BUILT-IN BENCHES

MAINTENANCE-FREE SEATING FROM COMPOSITE DECKING

- MIKE BERNER

We all want to sit back and enjoy the best weather in our backyards. That's why we chose to build this custom-fit bench with composite decking. No need to spend precious summer hours keeping up with its appearance -there will be no sanding, restaining, or replacing warped or splintered wood.

We built our bench to fit against an angled wall and between two gabion walls, but you can modify the plans to fit your own space. We designed the bench to have waterfall sides to hide the cut ends, but you could change this detail to simplify it further.

The bench can be built in just a couple of days, and the composite decking has the beautiful look of hardwood-without the hassles.

WHAT IT TAKES

TIME 2 days

COST $1,000

SKILL LEVEL Beginner

TOOLS Circular saw or miter saw, drill/driver, hidden fastener installation tool (recommended)

1 LAY OUT YOUR BENCH WITH 2x4s

To determine where to place your bench and its approximate size, lay out 2x4s to outline the base. This will give you a good visual for the bench's placement and length. We left a 2-in. space between the framing and the abutting walls to allow room for decking and to make installation easier.

2 MARK THE PLATES

The top and bottom of the bench are identical, and each is built just like a very short wall. We started by marking the stretcher locations on the plates. With the plates cut to length (and miter angles cut), flush the end and mark stretcher locations 12 in.on-center with a Speed square. Repeat this for all four pairs.

HOW TO DETERMINE AN ODD MITER ANGLE