Outdoor Bar - The Top

I have been looking forward to this day for a while. This is the part that will bring everything together. Originally I was going to use simple 2X6 treated boards but, at my wife's suggestion, I went back to Home Depot to look again. I ended up finding this nice outdoor decking material that matches my deck. It even came in 6 inch wide by 8 feet long boards, the same as my original design so I did not have to change the original design.

This part of the project went very fast. I used some galvanized deck screws and my screw gun to rapidly attach the planks. Starting with a middle row aligned to the center of the cross pieces, I attached them like I would install a hardwood floor, alternating the joints.

Since I started from the center of the bar and worked my way out, I didn't bother to cut the boards to the exact length because I knew I would be trimming them later.

I used a screw and my 4 foot T square to draw an arc at each end. I then used my jig saw to trim along the mark. I really like the radius I picked.

Once I trimmed the edges, I ran my belt sander along it to smooth it out and round it off a bit to match the front and back edges.

Here is a picture of the final bar. Pretty nice, huh? When I am ready, I will install two shade umbrellas supported by the 2nd and 4th leg sections. I just have to find the right size umbrellas.

This was a really fun project that really added to the look and usability of our deck. Now we just need to get one more barbecue in before the end of the summer so we can use it.

Outdoor Bar - Cross Pieces

It's been a couple of days but it's a little tricky these days to find some time to work on the bar. Today is a quick job. All I am doing is adding the cross pieces. My miter saw made quick work of cutting them out of 2X4 treated lumber, including a 45 degree cut on the end which is purely for cosmetics.

The first thing I did was attach the cross pieces using my air compressor and nail gun. Measuring the distance between the leg posts at the bottom, I made sure they were attached to the cross pieces at the same distance to force the posts to be perfectly straight up and down.

I then used my screw gun and 3/16 inch drill bit to drill the pilot holes and the 1 inch bit for the counter sink holes. The socket attachment made quick work of the 3 inch lag bolts.

This is really starting to look cool. In less than a half an hour I got all 10 cross pieces attached. The last part of assembly is to install the top planks. Again, that should not take a lot of time but I will leave it for another day.

Outdoor Bar - The Legs

Today I got to work on the leg posts. I used 4X4 outdoor treated posts cut to 36 inches.

Once I had all 10 leg posts cut to size I secured the first post into place with a clamp. Then I used my level to make sure it was as straight as can be. I then drilled two pilot holes through the posts and into the base beams with a 3/16 inch drill bit. I switched bits to a 1 inch bit to drill a counter sink hole.

I used 5 inch galvanized lag bolts with washers to attach the posts. I started with my little wratched and socket but spent more time trying to get those bolts in than I would have carving the bar from a single piece of wood. My father saved me by letting me borrow his socket attachment for the drill gun. With that (and a fresh battery on the gun) it took about 5 seconds to get the bolt all the way in.

My bar will have 5 sets of legs all together. As you can see here, between the 2nd and 4th pair I am installing a cross beam. I will eventually use a hole in each cross beam to help support the umbrellas.

I finally got all 10 legs into place. A little testing revealed the whole structure to be quite a bit more stable already.

Tomorrow I will attach the cross pieces. The rest of this will actually go together really fast. After the cross pieces are the top planks and I am done. Check back soon for more pics.

Outdoor Bar - The Base

The first step to building my outdoor bar is to install the base beams. The beams are simply 2X6 treated lumber. I installed them using 4X4 connectors that attach first to the deck itself and then to the beams. I used galvanized nails so they will not rust.

I am a little concerned with the final stability of the project. These beams run the same direction as the deck planks themselves and I'm not sure if that will allow the beams to wobble or not. I will check the stability of the final product and, if necessary, reinforce it.

I measured everything several times to make sure both beams were exactly parallel (well, within 1/16 of an inch, I'm not the kind of person who needs it perfect) and square with respect to each other. I had to cut the beams to length. Fortunately, my miter saw just made it.

In the picture you can see them attached to the deck. I set up one leg post in place to make sure it fit well. The outer edge of the leg is actually flush with the edge of the deck.


My deck is 18 feet long so I decided to make my bar 14 feet long, centered, leaving 2 feet of space on either side. There is 9.5 inches of overhang from the edge of the top to the outer legs which means my beams needed to be 149 inches long which is almost 12 and a half feet. Although Home Depot does sell the beams in 16 foot lengths, it would prove difficult to get home without paying the $60 delivery fee. Instead, I got 2, 8 foot beams for each side and connected them together as shown.

Now that the base is done. Tomorrow I will install the leg posts. I am imagining that once the legs are attached with lag bolts, the beams will be a lot more solid and stable.

Outdoor Bar - In the beginning...

Welcome to Trevor's Projects. In an effort to keep everyone updated with the status of my various projects I have created this blog. Here you will find step by step details of the planning, construction, and use of my favorite projects. These projects will include everything from remodelling to small wood projects, poker tables to games. Check back often and feel free to leave comments and ideas for new projects.


We will begin with my outdoor bar. The idea for this came to me when my family was vacation on Orcas Island. We go every summer and stay in cabins on the beach for a week. Near the dock is a great little outdoor bar, made of wood, complete with umbrellas. My intention is to recreate this bar, with minor adjustments, on my deck in my back yard.

Here is the bar out at Orcas so you can see what I am working towards.

Tomorrow I will get most of the materials and begin construction on the base. This should be a pretty fun project.