Building a Couch -- Planning Phase

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that we are going to build a couch. I didn't really give any details of what it would look like. I cannot draw, so I cannot actually show you a working photo of how the couch will turn out, but I can give you a few clues to tide you over for a couple more weeks until we get it completed.

It will be basically a big, oversized bench, with a seating height of a dining room chair. The seat portion of the main sofa will hold a twin size mattress, and the backs will be cushions. Along with the couch, we will be building two ottomans, that when put together on one end of the couch will make it look more like a chaise lounge.

Each ottoman will also be able to be moved wherever we choose, maybe one as a coffee table and another an additional bench, or we could move them both along the wall if we need to make a huge space in middle of the floor for working out or slumber parties.

Is building a couch a cheaper option? No. This project will cost us about $700 when finished. However, it will be much, much sturdier than a traditional couch. We should never have to buy another couch as long as we live (unless we choose to). The lovely thing is once I decide I want to recover it, it will be easy to buy a fitted sheet and two flat sheets that match and recover all of the cushions and/or repaint the base.

The base itself will be completely covered in beadboard, except for the corner posts. We are using 4x4 posts for each corner of the couch and ottomans, and 2x4s to frame it out. The beadboard will go over the 2x4s (as seen in the sketch above). Overall the look will be very country chic and will blend well with the rest of my house.

I would LOVE to be able to pull an inspirational photo online to show you something similiar to the design in my head, however I cannot find one. I looked for benches and day beds and even couches, with no luck. After hours, and hours, and HOURS of conversations between DH and me, we have finally worked out all of the details. We made a trip to Home Depot yesterday to look at all of the options for the project, and we have decided rather than wainscotting kits or individual pieces, the best choice for this job is to use the plywood that looks like beadboard. It will add the most stability to the furniture and make cutting time for the project significantly shorter.

The added bonus? There will be storage in each ottoman, as well as in the sofa. That is a lot of hidden storage, my friends. Can anybody guess where Rock Band is going to be housed?