Want to build a flower box for my patio; where would I find plans on t

Betty819
by Betty819
I want it to be about 5 to 6 ft. in length approximately, no more than 16 inches in dept and only 18 in. wide across to plant annuals in each spring and will remain stationary on my patio all year. Building it from pressure treated wood would make it entire too heavy. I would like to be able to place a metal or plastic liner inside if I just want to set pots of annual in there and that way i can change them out for the seasons or when I just want a change of color. Probably would build a false bottom so I don't have to have to fill it with soil completely. For that size of flowerbox, it'll take a lot of potting mix/soil.
  4 answers
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Aug 28, 2013
    Building a box is pretty simple...so detailed plans are not really needed. More importantly are the material choices used to build it. Soggy dirt is very heavy and if thinner stock is used it can bow out and self destruct in a few years time. Wet soil against wood is also a quick road to failure do to rot. Lining the box with metal will help a lot in the rot dept. A flower box 5 feet long and 16" deep and 18" wide is HUGE and would weigh in at hundreds of pounds when filled with dirt. Remember that a 40 pound of potting soil is only .5 cu feet. Your dimensions would require at least 10 to 15 bags. This is 400 to 600 pounds worth. Once filled it will be near impossible to move about. Some folks will fill the lower parts of a big box with sytrofaom packing peanuts, then layer some landscape fabric over this. This greatly cuts down on the weight and soil needed. It is important though to use the old style "Styrofoam" not the newer "green" versions made from corn starch ( these dissolve in water).
  • Betty819 Betty819 on Aug 28, 2013
    I have a picture of what I want it to look like which came from a magazine that has the Initials as FC and date and I assume it is from Family Circle magazine about 5- 10 years ago. Only the picture and I know most outdoor flowerboxes are usually made of cecar but know that wood is very expensive. Somebody suggested douglas fir but I'm not familiar with it and don't know if it is available in our HD or Lowe's store and how expensive it is. The idea would be pressure treated wood, but it will be so heavy but at least will hold up under the elements. If I did it out of pressure treated wood, and wanted to paint it white or a color, would I need to prime it first or put a sealer on before or afterwards, then a final coat of whatever color I choose?
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Aug 29, 2013
    Cedar is available in 3/4" thick stock as well as 1 1/2" thick ( the nominal 2 x stock). I have only seen Pressure treated available in 2 x (PT plywood is an option). PT often is quite "wet" when new and needs to dry well before it is painted this can vary from 6 months to a year based on you climate. Ideally the inside should have a metal liner.
  • Betty819 Betty819 on Aug 29, 2013
    I know what you mean about being "wet" as we have run into that when building our screened in porch/deck back in 1995.