DIY City Patio

Ariel Noel
by Ariel Noel
5 Materials
My downtown condo has a long, narrow patio off of my bedroom that was NEVER used. I wanted to add a lounge and eating area to make it more useful, but many outdoor sectionals were $1500-$3000 from big box stores. I didn't want to spend more than $600 to furnish the entire space.
I found an Ana White plan for an outdoor sectional online and modified it using 2x4s, since they are much cheaper in my area. After cutting them all to size, I stained them a grey color and started putting my pieces together.
After I finished my outdoor sectional, I started to add pieces that I already owned to finish the space (tables, candles, a rug, etc.).
Outdoor cushions ended up being prohibitively expensive. I ALMOST had to sew my own, until I found this set on sale online. Although I love the LOOK of white, it certainly was not my first choice. I protected them further with 303 Fabric Guard (a boat sealing spray), because I was concerned about the color. Luckily, after one year, they are still holding up and looking clean!
For a small bit of decor, I found a pallet on the street one evening and carried it home. There were already nails in the brick, so I simply hung it and shoved some fake succulents in it. Would I prefer real succulents? Sure, but the fake succulents require ZERO attention and are fine all year long. They were also on clearance.
The FINISHED patio was accomplished for only $533.75.


DIY sectional (including tool rental prices): $300


Cushions: $160


303 fabric guard: $12.43


Citronella candle: $8


Green chairs: $30 (Craigslist)


Fake succulents: $23.32


Pallet: free


Small black table: already owned


IKEA Docksta table: already owned


Rug: already owned


White lantern: already owned
Ariel Noel
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Tres Denizac Tres Denizac on Jun 09, 2018

    That’s the best DIY sectional i’ve ever seen. Can you post your plans?

  • Norma Jean Eichmann Norma Jean Eichmann on Jun 22, 2019

    I would love to try this but first I would have to find out what the weight limit would be cause I have a very large family (400 lbs.) Would you happen to know what the wright limit would be?

  • Ruby Ruby on Oct 15, 2021

    Where did you find the rug?

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  • Kathy.kelsey21 Kathy.kelsey21 on Dec 20, 2022

    I say BRAVO! It's fabulous and I love it.

  • Brad Brad on Oct 13, 2023

    Word of advice, put on some real shoes so you don't hurt your feet. That's kind of dangerous to work with tools and have those open toe shoes on.

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