Outdoor Sofa — Modern Comfort Collection

Drill two 1-1/2" pocket holes in the top of each leg and attach to the arm rests from underneath with 2-1/2" pocket screws. The diagrams show the assembly upside down — build it that way, it's easier.

Pocket-hole both ends of the 2x4 side supports and attach between the legs, holes facing inside where they'll never be seen.

Pocket-hole each 2x6 end apron — two holes per end, plus three along one edge (those face up later, for attaching things above). Install inside the legs, flush to the outside faces, holes inward.

Pocket-hole the long 2x6 bases and the 2x4 back rail, and join the two arm assemblies into the sofa frame — all pocket holes on the insides or facing down. This is the step where the sofa gets big; work on a flat patio, not a cluttered garage floor.

Screw the 2x2 back-rest top to the nine back slats, two 2-1/2" self-tapping screws per joint.

Use the plan's spacing trick: attach the two END slats and the MIDDLE slat first, then distribute the rest evenly between them. Spacing all nine left-to-right accumulates error; anchoring the ends and middle traps it.

Screw the slat panel to the 79-1/2" 2x6 back base, keeping the same slat spacing as the top, with a 2" overhang at each end.

Note: the source diagram for this step is wrong — trust the cut list (79-1/2", 2" overhangs), not the picture.

Set the back panel inside the sofa frame: its base sits on the seat area 8" in from the back edge, screwed down with 2-1/2" screws, and the top LEANS against the frame's back rail. That lean is the recline — don't square it up.

Screw through a few of the back slats into the back rail where they touch. The back is now anchored at the bottom and pinned at the top — sit against it hard and check nothing moves.

Screw a 2x2 cleat along the back base 2x6, screws about every 12". This carries the back edge of the seat deck.

Screw the other 2x2 cleat to the inside of the front base, about 1" down from the top edge — the drop recesses the seat deck so cushions sit in the frame instead of sliding off it.

Lay the ten 1x4 seat slats across the cleats and screw down with 1-1/2" screws, one per end. Sand everything, finish it exterior-grade, add cushions, and take the first nap in something you built.