Porch Makeover

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 (figure A). He also determines a good angle for the backrest (figure B).

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 eight 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.

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 (figure D).

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 (figure E). He also makes sure to go at least one inch from the edge so that the wood doesn't split.

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 (figure H).

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

Egan decides a box planter would be a nice addition to the porch set. He uses six 1 x 6s, 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 (figure I). 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 around $300.