I’ve been very interested in growing vegies on my patio this year. It seemed to me that I needed a shelf, but the prospect of finding one to fit the narrow, long space I had in mind was not good. Weather resistance was going to be an issue too. The space I’m trying to fill is 5′ long by 13″ wide and about 18″ tall. On Good Friday I got a flash of insight and the result is the Patio Shelf in the pictures.
It has two legs 18″ long. The other sides are are thin slats of wood that ly on the metal railing of the patio. One side also has the luxury of being close to the build to prevent it from knocking about. This is on the third floor corner of an apartment building. Wind is an enormous problem. It gusts at 30-40 mph many times during the year. Heat and sun tend to eat up everything in the Texas pPnhandle. And humidity can dip into the single digits. The deck is an 8′ plank cut to 5′. Everything is finished with a stain/rub chemical, 2 coats and then 3 coats of polyurethane.
I’m very pleased with the results. It seems sturdy enough. It holds me sitting on it, ~190lb. The weatherproofing should last 2-3 years. The legs seem a bit unstable, but I will reinforce them soon enough.
Costs
8′ X 1′ $13
Stain $10
Polyu. $8
3′ X 1″ $5
Brushes $3
Sandpapr $2
Total $41