When my birthday came around this year, I had a list of projects I was hoping could be completed.
Because while normal people make a wish list, I have a hubby to-do list. That’s because when holidays come around, I can ask for things that may not ever make the list at other times of the year. And NOBODY CAN TELL ME NO.
(Insert evil laugh here.)
But because I’m not UNREASONABLE, I have a few options depending on what fits into Ryan’s schedule.
This year at the top of my list – building outdoor chairs for the front porch.
Luckily for me, Ryan was (almost) happy to make them for me. (Although I do think I heard him ask why I couldn’t just pick something out on Amazon like a normal person. I assume that was a hypothetical question.)
Because, oh, not even Amazon could make something this perfect.
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I’ve always wanted to have some comfy chairs on the front porch. And while we have a lovely setup on the screened porch, there are many times I find myself in the front of the house with the kids.
The treehouse and ninja line are out front. And the front yard is the most level ground, which means our future baseball star is out there a lot hitting and throwing a ball against a screen. And the older Lucy gets, the more she likes to be out there, too.
So I needed a place to sit and observe (or yell at) my children.
Unfortunately, patio furniture can be EXPENSIVE, guys. Like, sell a child or myself on the street corner expensive.
And ain’t nobody got time for that.
Plus, most patio furniture you buy at the big box stores is fairly lightweight. And where we live (in the middle of nowhere), chairs blow around like they have a starring role in the tornado scene of The Wizard of Oz.
The wind is no joke around here. We were finding porch fixtures on the other side of the barn.
All that to say, we wanted something HEAVY DUTY for the front porch, which seems to get a lot of wind.
These chairs fit the bill. They are SOLID. They are HEAVY.
They basically take two grown men to move them onto the porch safely. They ain’t going anywhere. (Although I do have to bring in the pillows unless I want to go on a pillow scavenger hunt every morning.)
To build them, I gave Ryan a few links for inspiration – including these modern outdoor chairs from Ana White, these outdoor chairs from Cherished Bliss, and these outdoor arm chairs from Rogue Engineer.
Then, he sort of did his own thing based on the look of these chairs and the seat cushions I picked up on clearance. And he made the backs a little higher for comfort.
If you are wanting detailed step-by-step plans, check out those links above. We don’t have our act together enough to do that. 😉
Ryan built them with pine and fir. We originally planned to use cedar, but it was going to be over $200 per chair in lumber so we adjusted our plans.
The chairs are on a covered porch which we hope will keep them fairly protected.
We finished them in a heavy dose of Pure Tung Oil from Real Milk Paint. (We love using Tung Oil for ease of application and re-application and think it’s a great option for outdoor or indoor projects. See more about our use of tung oil on our floors and our use of tung oil on butcher block and our use of tung oil on the back screened porch.)
Actually, Henry and his friend Miles covered the chairs in tung oil. And they are WELL-COVERED, if you know what I mean.
The chairs have been on the porch for a few weeks, and they have been a great addition. Aesthetically, it makes the porch feel much more finished. And practically, it’s a great spot to watch the kids play, when they let me sit.
I brought out a couple of my favorite pillows and house plants to get some fresh air, too. After the winter we have had, we have all earned some sunshine and fresh air.
Now, I just need to figure out a way to rid the porch of all these pesky gnats and life will be good. Who am I kidding? Life’s pretty darn good, anyhow. Gnats and all.
Who’s coming over to hang with me on the new porch chairs? I’ll make tea.
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Colleen says
❤️❤️❤️ your chairs. Your Ryan is a keeper; he is very talented. Thank you for letting us into your busy and wonderful life
Catherine J says
Your chairs are beautiful!
Kayla says
The chairs look great! Did Ryan make that little C side table too??
Kim Woodward says
He did! I guess I didn’t post about that. (Eeek.) It was actually for our living room originally, but it kept causing the Roomba to get stuck so I moved it out here and like it! =)