In May of 2021, I had friends coming to visit on short notice and was in desperate need of patio furniture. Of course, shipping was backed up, and I couldn't find anything locally in my budget that could survive the test of time (and hurricanes). So I decided to build a very budget-friendly couch and coffee tables myself. I was brand new to building furniture, so this was a big step for me.
I scoured the internet and Pinterest and found Ana White. She has plans for tons of projects on her site: easy to follow, with a cut list, measurements, diagrams, and a cost breakdown (which varies a lot by location and time). The instructions were easy to customize to fit my space and the cushions I'd bought. It took me about 5 hours to build the couch and 2 more for the coffee tables.
Notes and tips from my build
- Buy your cushions first, then build the couch around those measurements. I got mine from At Home on sale.
- Print the Ana White instructions so you can make notes and edits as you go.
- Buy all your materials from your modified cut list at once, so you know the exact cost and don't make five trips.
- Make all your cuts, then sand, then stain everything before you build.
- I use off-brand melamine sponges to stain, then wipe up the excess with a cloth.
- Use a pocket-hole jig. I didn't have one and wish I had. I use it all the time now.
- Build the couch in the spot you want it, unless you've got help carrying it. It's heavy!
- Seal it. I found an easy-to-apply spray sealer.
- I built the coffee-table plan above but modified it into two squares instead of one rectangle, so they can move around and become the chaise of the sectional.
Favorite products from this build
- Off-brand melamine sponges
- Kreg pocket-hole jig
- Affordable miter saw
- Cordless drill
- Drill bits and these
- Random-orbit sander (make sure you have a battery for whichever cordless one you choose)
- Sanding pads
