DIY Primitive-Style Bench for a Breezeway.

We have this nice little breezeway that connects our attached garage to the backdoor of our house. Do you have something like this? I love the idea of it, but I just can't seem to make that space functional and beautiful on our tight budget.

Our breezeway is a space to put our shoes on or take them off outside of the elements, and it's nice to be able to hang a coat and a leash for the pups by the backdoor. Our deep freezer and recycling bins also reside here. I think we've got the 'functional' part down pretty well.

Beautiful? Not so much.

And I didn't think I was complaining about it, until John asked me if I'd like a bench in the breezeway where we (and guests) could sit and put on their shoes.

My answer? Pshhh, yeah! I mean, after 6 years of sitting on the floor to put my shoes on, a bench would be pretty grand.

In true Sustainable Couple fashion, we found a few photos on the internet of primitive-style benches that would serve our simple, minimalist ideals and use only the scrap wood we had on hand. This was my inspiration: 

What do you know, but only a few hours later, my homestud had a nice bench ready for painting. Let me tell you, he did a great job and it was sooooooo easy.

John drew out some plans and took measurements, then set out by cutting pieces for the legs, the bench top and bottom, and the 'front flap things'. We didn't find measurements online, since he was looking to build a custom-sized bench that would fit right under our double-window in the breezeway.

After cutting all of the pieces, John glued and nailed everything together for the main part of the bench using his nail gun. I swear that was one tool we use on a monthly basis. It's paid for itself many times over.

One thing to remember is to use wood glue and a nail gun. This seals up the pieces nicely and makes a more professional job. Or so I've heard. Shit, you know me by now. I had nothing to do with this project.

After attaching the legs, John flipped 'er over and began working on attaching the middle support leg and the 'shoe shelf' for the bottom of the bench.

From there, guys, it was simply sanding down the rough edges and using some gray paint that we found in the basement to finish it off.

This primitive bench was really the perfect project: It used scrap wood that John had lying around the garage, paint from a previous project that we had in the basement, and it filled a need in a functional space in our home.

But we still need to work on the 'beautiful' portion of my 'functional and beautiful' space.

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