Make Your Own Porch Furniture

Figure A

Designing the Bench

Egan starts by sketching out his design for a comfy two-seater bench with a coffee table in between. First, he determines a comfortable seat height based on an existing chair. He also determines a good angle for the backrest.

Figure C

To make things more comfortable, he decides to add cushions to his design. He accounts for the cushions' height and size in his overall measurements. The results? The bench will be 16 inches high and the square cushion is 21 inches across so the two sections of the bench have to be 21 inches wide.

To create an armrest, Egan measures where his arm lays normally to ensure a proper fit. "I've measured armrests on other pieces of furniture that I have and found that 8 inches is a nice height off the seating surface," he says. "If the seating surface is 16 inches (from the ground), the armrests are going to be 24 inches," according to Egan.

His building materials and tools include eight 2x4s and five 1x6s, safety gear, a measuring tape, bevel square, hand saw, power saw, screwdrivers and chisel, hammers, power drill, and a few nails and screws. Be sure to use wood that's suitable for outdoor use; Egan used cedar, but you could also use redwood or teak. Another tip: Self-tapping screws eliminate the need for pilot holes because the tip of the screw actually drills a hole first.

Figure E

Putting the Bench Together

Attaching the back leg can be tricky. It's important to be sure that the front and back leg height are the same so the bench will sit level and not rock.

Egan places the screws from behind and from the outside so they can't be seen. Once he gets a screw going he bends it at a 45-degree angle. He also makes sure to go at least 1 inch from the edge so the wood doesn't split.

Figure G

A 6-foot stringer attaches the two sides. As he assembles and cuts the wood, Egan double checks his measurements for accuracy.

Egan decides a box planter would be a nice addition to the porch set. He uses six 1x6s, a large plastic pot and a tray to catch excess water. The construction plan is easy: he simply measures the plastic container so he can build a box around it. He adds about three-quarters of an inch to each side to ensure that the container will fit properly inside the box.

In just one day Egan turned his plain porch into a relaxing paradise, and it cost only about $300.

Figure I

Building Planter Boxes

After completing the bench, Egan decides to add a planter box to the porch railing. He uses three cedar 1 x 6s. He determines the measurements at the bottom to be exactly 5-1/2 inches to make the planter square. Once the sides are complete he closes the ends of the box by measuring the opening and using a piece of scrap wood to fill in the gap.

To ensure good drainage for the plants, Egan spaces holes equally across the bottom so water will drain properly through the planter box.