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Every deck accumulates the same homeless objects — cushions, hose nozzles, citronella, the cover for the grill — and this bench swallows all of it while giving two people somewhere to sit. Seven cedar fence pickets do the entire visible surface; the structure is just two 2x4 side frames the paneling hangs on.
The design's quiet detail is in step 2: the first picket is held UP 3/4" from the frame bottom, which means the paneling — not the frame — meets the deck. The 2x4s stay off the wet surface, and the box appears to float a hair off the ground. Small move, does two jobs; keep it consistent all the way around.
The lid is its own assembly built in place but never attached to the box: lid supports laid loose on the frame tops, planks screwed to the supports, then hinges at the back. The 'cut out the front access' instruction is the finger pull — a notch jigsawed in the front lid edge, which costs nothing and spares you hardware. One honest caveat: picket boxes are weather-resistant, not waterproof. Store cushions in a bin inside it, or accept that a driving rain finds the gaps.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Cedar fence picket, 5-1/2" x 72", not dog-earedAll the paneling, floor, and lid. 1x6 boards substitute directly for a smoother look. | 7 each |
| 2x4, 8 ftThe two side frames. | 1 each |
| 1x2, 8 ftFloor cleats and short floor slats. | 1 each |
| 1x3, 8 ftLid supports. | 1 each |
| Exterior hingesSmall hinges at the back of the lid. | 2 each |
| Exterior screws, #9 x 2-1/2", self-tapping, star driveFrame joints only. | 8 each |
| Exterior screws, #8 x 1-1/4", self-tapping, star driveAll the paneling. Staples or brads in matching lengths substitute. | 80 each |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Frame boards2x4 | 6 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 15 3/4" |
| Front and back panelingCedar fence picket | 9 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 35 3/4" |
| End paneling and floor slatsCedar fence picket | 10 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 15 3/4" |
| Floor cleats1x2Measure and cut to fit your box. | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 34 3/4" |
| Lid supports1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 15 1/2" |
| Short floor slats1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 12 3/4" |
Buy 11 boards at 8 ft.
2 boards
1 board
2 boards
6 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Screw three 2x4s into a U per side with the 2-1/2" screws, two per joint. These two frames are the entire structure — everything else is skin.
Attach the end pickets to the frames with the 1-1/4" screws, two per end, holding the FIRST picket 3/4" up from the frame bottom. That reveal puts cedar, not framing lumber, at deck level, and floats the box visually. Keep it consistent — it's the kind of detail that's invisible done right and glaring done unevenly.
Attach the long pickets to the frames, matching the end paneling's heights so the courses wrap the corners level.
Screw the 1x2 cleats to the inside faces with the shorter screws — measure your actual box for length. They carry the floor, and everything stored in the bench.
Set the floor slats on the cleats and fasten with 1-1/4" screws, nails, or staples. Leave small gaps — anything that drips in needs a way out the bottom.
Lay the two 1x3 supports across the frame tops, held to the back, small gap at the front. They LOOK like box parts; they are lid parts. Screwing them to the box here is this build's one classic mistake — the lid would never open.
Lay the lid pickets over the supports and screw pickets to SUPPORTS ONLY — the lid becomes one panel you can lift straight off. Hinge it to the box at the back with the exterior hinges.
Jigsaw a shallow finger notch in the front lid edge for lifting. Sand the whole top well (it's seating), and either let the cedar silver or oil it annually. Cushions live longer in a bin inside — a picket box sheds weather, it doesn't seal it out.
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