Make a bench for less than $10 and transform your porch space into a reading nook

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Is your porch space underutilized?

Would a bench transform it into an area where family could sit and enjoy the scenery or read a book-or even just make it nicer on the eyes? But you don’t want to spend the upwards of $100 for a new bench (that may or may not even fit the space perfectly)?

Well, I have a solution for you!

In this post, I am going to show you how you can make your own bench- in any length that you need- for less than $10, give or take. There were actually quite a few similar plans like this on Pinterest, but I changed them a bit so no gluing was necessary.

Our driveway has an odd little alcove in between the garage and the stairs going up to our front porch. This was the space that inspired this post because it really needed some attention.
It was so blank and empty, and I wanted to give it some interest and a practical use.

Well, the one thing my daughter loves the most is reading, so I decided this was the perfect space for a reading nook. All it needed was a bench, some plants, and wall art to finish it off.

After:

This bench was made with 4 cinder blocks (~$1 each), a 10-foot 4×4 cut in half (~$4), and some paint.

I used two cinder blocks on each end of the bench, and set the two 4x4s across the top in the built-in indentations on the top of the cinder blocks. Super simple.

It was a little wobbly since I didn’t glue the 4x4s to the cinder blocks. It wasn’t necessary for our space, and I like being able to flip the 4x4s whenever I want. But you could always use some loctite power grab super glue to prevent any wobbling if it makes more sense for your project.

Here’s a straight-on view from last year.

And here is our bench this year with added outdoor pillows that my mom helped me make- thanks, Mom! Not only did the pillows make the bench super comfy, but they also stabilized the 4x4s so it doesn’t wobble at all anymore when in the act of sitting down. I like this even better because I still got away without using any glue for this bench. 😉