HandyMan and I have been dreaming of renovating the deck all summer. Maybe it was romantic visions of making french toast topped with strawberries in our new kitchen and enjoying it out on our deck that got us eager to jump on this one. Funny, but with the kitchen reno lingering, and the days of summer dwindling, I never really thought we'd get started on the deck anytime soon. But soon enough, we were working on our first piece of DIY furniture: a bench seat with storage.
- It would be 24 inches deep, 16 inches high (without the cushions), with one side 8 feet long, and the other 40 inches.
- We'd put a piano hinge on the top so (theoretically) we could use the benches for storage.
We wanted to build this outdoor bench on a budget so we needed to maximize our materials. I'll admit - figuring out how many sheets of plywood or planks or 2x4s was totally HandyMan's domain. A few of his handy tips:
- Make the long bench 8' so you can use 2x4x8 pieces of lumber for framing the longest side
- Make the bench 16" high so you can face it in plywood (which conveniently is 4'x8' and can be cut into 16" strips).
- Construct the rough framing for the boxes out of 2x4's
- Affix 1/4" plywood to the face of the boxes
- Optional: Apply 4" wide wood strips (made from a 1x4x8 cut to size) around the perimeter of the front and side faces. We did this to tie in the look of the benches with the shaker cabinets in the adjacent kitchen.
- Finally, we made the tops out of two 1x12x8 planks, hinges, lots of construction glue, and myriad calculations for the overhang. HandyMan also thought of the smaller details, like leaving room beneath the overhang for decorative trim, and rounding all the edges with a sander.
Nonetheless, eight hours later, we have the sweet beginnings of our outdoor deck bench seating.
Now we just have to figure what to do with the rest of the deck. These plastic chairs and planter on a scrap piece of carpet are not cutting it! We still have to do the major demo (removing the existing slats and latticework) and rework (straightening and fattening the posts, changing the railing, installing beadboard ceiling, painting the floors, railings, ceiling, and benches), but it's a start. Not bad for our first piece of DIY furniture ever. Hopefully, we'll get it all done before the summer end :o)
Interested in more outdoor and DIY build projects? Check out:
![]() A Back Porch Makeover |
![]() Build A Walkway With Pavers |
![]() Build & Customize Storage Shed |
![]() Plywood Imagination Station |
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