AE Tools — free Arizona outdoor living planning tools
AE Tools is our own collection of free planning tools — calculators, quizzes, planners, and AI-assisted design helpers — built to help you design, budget, compare, and prepare before you spend. Each one carries a documented methodology, owner, and last-reviewed date. Results are planning estimates and conceptual guidance; final scope, site conditions, engineering, permitting, and availability affect every project.
What are you trying to figure out?
Pick the closest match. We'll route you to the single tool that fits — not a giant list to sort through.
Search AE tools by planning stage
Explore a selection of AE tools organized by planning stage, then choose a recommended next step.
Selected tools for every stage of your project.
- Budget & Pricing
Budget Builder
Mix scope and selections into a realistic low / mid / premium Arizona range.
ExploringBudgetingOpen Budget Builder - Budget & Pricing
Pool Ownership Cost Calculator
Estimate monthly ownership + operating cost for a Phoenix pool. Not a construction quote.
BudgetingEstimate ownership cost - Budget & Pricing
ROI Calculator
Hypothetical outdoor cost/recovery scenarios, not appraisals or income forecasts.
BudgetingExploringExplore scenarios - Budget & Pricing
Remodel Planner
Pick scope, budget, and timing — get a checklist, a price range, and the next step.
BudgetingBuildingPlan my remodel - Design & Inspiration
3D Yard Planner
Drag pool, deck, fire pit, BBQ, and trees into a 3D scene of your yard.
DesigningOpen Yard Planner - Design & Inspiration
Outdoor Style Quiz
Six questions to surface design directions, materials, and features that fit your life.
ExploringTake the quiz - Design & Inspiration
AI Pool Designer
Create a written pool planning summary with finishes, equipment categories, and an estimated investment range. Optional concept image requires sign-in.
ExploringDesigningDesign a pool - Design & Inspiration
AI Outdoor Kitchen Designer
Create a written outdoor kitchen plan with appliance categories, counter options, and an estimated investment range. Optional concept image requires sign-in.
DesigningDesign a kitchen - Design & Inspiration
AI Fire Feature Designer
Explore fire pits, tables, and fireplaces in a written planning summary. Optional concept image requires sign-in.
DesigningDesign a fire feature - Design & Inspiration
AI Water Feature Designer
Explore waterfalls, scuppers, and fountains in a written planning summary. Optional concept image requires sign-in.
DesigningDesign a water feature - Design & Inspiration
AI Design Analyzer
Upload a rendering, sketch, plan, or photo and get a list of questions and scope gaps.
DesigningReviewing bidsAnalyze a design - Design & Inspiration
Trim Color Matcher
Photo of your trim → closest exterior paint and pre-finished trim-coil matches.
DesigningBuildingMatch a color - Plants & Landscape
Arizona Plant & Tree Guide
Desert-proven plants with sun, water, pet-safe, edible, and wildlife filters.
ExploringDesigningAftercareBrowse plants - Plants & Landscape
Planting Calendar
Month-by-month planting and pruning guidance for the low desert.
AftercareOpen calendar - Plants & Landscape
Irrigation Tool
Emitter counts, run times, and seasonal adjustments for drip irrigation.
BuildingAftercareOpen irrigation tool - Pool Planning
Plan a Water Project
Walk through pool, spa, and water-feature decisions in plain language.
ExploringDesigningStart water plan - Project Review
Proposal Analyzer
Upload a contractor proposal and get questions, scope gaps, and comparison points.
Reviewing bidsAnalyze a proposal - Project Review
AI Outdoor Diagnosis
Describe or photograph an issue and get an Arizona-specific read with next steps.
Reviewing bidsAftercareRun diagnosis - Client Help
Warranty Assistant
Walk through a warranty question and route to AE warranty support.
AftercareOpen warranty help - Client Help
HOA Helper
Draft an HOA submittal narrative for an outdoor project with photos and scope notes.
BuildingDraft HOA narrative - Client Help
Sophia AI Guide
Ask Sophia about services, pricing ranges, projects, tools, and next steps.
ExploringBudgetingDesigningReviewing bidsChat with Sophia
Plan the investment before anyone quotes you
Ranges built from AE project pricing with stated scope assumptions. Planning estimates only — final scope, selections, access, site conditions, engineering, permitting, and availability affect pricing.
