DIY Window Box

Yay for getting back into some projects!

I finally decided to move forward with my idea of putting a window box on the large window in front of our house. The bed has been looking kind of empty since I transplanted the abelias elsewhere last summer.

The only problem was that the window was wider than any box I could find. So, I recruited the hubs to help me make my own 🙂

We measured the length we needed, then bought enough 1x8s at Home Depot to construct the box. I just wanted something basic, no fancy mitered corners or anything.

I let Mike handle all the cutting, he’s just better and faster at it. If I was doing this on my own, I’d probably just have Home Depot cut all the wood for me before bringing it home. Also, please do not cut wood while kneeling on the edge of stairs.

Once we had all the pieces cut, we began assembling the box.

You’ll want to use wood glue and long screws (more than you think) to hold this thing together. Ask me how I know that.

The weight of the soil + plants + water adds up and if you don’t have enough screws the box will eventually start coming apart.

We drilled some holes in the bottom for drainage, then held the box up and tested the fit.

We weren’t quite sure how to mount it still at this point. The goal was to damage the siding as little as possible, which meant putting up a bunch of brackets really wasn’t ideal. We managed to locate two areas (between each small window and the large one) where there was a stud we could drill directly into. Mike suggested 4 lag bolts -2 in each stud, so we marked and drilled the holes.

After installing the box and making sure it was sturdy, we took the box down. At this point I went ahead and stained and sealed the box since it would be easier to do without it attached to the wall. I used Old Masters Gel Stain in American Walnut followed by Spanish Oak to get a nice dark finish. I sealed it with 3 coats of exterior polyurethane, then we re-installed the box!

It sat empty for awhile as we had some late frosts and bad weather. But eventually I was able to pick up a few wave petunias and get them started. It doesn’t look very impressive right now, but maybe by the end of the summer I’ll have a full and beautiful display!

As for how our homemade box will hold up…only time will tell! I’ll let you know if it spontaneously falls off the wall 🙂