the rear and side lines and 10 feet from other buildings, and under 200 square feet there is no building permit — but the 10-foot height cap means a low-pitch roof on short posts, or a variance. (KCMO 88-305)
All read September 30, 2026.
Placement
Set the pavilion far enough from the house to keep daylight in the room behind it — 12 feet worked for one homeowner we read — and far enough from the property line that your neighbor's window is not looking straight under the roof. Put the grill on the downwind side and, if it burns wood, outside the eave. Think about the walk from the kitchen door in the rain; a pavilion 40 feet out gets used less than one at 15.
Frequently asked questions
Is bigger better? Up to the point where the furniture rattles around and the roof needs bigger timbers. Size the zones you will actually use; a 16×20 with a full table and a sectional feels better than a half-empty 20×24.
How tall for a fan? Blades at least 7 feet off the floor; with a fan body and mount, plan eaves at 8 feet or more.
Can I fit a 16×20 on a small lot? In KCMO and Olathe, often; in Lenexa the 20-foot rear setback is the limit; in Lee's Summit the 10-foot setbacks and 15-foot peak decide. Run the Instant Estimate with your city selected and bring the plat to the design meeting.
Last updated: September 30, 2026. Next: what it costs · your city's rules · get a quote.