My all time favorite smell in the entire world is the smell of a campfire. I’ve tried getting candles and oils that smell just like it, but honestly nothing compares to the amazing smell that a real campfire provides. I close my eyes and it instantly takes me to the wilderness, surrounded by trees and wild animals. All my stresses go away as soon as I smell a campfire. That being said, since I live in the suburbs, campfires aren’t always filling the air with my favorite smell. A couple of years ago, I received a fire pit for Mother’s Day. This was one of the best gifts I’ve ever received and as soon as the weather is getting a little bit warm, it’s time to light it up! I love sitting by the fire on a cool spring or fall night, or even a warm summer night. Sitting by the fire making s’mores or just watching the fire as it entertains my brain is a truly calming and relaxing experience. When I saw this awesome DIY fire pit bench I was so excited. The fact that this type of bench could cost upwards of $2,000 if you bought it already made, definitely deters me from adding benches around my fire pit. But this build only cost $125 using supplies from Home Depot. That’s pretty amazing! Check out this DIY fire pit bench.
Here is the rough draft of what the bench will look like. Of course, you can adjust the measurements based on the space you have available. For this project you will need:
SUPPLIES:
- Pressure treated lumber – 1 by 6s for seating, 4 by 4s for the legs, and 2 by 6s for framing
- 2.5″ exterior screws – it’s best to get the big box
- 5-6″ exterior lag bolts – this is used to attach the back rest braces
- Your choice of paint or stain
TOOLS:
- Circular or miter saw
- Straight edge or speed square
- Drill
- Sander
- Pencil
- Safety glasses
Once you have your rough draft complete with measurements, you can figure out exactly what you’ll need. You’ll want to calculate the lengths and angles.
For this project, he used standard seating measurements, which are 18″ deep, 18″ high, and 18″ of back support.
He started off by cutting all of the frame pieces, starting with the longest piece which was the back and then going from there.
After the seating frame was complete, it was time to add the legs. Flip over the seating, and cut all of the legs. Once the legs are put in place, you’ll want to screw them in while keeping them level.
It’s best to use the big screws so that way you only need two screws per leg. Make sure your seats are on a flat and sturdy surface to ensure your screws end up where you want them.
Once your legs are attached, flip the seat back over so the legs are resting on the ground. It was time for the back braces. For a good angle, he started off by cutting them off at 20° angles, which ended up being perfect. Before putting these on with the lag bolts, it’s a good idea to start adding your seats first.
Start with the long piece first, so then you can measure off of that. There was a lot of placing, measuring, cutting, etc. at this point, but you want to always measure twice, cut once.
Once the pieces for the seats were all measured and cut, you can use lag bolts to attach the back rests. Once the back rests were on, he screwed the seat pieces on.
He had originally planned on putting a little ledge on the top of the back supports, but his wife decided she didn’t want that.
He ended up trimming down the back supports a bit, but you can use 2 by 6s along the top giving you a little ledge for beverages.
They didn’t want to leave a gap between the benches, so he had to measure this out very carefully. He ended up cutting the edges at 20° because he figured that was the angle of the back supports, and that worked perfectly! Once they got the top row screwed in, they were debating on where to put the second row. That ended up being right in the middle and it looks great!
This is what the bench looks like without being painted or stained. This is where you get to be creative!
Pick a color for the bench that matches the yard space it’s in. Some people would choose stain over paint, while others would do the opposite.
They added a few finishing touches like the pillows, pink chair, and table.
This looks like a great place to relax after a long day, or on the weekend.
At first I didn’t notice that the paint was white and gray! This adds a fun look by adding just a little bit of color.
I bet they are so happy with this DIY Fire Pit Bench. It turned out really well! I might have to think about putting one of these in just to make me enjoy my fire pit just that much more.
Wow, it’s amazing what you can make with just a few tools and supplies from Home Depot. I envy people who can just whip this up in no time at all. I always have to look online for instructions before tackling a project, although YouTube and Pinterest have saved me many, many times. Would you add this DIY Fire Pit Bench to your yard? I’m definitely considering it!