This DIY Modern Wood + Concrete Bench Added $$$$$$$$$$ To my House

what's up y'all so as you can see here my uh my front entry was pretty rough and there was a few issues with it before i even started the rain chain that did absolutely nothing and the post which was sagging by three inches you can see here why because the post actually missed the foundation it was supposed to sit on so they kind of just stuff some blocks underneath hence why it's sagging so much so i started off this project by removing a portion of the concrete slab that way i can access the drain and remove the post [Music] so the plan is to replace the post with a better looking one i put up a couple of two by fours to support the area which the post will support in so once it was free i removed the post and then cleared out any of the rubble that was in its way [Music] so i ran a new section of drainage pipe which i connected to the new run i just moved it a little bit closer to where the post is gonna go so that way the down pipe can sit flush against the post so it's like kind of nice and tidy and neat and tucked out the way [Music] once i was happy with the position i filled up a bunch of dirt and rock to secure it in place [Music] i then packed it down to give a good bed for the new concrete to sit on once that was complete we can make a start on the formwork [Music] so the idea for the concrete wall is for it to sit half on the existing slab and half overhang it [Music] so we dug up about 12 inches around the perimeter of the existing slab and then about six inches underneath that way the concrete wall can sit on top overhang and anchor itself underneath giving that extra little bit of support once we had finished digging around the perimeter we removed any of the loose dirt and then compacted down to create a good solid bed for the new concrete to sit on [Music] i wanted the final height of the bench to be just shy of the trim around the window so i made a few marks and then i set up my laser level pointing towards those marks and then along the long run of the slab i measured from the floor to those laser marks [Music] for the construction of the form i'm using three-quarter inch paperback plywood which is designed for concrete i transferred those measurements to the plywood and then i cut them with my traxel i then cut a 45 degree angle on one end this is going to act as the inside corner because i didn't want any holes on the inside of the form i attached my bracing from the outside as i'm using two by fours of my brace in i set my countersink up to two inches deep and then i drilled a series of holes i then attached the 2x4 to the outside of the plywood using two inch screws through those holes that i drilled i did this top and bottom staggering the two by fours to the plywood i then flipped it over to check i haven't screwed any screws too deep i made a mark six inches away from the existing slab and then measured from the house to that mark i then transferred that measurement down the run of the slab so that the concrete form will sit parallel to the house i screwed a few blocks to the underside of the form and then brought the form into position [Music] to attach the inside run of the form to the concrete i drilled a quarter inch hole with my masonry drill through the wooden block into the concrete [Music] i then cut a couple pieces of tie wire and bend them in half then stuck them in the quarter inch hole once the two pieces of tie wire are in the quarter inch hole i beat in a quarter inch framing nail this acts as a great temporary fixing so that i can remove the form once the concrete has dried i then start by bracing this section of the form i then touch another piece of wood about two feet away from the form into the concrete using the same techniques as before [Music] i then cut a 45 degree brace that sits on the floor and the top of the form i fix the bottom part of the brace to the block that's fixed to the concrete i then screw the top of the 45 degree brace to the top of the brace on the plywood of the form adjusting the screw in and out until the form sits level and plumb once that first section was locked in i transferred the measurement to another sheet of plywood to cut the remaining piece of the run i attached the piece of plywood to the bracing using the same techniques as before here you can see what i mean by staggering the brace into the sheets of plywood this is so you can lock a couple of pieces of plywood together [Music] [Music] [Music] using a straight edge and a roofing square i marked the perfect 90 degree angle on the inside corner of the form [Music] and then along that straight line i took some measurements from the existing slab to the laser level i then cut those measurements out on a sheet of foam ply and i put a 45 degree angle on one end i pinned the corner together using my brad nailer to temporarily hold it in position once i was happy with the position i added a couple of braces top and bottom using the same techniques as before except i made them an inch and a half longer and you'll see why in a minute i screwed the inside braces together at an angle and then brace the whole run using the same techniques as before ensuring that it's perfectly plumb and level i then cut and scribed the end of the form around the existing concrete slab because i wanted my concrete bench to be 12 inches deep i cut this piece at 13 and a half inches allowing three quarters of an inch either side for the return plywoods i also cut the top at a one degree angle to allow for rainwater to roll off away from the house i then took a bunch of measurements for the outside run i measured from the inside and then added 12 inches this should give me the measurement for the length i then cut out and brace the next section of form ply using the same techniques as before i drop that section in and then i attach it to the end using wood screws [Music] once it was attached and square i then adjusted it until it sits level and parallel once i was happy with the position and how it's sitting i brought in the next piece you can see here what i meant by extending the bracing past an inch and a half it allows you to fix the bracings together rather than just relying on the screws going into the plywood i'll show you exactly why this is important when we come to pour the concrete [Music] [Music] i finished off the remainder of the run using the same techniques as before making sure it's level and plumb i also added a couple of 12 inch braces across just to help it keep in line on the end of the run towards the house i fix a couple more blocks so i can attach it to the concrete i then cut and scribe the end cap ensuring that the two runs are 12 inches apart [Music] once i was happy that the corner is sitting level plum and square i fixed in the last piece using the same techniques as before [Music] once i was happy with the level and i had a one degree fall from the inside to the outside i marked the height of the end cap [Music] i then fix the end cap into position [Music] i add a couple more braces on the other end using the same techniques as before [Music] so here you can see i didn't allow for the thickness of the plywood when i cut the braces but that's okay you can really see how this technique will hold up [Music] [Music] attach the braces to the outside of the form in a similar fashion to what i used on the inside as it's slightly higher than the inside i put in vertical braces so i can