Fancy Elevated Garden Bench

I built this bench because we wanted a bench that was a bit elevated to let us look down on a raised bed where we have a variety of uncommon plants that make you want to sit and study them a while. A bench at ground level just doesn’t provide the perspective to view them all. If you have a similar place in your garden where you want some elevation and you also have just a bit of carpentry skills, you can make something similar.

I had a leftover telephone pole section from a treehouse repair, and I sank that to provide the elevation—but you could easily use treated 4x4’s. The nice thing about having an independent foundation is that you can remove the bench itself during winter to spare it from the harsh elements, treating it like outdoor furniture.

I copied the design of the bench from a very expensive one I saw in a high-end plant nursery. The price tag on that one was in the four figures, but I figured I could make something that, though not as refined, would still give the effect and serve our purposes. I snapped a few pictures on my phone to use as a rough guide. I used mostly repurposed wood from other projects, but even if you are buying all the wood, you can still do this for under $100.

In this Instructable, I provide general dimensions, but you will want to determine your own exact dimensions depending upon whether you want to follow mine or you want something larger. (Ours sits two people comfortably.) The only technique that might be new to inexperienced carpenters is using Kreg screws. They entail an extra step to prepare the screw slots, but other than that they are just as straightforward as regular wood screws.

Tools

Power drill

Table saw

Jig saw

Clamps

Chisel

1 1/4” and ” Phillips screws for the slats

2 1/2” Phillips screws for the 2x6’s

1 1/2” Kreg screws

Lumber (I used pine for everything but the foundation, and when finished I painted it heavily with polyurethane.)

2 - 10’ 2x6s (for the base and arm uprights)

4 - 10’ 1x3’s (for the seat and back uprights)

10 - 8’ furring strips (for the arm rests and back)

1 - 10’ 1x8 (for the fancy back, to be cut with jig saw)

1 - 8’ 2x4 for the interior “rafters” on the base

1 -10' 2x8 (pressure treated) for the foundation

Miscellaneous

Big pieces of cardboard to sketch the fancy back

Leftover plywood to cut the template based on adjustments to the cardboard

Build the bench base from 2x6s. Ours is 42” x 18” (a common cushion dimension.) I repurposed old 2x6s for the arm rests, too, so I sketched out a cardboard piece to simulate the arm rest, which you can see in the photo. The arm rest measures 17 1/2” from top to bottom, and is 2” wide at the bottom. That allowed me to cut another 2x6 the exact width of the base to screw onto the side of the base, so that the arm rests could be screwed directly into it. (See step 3.)

Screw three 2x4 "rafters" at equidistance. They will support the bench when it slides onto the foundation and also serve to attach the bench slats.

Once you have built the base, pick a site and build your foundation. You probably don’t have part of a telephone pole lying around, but this photo gives you an idea of what I did. I try to repurpose everything I can, and this foundation was composed of leftover 2x8s from a house renovation, bolted level into the telephone pole with 3” lag screws. The base of the bench just slides down over it, with the 2x4 rafters resting across the foundation boards.

You can easily do something similar using treated 4x4s for your uprights at each corner, sinking them into the ground about a foot. Your rectangular 2x8 foundation should fit snugly but not too tightly into the base of your bench.

Use your cardboard cutout to trace the arm uprights onto 2x6’s, cut them out with a jigsaw, and screw them into the 2x6’s you have attached to the side of your base.

Cut your 1x3’s to length and screw them onto the rafters in your base for the seat of the bench. Then cut the furring strips to length between the arm rests and attach them with Kreg screws.

Attach three uprights temporarily at the back at equidistant spacing. Depending upon how high you want the back to be, cut these uprights longer. You will trim them to exact size later. The purpose now is to anchor the horizontal slats with clamps while you position those slate evenly spaced and level across the back of the bench. You can see in this photo the cardboard templates I was developing to help me cut the fancy back and to determine ultimate heights of the uprights. I show more detail on the templates in the next step.

Once you can measure the distance from the top of the armrest to the top of the center slat, you can sketch out the fancy curved piece, first on paper then on cardboard. You are going to design one side then make its mirror image for the other side. I had some 1/4" plywood leftovers, so I next cut out a plywood template before progressing to the final cut. That gave me practice on the tricky curves with my jigsaw and also let me fine tune the positioning of the horizontal slats before I sawed the notches in the uprights. (See step 7.) For reference, our fancy half-a-back piece measures 27” from the top of the armrest to the top of the center upright. IMPORTANT: Cut the template (and the final piece) a bit long on both sides, so that you can mark it and cut it precisely for a snug fit when you get to that step.

With your plywood (or final) curved back pieces clamped to the center upright and arm rest upright, cut the horizontal back slats. Use a level and your eyesight inspection to keep them level and parallel to one another, and mark each upright and each slat where they cross over. When you have completed this step, remove everything and notch out the uprights and slats on a table saw.

With all of your uprights and horizontal slats marked, use your table saw to cut notches (Image 1). Set the saw height at 1/2 the thickness of your slats and uprights, then make a series of slices next to one another within the marks. You can see in this photo how I "wrapped" the lines I had made on the face of each slat onto its side, using my carpenter's square. That way, I could see precisely where to cut for each edge of the notch. The process is repetitive, as you cut the series of grooves. Once you have done so, clean out each groove with a chisel for a smooth interior where the upright and horizontal will meet.

Image 2 shows the center upright notched out, with one of the fancy curves also notched to slide into the back of it.

With the slats and uprights notched out and fit together, put the fancy pieces into position, so that you can cut the uprights to exact lengths and custom cut the horizontal slats where they meet the curved pieces. The uprights will be screwed into the slats with 1/2” screws from behind, and the uprights and horizontal slats will be attached to the curved piece with Kreg screws from behind. While your curvy piece is in position, you can mark and cut it with a jigsaw precisely to the curve of the arm upright.

With one side complete, attach the mirror side in the same manner. You will end up with a seam in the middle top where the two fancy sides meet, but I found an inexpensive wooden dharma wheel online to cover it. The final step is to apply several coats of polyurethane. When that last step is complete, you are ready to set in place your new fancy elevated garden bench, adding new "perspective" to that special part of your garden. 😊