DIY Porch Swing Bed

I’m sharing printable building plans below for both a TWIN and a CRIB size mattress porch swing in this design. So, let’s get building!

PRINTABLE PLANS HERE

*Materials will vary based on the size porch swing bed you’re building. Check printable plans below for specifics on each size. The following is based off a twin size.

(2) 2x2x8 boards

(6) 2x4x10 boards

(2) 2x6x8 boards

(5) 1x4x8 boards

(1) 1x6x8 board

(1) sheet ½″ or ¾″ plywood

1 ¼″, 2″, 2 ½″, 3″ wood screws (use exterior rated if using outdoors)

2 ½″ pocket hole screws (use exterior rated if using outdoors)

Timber Screws (optional)

Wood GlueRope Kit

(4) eye screws

(4) carabiner clips

The front and back pieces were 2x6s (in yellow above) and the shorter side pieces were 2x4s (in blue above). I trimmed these boards down to length, then assembled using 2 ⅞” timber screws.

I added 2x4s at each corner for what I will call the “corner posts.”

Next, I attached 2x2s between the 2x4s at the corners using 1 ½″ pocket holes and 2 ½″ exterior grade pocket hole screws.

I attached 1x4 slats to the sides and back using screws through the top 2x2s to secure the top and into the seat frame to secure the bottom.

I attached arm rests along the top of the frame on the sides and back.

I glued and nailed 1x6s along the bottom of the swing sides to trim out the slats and cover the screws.

I used 2x4s and pocket holes to add some supports for the seat and cut a piece of plywood to sit down into the seat on top of these supports.

I cut two 2×4 boards—one for the front and one for the back–so that they overhung each side by about 6”. I screwed these in from the bottom side using several screws into the frame of the swing.

I used a rope kit (get the details on the kit here) to hang the swing and I attached one rope to each corner of the swing through the bottom runners and tied a knot.

We used eye screws, and carabiner clips to hang the swing securely from the rafters in the porch ceiling. Check out the YouTube video for details.