Budget Builder
Mix pool, hardscape, kitchen, shade, and lighting to see a realistic low / mid / premium Arizona range with scope assumptions.
Project Financing Calculator
Estimate monthly principal and interest, total paid, and total interest for one focused scope or a complete outdoor living transformation. Planning estimate only; lender terms control.
Pool Ownership Cost Calculator
Estimate monthly ownership cost — water, energy, chemicals — plus payback on VS pumps, covers, and solar pre-heat. Not a construction quote.
ROI Calculator
Informational planning estimate of home-value impact and lifestyle return for outdoor improvements — not an appraisal.
Remodel Planner
Pick scope, budget, and timing — get a real prep checklist, a Phoenix-metro cost range, and the smartest next step.
Financing Fit Quiz
Three questions to see which AE financing partner path fits your budget and timeline — before you start the application.
Outdoor Renovation Cost Calculator
Pool resurfacing, deck material, and artificial turf in one place — set finish, size, and square footage for a Phoenix-metro range per scope and a combined total.
Paver Material Calculator
Plan paver, ABC base, bedding sand, and polymeric joint-sand quantities from your project dimensions. Quantity planning only, not a material order or quote.
Turf Rebate Finder
Check which Arizona water-provider turf rebates apply to your address and estimate the payout for a lawn-to-turf conversion.
Desert Conversion Rebate
Estimate your utility desert-landscape conversion rebate and see whether AE's design-build path meets the program rules.
See your yard before you commit
Conceptual guidance only. AI renders are design concepts, not photos of real AE projects; renderings, quizzes, and planners do not replace an onsite design visit, engineering review, or HOA submittal package.
3D Yard Planner
Drag a pool, deck, fire pit, BBQ island, and trees into a 3D scene of your yard — browser-based, no install.
Photo Overlay Visualizer
Upload a photo of your actual backyard and overlay paver patterns, artificial turf, or pool shapes to preview the look.
Outdoor Style Quiz
Six questions to surface the design directions, materials, and features that fit how you live outside.
Paver Selector Quiz
8 questions → the paver type and brand that fit your project (concrete, travertine, porcelain, or permeable) with a per-square-foot Phoenix investment range.
Paver Cost Calculator
Enter dimensions, paver type, base option, and edging — get an itemized planning range with per-square-foot cost for the Phoenix metro.
AE Pool Designer
Quiz or freeform → an AE-branded written pool concept and spec sheet with an Arizona price range, plus an optional concept image.
AE Outdoor Kitchen Designer
Written concept and spec for built-in BBQs, pizza ovens, bars, and chef pavilions, plus an optional concept image.
AE Fire Feature Designer
Written concept and spec for fire pits, tables, fireplaces, and fire-and-water walls, plus an optional concept image.
AE Water Feature Designer
Written concept and spec for sheet walls, waterfalls, scuppers, rills, and ponds, plus an optional concept image.
AE Design Analyzer
Upload a rendering, sketch, plan, or photo from another firm and get a list of questions and scope gaps to clarify.
Trim Color Matcher
Photo of your existing trim → closest exterior paint and pre-finished trim-coil matches. Always confirm with a manufacturer drawdown.
Materials Library
Browse pavers, turf, decking finishes, coping, cladding, and lighting selections AE actively specifies in Arizona.
Project Matcher
Answer a short brief and see the AE projects that most resemble your scope, site, and style.
Build-Your-Way Quiz
Guided or full-service? Two minutes to see which AE build path fits your timeline, budget, and involvement.
Desert-proven choices, with sources
Plants are filtered for Arizona sun, water, and soil. Pet-safety, edibility, and toxicity claims show their source. Arizona climate and irrigation qualifiers are stated on every plant page.
Arizona Plant & Tree Guide
Searchable library of desert-proven plants and trees with sun, water, pet-conscious, edible, and wildlife filters — and source citations.
Plant Match Quiz
Five questions on sun, water, pets, and use — get a personalized list of desert-proven plants and trees for your yard.
AE Recommended Plants
The curated shortlist AE actually specifies on Arizona projects — grouped by role in the yard.
Bloom Calendar
Month-by-month bloom windows for desert-proven flowering plants — plan for year-round color.
Edible Plants
Desert-proven edibles — herbs, fruit, citrus — with Arizona-specific planting and care notes.
Pet-Conscious Plants
Plants filtered for dog and cat households, with source-cited toxicity notes.
