Our new DIY picnic table

Doing something yourself isn’t always cheaper, but in a lot of cases, it means you get a much better product.  We’ve been looking for a picnic table or patio set on Craigslist for awhile, but haven’t found much.  So, Jeremy started Googling “how to make a picnic table” and of course, once he does that it’s over – he’ll be headed to Lowe’s for supplies within an hour or two!

He found these picnic table plans online and got busy… A few hours later, it was partly assembled and ready to move to the backyard!

I’m loving my new picnic table, though to be honest, we’ve only eaten on it once – it’s been so cool, and then windy, that we haven’t had many chances to enjoy it!  This weekend will change that, though.

Here’s what it cost to build this picnic table:

Two 2×6 Treated Wood Studs – $15.94

Eight 2×6 Fir Studs – $30.64

Thirteen 2×4 Fir Studs – $34.32

Washers, Screws, Etc – $25

Total Cost – $105.90 (not including stain)

So, we could have bought this picnic table kit from Home Depot for about the same price… but it’s nowhere near as big or as sturdy.  It didn’t require any special tools, either – Jeremy’s taught himself how to be handy with only a skill saw and a cheaper power drill!

Anyone else working on DIY projects this weekend?