Window Seat

The previous owners of my house loved to ad random details, even if they didn't match the style of the house. I like clean modern lines, so I have been slowly removing the random bits of ginger breading, and other froufrou bits. One of the remaining thorns is the portal window in the girls room. (We do not live on a boat, it isn't a nautical style home, just another random detail. Aarg Matey!)

Since my oldest starts Kindergarten in 2 weeks, I decided to fulfill one of my childhood fantasies. I am building a reading nook, and every good reading nook needs a window seat. I have some scrap wood from an earlier demolition, and I have a bit of extra time today. So here goes.

I started by finding a basic plan that I liked. Then measured my space, and then recalculated all of the pieces so it would fit my space, and the lumber bits I salvaged. I remembered to grab my safety glasses, and to measure twice, cut once. (Thank you Norm for all those years hosting The New Yankee Workshop.)

Because I was using what I had, I ripped some wider boards down with the table saw, before cutting them to length. After I had all of my boards cut to length, I pre-drilled and fastened them together. It took about 1 1/2 hours start to finish. I even used the air compressor to blow the sawdust off the tools before putting them away. My recent surge in cleaning, is sticking with me!

Once my box was built, I used putty to fill the screw holes, sanded, primed, and painted. I like to paint outside as often as possible. I find that things dry faster, and the entire project moves along at a quicker pace. Be certain to work in the shade though. Paint doesn't usually dry well in hot, direct, sunlight. I had the added bonus of being able to watch an American Bald Eagle soaring over head. Having not grown up here, it always amazes me to see such awesome sights during regular daily activities.

She was ready to go to the Splash Park,
but kind enough to help me out.

Here's another look so you don't have to scroll back up.