DIY Patio Chair

Summers in New England are beautiful, but because of Covid-19, I’ve been spending most of my days indoors. In an attempt to take back my summer, I decided to renovate my backyard to create an outdoor space to relax and enjoy the warm weather. You can find out more about my backyard renovation here.

While in the process of renovating the backyard, I started looking for affordable furniture that would fit the small space I had to work with. I didn’t want anything too big or cumbersome but something that would be comfortable for me and my guests to occupy. Added to the difficulty of finding something affordable, the stay at home order for Covid-19 limited the affordable stores open for customers where I could shop.   

While scrolling through Pinterest, I came across Ana White’s simple DIY 2×4 outdoor couch. I have never built furniture a day in my life but decided to give it a try because why not? This was the first piece of DIY furniture I have every built and now I’m hooked.

Ana White’s free build plan is very simple and easy to follow but I did make a few adjustments to better suit my space. I am happy with how it turned out and how much it adds to my outdoor space. Just a heads up: Buy your seat cushions first! This couch is designed for this specific seat cushions I found at Target, so be sure to adjust the cut measurements to reflect your cushion dimensions. I also found a few others that you can check out here, here and here.

The total cost of this project was about $40 plus and extra $40 that I spent on the cushions. Not bad given that I found a similar outdoor couch for over $200 sans cushions.

Okay, let’s get started.

Material List:

3 – 2x4x8 ft

2 – 2x6x8 ft

2 ½ inch self-tapping exterior decking screws

Exterior wood stain

Tools:

Drill

Tape Measure

Step 1: Cut Lumber

I don’t own a miter saw and don’t plan on getting one in the near future, so I went to my nearby home improvement store to purchase and cut my lumber. The cut list is as follows.

Remember the lumber is cut to the dimension of your cushion. The dimensions of my cushion are 46 inches long x 17 inches depth, so my cut list included:

4 – 2×6’s at 46 inches

10 – 2×4’s at 18 1/2 inches (or cushion depth plus 1-1/2″)

2 – 2×4’s at 22 inches (or cushion depth plus 4-1/2″)

Step 2: Assemble the base of couch

Using self-taping screws, screw together the seat frame as shown below.

Step 3: Assemble the Arms

Screw together the 22-inch 2×4’s to two 18 ½ inch 2x4s as shown. Then attach another 18 ½ inch 2×4 board 14 inches from the base of the arm as shown.

Finally attach another 18 ½ inch 2×4 board as shown. Repeat for the second arm

Step 4: Attach Arms to Base

Attach three of the 46-inch 2×6’s board to the top of seat frame. Then attached the seat frame to the couch arms.

Step 5: Attach back of couch

Screw the final 46-inch 2×4 piece at an angle into the arms. It was a little tricky at first to screw at an angle. The trick I used was to drill the screw straight for about ¼ of an inch then reposition the screw at an angle. The alternative is to use a Kreg jig mini to create pocket holes.

I wanted some extra support at the back of the couch, so I added an extra 6 inches 2×4 piece for height before attaching the back piece.

Step 6: Stain and Relax

Now that the couch is complete, it’s time to stain and enjoy your finished product.

I am very happy with how this chair turned out. It is comfy, functional and exactly what I was looking for.