Easy DIY: Modern garden bench

Define and enhance an outdoor space this summer with this easy-to-build and charming garden privacy nook. The nook-style bench is both a private sanctuary setting and a beautiful visual piece that adds natural texture to your garden or patio.

The garden privacy nook is a large structure, but it’s not a complex build, explains expert builder Jim West of Westworks Construction, who walks viewers through the process of crafting the Western Red Cedar nook. The build starts with the Western Red Cedar framing of the seat and the roof system; from there the Western Red Cedar cladding is placed over the structure. West suggests that a second pair of hands would help with the build in terms of moving the structure.

What grade of cedar to use?

West uses a Knotty grade of Western Red Cedar for this project, but he has worked with clear grades on many occasions.

“As carpenters, we like any grade of Western Red Cedar,” says West. “It’s light and it’s very stable.”

The benefits of using Western Red Cedar are plentiful. Not only is it a pleasure to work with, cedar is a highly durable wood that is naturally resistant to rot, decay and insect attacks, which means anything you build with it will last longer and require less maintenance. And unlike brick, cement and composites, Real Cedar is renewable and biodegradable. Plus, Real Cedar is sourced from the most sustainably managed forests in the world.

Like a dream

The Garden Privacy Nook West build came together like a dream, the builder says.

“It’s super stable,” says West, who opted to keep the cedar unfished, thus allowing it to weather naturally, aging to a beautiful silver patina. But go ahead and stain the garden privacy nook as Western Red Cedar is pitch and resin-free, meaning it holds a variety of finishes beautifully.

– Photos by Tracey Ayton