put my 45 degree supports lower down then instead of attaching the 45 degree support to a wooden block in the concrete i attached them to a stake in the ground i attached the braces to the form and the supports using the same techniques as before adjusting level and plumb where needed [Music] and then continue the throwing braces wherever possible [Music] it may seem like i'm going overboard with the braces and to be honest i thought i was as well but oh boy was i wrong if i can give any advice when building a concrete form and honestly if i'm going to do it again i'm going to brace and brace and brace again because this end of the run was right against the house it was really difficult to get any fixing so i ended up just wedging it from the house and it worked really well because this bench sits outside i don't want it to trap in rain so i drilled in a series of three quarter of an inch holes running parallel from one end making sure i don't sink my counter bit all the way through to play [Music] i then wedge in a piece of three-quarter inch pipe going from the two holes these will stay in when we pour the concrete allowing for drainage holes i continue this process down throughout the run [Music] i then caught any gaps to stop any cement coming through i then with any larger holes filled with expanding foam [Music] i added a whole bunch of rebar for structural support and i got this rebuff for free hence why there's so many different thicknesses i essentially created a cage going down throughout the whole run keeping it a minimum of two inches away from any surface this is so rust can't transfer through to the finished product i also want to add that the form plug we used came pre-oiled this helps when removing the form from the concrete now it's time for the fun part the concrete pour up until this project i knew very little about concrete how it works and how to work with it so i brought in my friend dustin or dirty d how he likes to be called to help out and keep me in line he is a concrete professional and knows pretty much everything you need to know about concrete for our concrete mix we use a three two one mix three parts stone two part vines or sand and one part cement in our mixture we use standard portland cement navigate which is a pre-blended material which consists of sand and stone and we added water to get the right consistency that we wanted [Music] for an added strength we also used a quarter inch fiberglass reinforcement material called add mixture as i added the concrete to the form dustin using his plug-in vibrator yes insert joke here vibed all the bubbles out from the concrete mixture and you can see here in three two one why it's important to add more brighten brace brace and brace again so the weight of the concrete and the force of the vibrator completely pushed the braces out so i had to run around and add a bunch more braces which was not ideal continuing the same techniques as before we filled the rest of the form up with concrete once the form was full dusty began to remove any excess concrete that wasn't needed and created a smooth finish with his trowel and as you can tell from the change of light it took a long long long-ass time thanks again buddy i owe you one [Music] exactly two weeks later i began to remove the form from the curing concrete during those two weeks i covered the form up with a tarp to protect it from any rain water if you leave water on cure and concrete it could potentially leave a stain which i did not want [Music] once the concrete had cured i made a start to the cedar cap for the bench i ripped a ton of one inch strips from a bunch of straight grain cedar two by fours [Music] [Music] and when i say a turn i mean i mean a lot like there was there was a lot [Music] out of some cedar one by fours i made these 14 inch by 10 inch by two inch seats these are essentially what the slats are going to affix to because i don't want to fix the slats permanently to the bench so then i can either repair them if need be or remove them during the winter seasons i attach them to these seats so it holds the whole thing together you'll see exactly what i mean in a minute i spread out these little caps two inches from one end and then 16 inches from each other [Music] i then cut a bunch of the cedar strips the length of the concrete return i began by attaching the first strip using wood glue and temporarily fixing it with my pin gun as i wanted all my gaps to be the same i used a quarter inch shim to help keep my spaces consistent [Music] continuing in the same process i attached more cedar strips to the caps [Music] before the glue had chance to dry i flipped the bench on its side and then using a countersink and wood screws and screwed in from behind into the cedar slats this is so the bench cap can remain slotted but you don't see any physical fixings from the face [Music] once the front and back slats were attached to the cap i made a start on the top slats using the same techniques as before i use wood glue and my micro pinner to hold the slats in position i use my square to ensure that they sit flat and square with each other [Music] i made sure to use a spacer as well throughout the whole run to keep my gaps nice and consistent these kind of details really stand out on a finished project like this using the same techniques as before i back screw the slats to the caps i continued the same process on the middle section of the benches i ended up adding a permanent spacer to the first slat giving it actually better support you can see here that i'm using the same spacer to keep that consistent gap throughout the two different benches to get a nice straight clean cut i use my track soil to trim the end of the bench i also use my track saw to clean up the join in between the two benches and then using a poor saw i clean off that little nub i repeated the same steps on both ends because this section of the bench is 18 feet long i broke the two benches up into two pieces i continued the same steps as before making sure my lines are nice and straight once i was happy with how everything was looking i gave the slat a good sand with 150 grit sandpaper i then clean up any sharp edges by hand for the finish i'm using benjamin moore's arbor cult translucent it's a super simple one coat finish that looks fantastic on cedar as you can see [Music] while that dries i spray the concrete down with concrete sealer this repels any water and it leaves it kind of wet look effect [Music] and on that note this pretty much wraps up this episode of my modern entryway build series this has to be my most ambitious project today and i am so so happy how it turned out i will be releasing a new episode every friday of my modern entry build from the pavers to the post to the modern ceiling to the classy af door

Channel: Rad Dad Builds

Views: 60,041

Keywords: DIY, D.I.Y, doityourself, table, woodwork, woodworking, furniture, modern, modernfurniture, liveedge, liveedgetable, woodworking tools, woodworking tips, woodworking videos, woodwork diy, woodwork designs for bedroom, d.i.y woodworking projects, woodwork epoxy resin, woodwork furniture, woodwork furniture projects, Kitchen, Kitchen island, epoxy, resin, Modern kitchen, modernhome, countertop, island, Hose, Curbappeal, modernexterior, home improvement, Lights, Outdoorlights, Conecret bench, Wood bench

Id: 59bzYrVOBHM

Length: 21min 47sec (1307 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 17 2020