DIY Window Seat
By Sienna Condy
When resting at home, where do your golf clubs reside? If they're stashed away in the basement or in a corner of a musty garage, maybe it's time to build a more accessible storage place that doubles as a comfortable and beautiful addition to your home. If you have a large window in your home, you may have already considered building a window seat beneath it. This window seat features a large drawer, for easy access to clubs without bothering with a flip-top seat, and at 6 feet long, 1 1/2 ffeet tall and 2 feet deep, it's a good size for most large windows.
Instructions
Difficulty: Challenging
Cut the 1-by-4 piece of pine. Cut two pieces of pine 5 feet 10 inches long each. Cut another four pieces of pine 1 foot 8 1/2 inches long each. You should have wood left over after you've made the cuts.
Assemble these pieces into a frame, with the two long pieces capping the four small ones. Use the narrow crown stapler and glue. All pieces should be on-edge. Space two of the smaller pieces flush with the ends of the longer pieces, to make a rectangle, then evenly space the two interior pieces.
Remove the existing trim below the window with the pry bar.
Place the frame on the floor, centered under your window. Screw it into the studs in the wall.
Cut four pieces of birch plywood. Cut one piece of plywood 5 feet 10 inches long and 1 foot 6 inches wide. Make your second piece of plywood 6 feet long by 2 feet wide. The last two pieces you cut should be 2 feet long by 1 foot 6 inches wide.
Cut two more pieces of 1-by-4 pine. These pieces should measure 1 foot 6 inches long each.
Glue and clamp the 5-foot 10 1/2-inch piece and the two smaller plywood pieces on edge, forming an elongated letter U. The shorter pieces should cap the longer piece, so the total length is 6 feet. Attach with the narrow crown stapler.
Cap the U-shape with the 6-foot piece. Glue and staple in place. Flip this over, and you should have a box that is open in the top and front.
Glue and staple the 1-by-4-inch pine pieces you just cut into the corners, with the flat side of the 1-by-4 facing up. Do this on the open side with 2 feet as its short dimension These will give you something to attach your seat top to.
Cut six pieces from your birch plywood. Cut the first piece 6 feet long by 1 foot 6 inches wide. This is the drawer face. The next piece is 5 feet 9 1/2 inches long by 2 feet wide. This is the drawer bottom. Cut two more pieces 5 foot 9 1/2 inches long by 1 foot 4 inches wide each. These are the long sides of the drawer. The last two pieces should be 1 foot 10 1/2 inches long by 1 foot 4 inches wide. These are the short sides of the drawer.
Construct a rectangle from the long and short sides, using glue and staples. The long sides cap the short sides.
Cap the rectangle with the drawer bottom. Glue and staple.
Attach the drawer face by gluing and stapling through the inside of the drawer, so no fastener holes mar the face. Position the drawer 3/4 inch from the bottom end of the face, and centered side-to-side.
Cut two pieces of 6-foot-long by 2-foot-wide birch plywood.
Glue and staple these two pieces together to make a double-thick board. This is your seat. Cover the seat in high-density upholstery foam.
Cover the seat in upholstery fabric. Do the corners of the fabric like you're wrapping a gift, and adjust until they suit you. Staple on with the hand stapler.
Attach the seat frame to the toekick frame. Use the carpenter's square to make sure both frames are square, and screw together with drywall screws.
Screw through the back of the seat frame into the wall studs. Again, use the carpenter's square.
Install the TopSlide drawer slides to the seat frame and drawer, according to included instructions. Use these slides in particular, because they support a vast amount of weight and are self-closing. Slide the drawer in.
Attach the seat top by screwing through the pine 1-by-4 on the seat frame.
Cover any exposed plywood edges, using the decorative trim of your choice. Use the brad nailer, or fill any holes with lightweight car body filler and sanding them smooth.
Paint the seat the color of your choice. Install drawer-pull hardware.
Tips & Warnings
Most tools listed, especially the power saws and air tools, can be rented at a home improvement center. The rest can be purchased at the the same home improvement center.
Always use proper eye and hearing protection when using power or air tools.
About The Author
Sienna Condy began writing professionally 9 years ago while attending the University of Cincinnati, and she's been at it ever since. Since graduating, she's written everything from marketing materials to articles on removing stains. Today, she enjoys writing about weddings, legal issues, science, health, and parenting.
