DIY Outdoor Bench Plans: 7 Benches Compared (Pick Your Build)
Quick answer: The easiest DIY outdoor bench is the 48″ 2-tool bench on this page: four pressure-treated boards, about $65, and 30 minutes with a drill and a circular saw. No pocket holes. If you want it cheaper, the X-brace bench is about $20 in lumber. Seven free outdoor bench plans are compared below by cost, tools, time, and whether they have a back. All benches designed, built, and documented by Jamison Rantz.
We’ve been designing and building outdoor benches for over a decade — seven of them have free plans on this site, and honestly, the hardest part now is picking one. So this page does two jobs: it’s the full tutorial for our favorite (the 2-tool bench in the video above), and it’s the chooser that matches every skill level and budget to the right bench. Thirty minutes from now you could be done cutting.
Furnishing the whole patio and not just picking a bench? The outdoor furniture plans index compares all 37 outdoor builds on this site in one place, benches, tables, chairs and sofas, with the free tutorial and the printable plan for each one.
Which outdoor bench should you build?
Every bench below has a free step-by-step plan on this site and a printable PDF if you want the cut list and diagrams in one document. Start with the question that actually decides it: do you want a back? Backless benches (X-brace, H-leg) are half the lumber and double the placement options; benches with backs are what people actually linger on.
| Bench | Cost | Time | Back? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Tool Bench (this page) | $60–70 | 30 min | Yes | Fastest build, least gear |
| Modern 4-Board Bench | ~$50 | 1 day | Yes | Clean modern lines |
| Outdoor Bench with Back | $30–50 | 30 min | Yes | The all-time favorite |
| 2×6 Bench with Back | $25–50 | 30 min | Yes | Cheapest lumber run |
| Garden Bench | ~$45 | Weekend | Yes | The level-up project |
| X-Brace Bench | ~$20 | Half day | No | Indoors or out |
| H-Leg Benches | Varies (cedar) | Half day | No | Outdoor dining table mate |
Still deciding? The one-line verdicts: the 2-tool bench (below) is the fastest of the bunch and needs the least gear. The modern 4-board bench is the one for clean lines: angled legs, a slatted seat and back, and arms wide enough for a coffee, from three 2x8s and a 2×4. The bench with back is the all-time most popular bench we’ve ever published — and Jamison’s personal favorite — thousands of these are in backyards across the country. The 2×6 bench wins if you’re watching every dollar — about $30 of lumber and three tools. The garden bench is the one to build when you want to show off a little. The X-brace works just as well at a dining table or the foot of a bed as it does on a patio, and the H-leg pair was designed to slide under our cedar outdoor dining table.
The 2-tool outdoor bench (this page’s build)
All it took was about $65 in lumber, around 30 minutes, and two basic power tools to build this solid, comfortable, and — if you ask me — the best-looking 30-minute bench we’ve designed. No pocket holes, no fancy joinery: a drill and a circular saw get it done.
Bench dimensions
Cut list
How to build the 2-tool bench
Assemble Legs
Each leg is two triangles cut from the 2×12 — a back leg and a lower leg. Overlap them as shown and join each pair with 3″ wood screws. That overlap is what gives the bench its cantilevered modern look (and all its strength).
Cut Top of Legs
Stand the assembled legs up and use a speed square to mark a 90-degree line across the pointed tops, then cut the points off with the circular saw. These flat tops are what the back boards will land on.
Install Feet
The feet are two 24″ pieces of 4×4. Mark the screw locations to match each leg, counterbore about halfway through the 4×4s with the 1″ bit, and attach the feet with 3″ wood screws. The counterbores let the screws reach deep into the legs.
Attach Seat
The seat is two 2×8s at 48″. Space them 1/2″ apart for drainage, leave a 3″ overhang past the legs on both ends, and drive 3″ wood screws down into the leg assemblies.
Attach Back
The back is the other two 48″ 2×8s — same 1/2″ spacing, with a 1½″ overhang on each end. Screw them to the flat tops you cut in step 2 with 3″ wood screws, and the bench is done. Let the pressure-treated lumber dry a few weeks, then stain or seal.
Five steps, two tools. The video at the top of the page walks every cut in real time.
2-Tool Outdoor Bench Plans
The complete printable PDF — full cut list, dimensioned diagrams, and step-by-step assembly. Build it this afternoon.
Outdoor bench questions, answered
What is the easiest outdoor bench to build?
The 2-tool bench on this page: about $65 in pressure-treated lumber, a drill, a circular saw, and roughly 30 minutes of build time. The 2×6 bench with back is a close second at around $30 in lumber and three tools.
What is the best wood for an outdoor bench?
Pressure-treated pine is the budget pick and what most of our benches use — let it dry a few weeks before staining. Cedar costs more but is naturally rot-resistant and stays cooler in the sun. Either way, keep the legs off wet ground and it will last for years.
How tall should an outdoor bench be?
A comfortable seat height is 17–18 inches off the ground with a seat depth of 15–20 inches. If the bench pairs with an outdoor dining table, match the seat height so it tucks under the apron.
Do I need to seal or stain an outdoor bench?
Yes — an exterior stain-and-sealer every year or two is the difference between a bench that grays and checks and one that still looks new. Pressure-treated lumber should dry out before its first coat.
How can I make a cheap outdoor bench?
Go backless and go simple. The X-brace bench is about $20 in lumber and the 2×6 bench with back is about $30, both with three tools or fewer. The real money saver is the cut list: buy boards that divide evenly into your parts so the offcut pile stays small.
Where can I buy a cheap garden bench?
Big-box stores sell wood garden benches from about $150, and the cheap ones are usually stapled pine that loosens in a season. If the goal is cheap and solid, building is the cheaper path: our garden bench plans come in around $45 in lumber.
How do you build a basic outdoor bench?
Two leg assemblies, something to tie them together, and a seat screwed on top with a drainage gap. On the 2-tool bench the seat boards do the tying, so it is four boards and about 30 screws. Keep the leg end grain off the ground with feet or blocks and it will last for years.
Questions? Comments?
As always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to comment below — and don’t forget to post pictures of your finished benches in the comments! Which one did you build?
Be safe and happy building.
— Jamison
Wow!!
What a beautiful bench!
Thank you very much 🙂
Leo
Wow!!! easiest, simple, well detailed to built but beautiful looking product design I’ve ever come across. Thanks.
Man, that means a lot, thank you! Be safe and happy building.