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One of the
most enjoyable features that I added to one of my homes was a window seat. I
built the window seat underneath a large window that overlooked Lake
Winnipesaukee. Not only has it turned out to be a great place to enjoy the
views and to sit back and read a book, it also now serves as an excellent place
for storing away seasonal holiday items.
Building a Window Seat
Building a
window seat is relatively simple to do. In my case the window was in a recessed
dormer area that was about 18 inches deep, thus making it an ideal location for
a window seat.
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Tools Required
for Building a Window Seat
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Materials
Required for Building a Window Seat
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To
begin with I framed an 18 inch high wall, using 2”x4” studs that connected
both sides of the dormer. I attached this framed window seat wall to the
dormer side walls; such that it was flush with the inner wall, thus creating
an 18 inch deep seating area.
Next I
used a level to create a line on the inside seat area walls, so that they were
level, and at the same heath, with the newly framed wall. I then screwed in
2x4 segments along the inside walls relative to these lines.
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Photo by Mark Donovan |
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After building the basic frame for the window seat, I next framed in a
center section due to the fact that the window seat was nearly 7 feet in
length. Again, I made a simple framing wall 18” in length, and 18” in
height and fastened it to the inside of the framed seating area. I
secured it to both the outer framed window seat wall and the back wall of
the dormer. I also screwed it into the floor, as I had also done to the
main window seat frame.
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Next
I dressed up the top of the frame with 1”x2” select pine material. I used
finish nails to attach the finished pine boards to the 2x4 frame.
For the
exterior walls of the window seat, I installed 2” wide tongue and grooved
wainscoting boards mounted on the vertical.
To dress
up the exterior of the window seat, I added some decorative moulding to both the top
and bottom of the window seat, as well as on the corners. On the corners I
actually used a wood corner bead. You could also use baseboard trim as well
along the outside floor of the window seat.
For the
top of the window seat, I used two 3/4” plywood panels cut to size, and then
attached them to the back of the seat with hinges, after first painting them.
I also drilled a single one inch hole in each panel near the front center of
it, to enable the panel to be lifted.
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Finally,
I applied two coats of polyurethane to the wainscoting and my window seat was
complete, except for the cushions.
Fabricating
the Window Seat Cushions
For the
window seat cushions we had to by a large section of 4” thick foam and some
cloth material. My wife then created one large cushion that lays on top of the
window seat. We also added a couple of pillows and the window seat was ready
for use.
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