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This isn't one design, it's a system: one leg-and-frame recipe that becomes a chair when the back leg runs tall, and an ottoman when all four legs match. Build a few of each and rearrange them however the patio needs to work that weekend — chairs in a row, ottoman as a shared coffee table, or push everything into an L.
The chair's geometry is the only tricky part, and it's simple once you see it: the front legs are flush top and outside like any frame, but the back leg is set so the TOP of the side board sits 12" off the ground — matching the front legs' height even though the back leg itself is taller. Use a front leg as a story stick to mark that point rather than trusting a tape measure alone; it's faster and it can't be misread. Build the chair pieces as a mirrored pair (left and right), not two identical copies, or the frames won't nest against each other in a row.
Cedar fence pickets span the top of each frame as the seat deck, spaced with a gap for drainage and screwed down from above. No finish is required — cedar silvers gracefully outdoors — but a coat of exterior stain keeps the orange-brown color if that's the look you want, and it should go on before assembly is easiest for the slat undersides.
Both frames use the same middle-support spacing, which is what lets a chair and an ottoman sit at the same height and register together as one modular set instead of two unrelated builds.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x4, 8 ftTwo for the chair frame, two for the ottoman frame. | 4 each |
| Cedar fence picket, 5-1/2" x 72", not dog-earedTwo per frame, ripped to length for the seat deck. | 4 each |
| Exterior self-tapping screws, 2-1/2"Frame joints, two per joint. | 40 each |
| Exterior self-tapping screws, 1-5/8"Attaches the cedar deck slats to the frame. | 40 each |
| Exterior stainOptional — bare cedar silvers on its own. Apply to the slats before assembly if using. | 1 qt |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chair back legs2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 23 1/2" |
| Chair front legs2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 12" |
| Chair sides2x4Build as a mirrored left/right pair, not two identical copies. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 23" |
| Chair middle supports2x4 | 3 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 20 3/4" |
| Chair seat deck slatsCedar fence picket | 6 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 23 3/4" |
| Ottoman legs2x4 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 12" |
| Ottoman sides2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 21" |
| Ottoman middle supports2x4 | 3 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 20 3/4" |
| Ottoman deck slatsCedar fence picket | 4 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 23 3/4" |
Buy 8 boards at 8 ft.
4 boards
4 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 →
Attach legs to sides with two 2-1/2" screws per joint. For the ottoman, everything is flush — top of leg to top of side, outside of leg to outside of side.
For the chair, the front legs are flush top and outside like the ottoman, but the back leg sits lower on the side board so the SIDE's top edge measures 12" off the floor at the back too — the same height the front legs give it. Hold a front leg up against the back leg as a story stick to mark that point; it's faster than measuring and can't drift. Build the two chair frames as mirror images of each other, checking the diagram before you commit to screws.
Screw the three middle supports across each leg-and-side pair, two 2-1/2" screws per joint. These are what keep the frame from racking side to side once someone sits down, and they set the spacing the deck slats land on next.
Space the cedar picket slats across the top of each frame — even gaps for drainage and airflow — and fasten with two 1-5/8" screws per joint into the frame below.
Sand every edge and corner the slats present to skin, then push the finished pieces together into whatever arrangement the patio calls for this week. Add more chairs or ottomans from the same cut list as the sectional grows.
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