Wildlife-Friendly Plants
Pollinator, hummingbird, and bird-supporting plants that still perform in Arizona sun.
Use-with-Care Plants
Common Arizona plants that need extra thought — thorns, allergens, invasiveness, or toxicity.
Planting Calendar
Month-by-month planting and pruning guidance for the low desert.
Irrigation Tool
Estimate emitter counts, run times, and seasonal adjustments for drip irrigation in Phoenix-area soils.
Right-size the water before the bid
Pool-specific planning tools. For construction planning ranges use the Budget Builder in Budget & Pricing; the Pool Ownership Cost Calculator covers ongoing monthly ownership and operating costs, not the build; and the AE Pool Designer in Design & Inspiration helps visualize the concept.
Plan a Water Project
Walk through pool, spa, and water-feature decisions in plain language before you talk to a designer.
Pool vs Spool Estimator
Compare a full-size pool and a smaller spool side-by-side — footprint, investment range, and lifestyle fit.
Spa Sizing & Budget Estimator
Get a recommended spa style (above-ground, built-in, or swim spa), seating size, investment range, and monthly operating cost.
Pool Financing Calculator
Estimate monthly payment, total interest, and total cost for a pool loan by adjusting amount, term, and interest rate.
Pool Resurfacing Cost Calculator
Build an itemized Phoenix-metro resurfacing planning range from pool size, finish, tile, and coping scope. Planning range only, not a quote.
Read a bid or diagnose what you already have
Highlights questions, scope gaps, and comparison points. The AE Proposal Analyzer does not provide legal advice or determine code compliance. The Diagnosis tool is conceptual guidance only and does not replace an onsite inspection, engineering review, or warranty evaluation.
AE Proposal Analyzer
Upload a contractor proposal and get a list of questions to ask, scope gaps to clarify, and apples-to-apples comparison points.
Scope Scorecard
AE's checklist for scoring a proposal on scope clarity, materials, warranty, and payment terms — line by line.
Contractor Check
Vet a contractor on license status, scope clarity, proposal completeness, and the questions worth asking before you sign.
Verify a Contractor
Look up an Arizona ROC license, class, status, and complaint history — the fast public-record check.
AE Outdoor Diagnosis
Add one photo of a plant, lawn, or pool issue and get an AI-assisted read of what's visible and what to confirm next.
Help for active and existing AE clients
Guided AI assistants for warranty questions, HOA submittal drafting, and ongoing client care. Personalized output is private and noindex; these assistants do not approve warranty claims or guarantee HOA approval.
Warranty Assistant
Walk through a warranty question, gather the right details, and route to AE warranty support with the relevant care guide.
HOA Helper
Draft an HOA submittal narrative for an outdoor living project — pavers, pool, ramada, lighting, turf — with photos and scope notes.
Sophia AI Guide
Ask Sophia about services, pricing ranges, projects, tools, and next steps. General planning guidance — not a binding estimate or warranty decision.
Plan smarter before you build
Free Arizona planning tools for the questions that come before — and after — the design conversation. Planning guidance only; not a warranty, permit, code, or feasibility determination.
Seasonal Care Calendar
Pick the features you own and get a free Arizona-specific seasonal checklist — spring prep, monsoon, late-summer recovery, and winter.
Phased Project Planner
Sequence drainage, pool, hardscape, shade, kitchen, lighting, and finish layers so Phase 2 doesn't demo Phase 1.
Site Survey Scorecard
Ten questions about your lot — access, drainage, utilities, HOA, permits — to flag what AE needs to verify before the first call.
Patio Planning Flow
Four questions about budget, style, maintenance, and your existing slab — then the patio material, comparison guide, and cost page that fit.
- Methodology & review: every tool documents its inputs, data source, methodology, owner, and last-reviewed date in our internal tools inventory.
- Disclaimers: cost tools are planning estimates, ROI tools are informational and not appraisals, proposal review is not legal advice, and diagnosis tools are conceptual — they do not replace an onsite inspection, engineering review, code review, safety inspection, or warranty evaluation.
- Uploads: any tool that accepts files validates format and size, shows a privacy consent, restricts public access, sanitizes filenames, and deletes per our retention policy.
- AI assistant: Sophia clearly identifies as AI, does not make contractual promises, cannot approve warranty claims, and hands off to a human pathway when the question requires one.