Randall's Blog

After the main deck was done we started to think about some built in, or built on, seating. I did some Google searches for ideas. Many of the seats I found were bench type seats and Debbie wanted a back to lean on. Our friend Laura has some on her deck so I looked at photos of that seating to get ideas too. I wanted something that was simple to construct out of 2x4 PT lumber and PT decking. I came up with my own plans when I couldn't find any on line. This is what I came up with:

Debbie & I were both very happy with the result. The seats are comfortable and I even put a board on top to rest drinks or anything else you might want knocked off to the ground. Here is how I made them.

First, I wanted a plan that would use only a single 2x4 (8') for each seat support. I was able to cut the 4 pieces of wood from a single 2x4 with a few inches on each end to cut out knots if necessary. The seat backs are about 38 inches above the deck surface and the seat height is about 17 inches above the deck surface. I used an angle of 10 degrees as a slant for the seat back. It doesn't seem like much but it feels right.

The four pieces are the seat back, the front support and two cross pieces. The two upright pieces are rhomboid parallelograms - the angles are 80 degrees and 110 degrees. The two cross pieces are isosceles trapezoids with the same angles. These are links to a graphic with a sketch of the seat and cutting plan in PNG and PDF format. I assembled three of the pieces inside:

I used a 2 7/8 inch FastenMaster Headlok screw to attach the pieces together. I just discovered these screws when I was shopping for deck screws and they work great!

To attach the lower cross piece to the deck I used an 8 inch Scorpion Tie-Master landscape fastener. I drilled pilot holes 4 1/2 inches from the end of the long side (top) of the lower cross piece. Each lower cross piece was positioned over a deck framing member and screwed on to the deck:

The rest of the assembly was then screwed to the lower cross piece:

Once all the supports were together and aligned I attached the decking to the supports using standard decking screws. Getting the supports aligned is important (I found this the hard way...). I used 1/2 inch spacing between decking boards.

I was a bit concerned that that the whole assembly might not be sturdy enough. I had thought of attaching some diagonal braces if necessary. However, once it was all screwed together it felt quite sturdy.

Here is a rear view:

And a view of the top board:

I hope someone finds this information useful!