Homeowners Brian and Heidi Emberling, residents of the San Francisco Bay area, want to enhance their fairly spacious but entirely bare deck with built-on benches that feature small end tables for food and drinks. To implement the project, the couple has enlisted the help of landscape contractor Omar Woodland, who says that a deck should provide a connection from the indoor living space to the world outdoors; currently the unadorned deck seems rather disconnected from the house. Woodland says the type of benches that the Emberlings have in mind will not only help unite the deck with the house, but will also provide a sense of privacy. (A redwood arbor built along the side of the deck that adjoins the house will further enhance and integrate the two.) Woodland estimates that a professional installation of this project would generally cost around $6,000, while a do-it-yourselfer can expect to spend somewhere in the area of $1,500 on materials and will need about three weekends to complete the work. On a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most difficult, Woodland rates the project a "strong 3" and says that strong basic carpentry skills are a must. Step One: Framing the Benches
To get started, Woodland first removes some of the decking to allow for the installation of the inner support posts of the bench seats. (Here, the benches will extend around the three outer sides of the deck, with a centered opening on the side opposite the house, which will serve as an entrance into the backyard.)
Next, Woodland secures metal joist hangers inside the joists and fits them with supporting blocks. These blocks consist of wood pieces cut to a thickness that allows them to fit perfectly in the joist hangers, with a length that exactly spans the distance between each pair of joists.
Then, Woodland attaches the 4"x4" redwood posts to the support pieces with 3/8 " hex bolts. With all inner posts in place, he moves on to the outer posts, which are also cut from redwood 4"x4"s. (The posts are cut to allow a bench height of aboutAfter using a circular saw (these rent for about $20 per day) to notch the posts, Woodland and the crew fit each one carefully against the outer edge of the deck, aligning them perfectly with brand new the inner posts.
Finally, the crew attaches the outer posts with rust-proof three-inch deck screws and connects the inner and outer posts with 2"x4"s, fitting the boards on both the front and back of the posts to effectively sandwich them in between.
Step Two: Building the Bench Seats
To get started constructing the benches, general contractor Rich Cheechov uses miter cuts on the corners of the bench seat boards for a finished look. Then, he lays three 2"x6" redwood planks across the bench supports and attaches them with deck screws. (Although he uses a circular saw to cut the angles here, Cheechov says a miter saw is the best choice for these cuts--miter saws rent for about $35 per day.)
To complete the seats, he simply slides all the bench planks into place and screws them into the bench supports with deck screws.
Step Three: Constructing the Backrests and Adding the Plants
With the seats finished, Cheechov is ready to move on the backrests. He explains that a 105-degree angle is generally best for maximum comfort. He places 2"x4"s at regular intervals between the bench supports at this angle, then attaches them to the horizontal bench supports with deck screws.
Next, he cuts the backrest boards with more 45-degree-angle mitered cuts and screws them into place together with more deck screws.
Finally, Cheechov and the crew top off the backrest with redwood caps fashioned from cut lengths of 2"x8"s and mitered at the corners.
While the crew completes the benches, landscape contractor Omar Woodland turns his attention to the planting plan. He explains that the goal is to bring the feel of the garden closer to the deck, which will further integrate it with the yard. In selecting the plants, Woodland has chosen varieties with rosy hues to bring out the rich color of the redwood.
Featured plants:
- Camellia (Camellia japonica 'Nuccio's Pearl'), Zones 7-8
- Japanese pieris (Pieris japonica 'Mountain Fire'), Zones 6-8
- Nandina (Nandina domestica), Zones 6-9
Step Four: Attaching the Tables
To construct the small built-on tables, Woodland and the crew cut down several 2x4s to create 1 1/2"x 2" boards to form the frames for the tabletops. (The tables will be located at both ends of each bench.) The ends of these small boards are then cut at 45-degree angles for a smooth fit at the corners.
Next, the crew pre-drills the boards and attaches them with three-inch deck screws to make four square frames. Then, they create the base of the tables by cutting down 2"x12" pieces of redwood to 8 1/2" squares.
Finally, the crew notches the bench seats to allow for the insertion of 2"x2" support posts that will elevate the tables to about eight inches above the bench seats. They use a level to make sure the tabletops aren't tilted before attaching the tabletops to the posts with deck screws.
Step Five: Decorating with Tile
Homeowner Heidi Emberling has chosen tiles with a flower motif that will tie in the benches with the nearby plantings. To set the tiles into the tabletops, Woodland mixes a light beige, non-sanded grout to a thick but spreadable consistency and lays a generous layer of the mix inside the frames so that the excess will squeeze through the seams of the tile when pressed into the grout.
Next, he lays a 2x4 with a level on top of it across the surface to make sure the tile is perfectly flat. He spreads a little more mortar between the seams of the tile and wipes off the excess with a sponge.
To set the tile in place on the backrests, Woodland and the crew first mark the points where the tiles will be positioned (here, about 15 inches apart). Then, they lay a template--large enough to accommodate a router blade--over the backrest to serve as a guide for cutting the four-inch-square shallow cavities that will hold the tiles.
Finally, they set the tiles into the backrest using a silicone caulking adhesive, which they allow to set for 24 hours. To complete the project, they use latex caulking to fill in the crevices around the tiles.
)
)
