build-it-yourself benches

I am in love with building things. This spring, as I dreamed of spending summer on the deck, I found Ana White's web site Knock Off Wood. She posts plans for furniture that are inspired by (read copied from) furniture built by Pottery Barn or West Elm.

By the time we started the deck, I had amassed a nice list of projects I wanted to accomplish while my dad's circular saw was in our garage. The first project was an indoor bench (sneak peak picture in yesterday's post) that I put by my front door. This next project was simpler and made from all the leftover scraps of cedar that we have piled up.

I ended up making two shorter benches so I could take advantage of the wood we have. But, you can really adapt the plans to suit your needs.

Ana's plans are very easy to understand, so I'll direct you here for instructions. But to give you a sense of how easy it is, I snapped a few pictures along the way.

Chris and I built two 38-inch benches on Saturday morning about 2 hours. It was fun! ( I swear I helped, I just took pictures of Chris working!)

What kind of furniture do you think you wouldn't pay for but might like to have someone build?