HOW TO BUILD A GARDEN BENCH

You’ve put together a wonderful garden. Your hard work has paid off. The flowers are in bloom and the vegetables are growing. It’s a perfect compliment to your attractive yard. After all of those hours of hard work, you can finally enjoy the fruits of your labors. Unfortunately, you have to stand in order to do so. You don’t have a bench.

Sure, you could drag out a folding lawn chair in which to sit as you watch your flowers bob in the wind, but that is an inconvenient solution. It’s also impractical if you’d like to spend some outdoor time with a loved one enjoying the view and your handiwork. You need a bench.

Yes, you could go to the store and buy a bench. One of two things is likely to happen, though. Either you will end up paying a fortune for an ornate, heavy bench or you will be forced to trade cost-consciousness for low quality. Additionally, you might not be able to find something in the stores that looks “right” for your yard or garden. You need to build a bench.

You can build your own garden bench and its construction will be limited only by your own creativity or research. There are literally hundreds of tested garden bench plans available commercially, and one of them might be perfect for you. Alternatively, you can look past the “blueprints” and opt to put together your own original creation. You might use some of the recommendations and ideas within those various plans to guide your own construction, but there is no reason to feel bound by them.

If you have a formal garden and a need for something with an elegant look, your work will be cut out for you. Expect to pay close attention to detail and to spend plenty of time on your project. If, however, you are less concerned with impressing foreign dignitaries and would be happy with a simple rustic garden bench that fits nicely with the outdoor experience and possesses a natural feel, you may be able to build what you need without expending that much effort.

In fact, a large log on its side might even do the trick, but most of us probably want to go a step further than “nature’s own” bench. As you plot your bench plan, remember that all you really need to get the job done is a bench, two similarly sized supports and some way to fasten them together.

That may involve two overturned planting barrels, a couple of long enough 2” x 6” planks and a handful of bolts. It could mean two carefully measured posts sunk into the ground and cemented in place with concrete with a seat spanning the gap between them. If you want to challenge your carpentry skills, consider adding a back to your bench, or perhaps even armrests. You can make the bench-building process as quick and easy or as detailed and complicated as you’d like.

The goal is to produce a comfortable and sufficiently stable place from which you can take in a breath of fresh air and enjoy your garden and property. Your exact preferences and needs will vary based upon your aesthetic sensibilities and the overall look and feel of your garden and home. However, if you aren’t interested in overspending for a commercially available garden bench, you can build one yourself.

You invested countless hours to getting things “just right” in your garden and you are finally pleased with the look of your property. After all of that work, it seems like a shame to spend every waking moment indoors, seeing it only when you crane your neck toward a window. By building a comfortable garden bench, you can enjoy the scenery from the best seat outside of the house.