How to Build a Porch Swing Bed

In this article, I’m going to show you how to build a super simple, yet beautiful porch swing bed by using material you can pick up at your local Lowe’s Home Improvement Store. This type of swing is one of my favorite things to build for a couple of reasons. First, a porch swing bed is an absolute show stopper, which makes me look smarter and more talented than I really am. And secondly, they are extremely awesome for taking naps. Anything that enables more nap time has to be good!

I’ve built a few, and so far none of them have been the same. One of my favorite parts of the process is coming up with new designs. So before you get started, take a look at these plans for a different design and here is another plan for a modern porch swing bed.

If you’re going to build this swing, I recommend that you grab our printable plans to make the build much easier. It also includes the full SketchUp 3D model!

For this one, I wanted it to have very clean lines and I wanted it to be very easy to build, even for beginners. I also wanted it to be affordable. I was able to build this one for around $200. Of course, that price can vary based on what wood you choose to use and where you get your wood. Again, I picked most of my wood up at my local Lowe’s.

Let’s get started. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Finish Nailer
• Tape Measurer
• Wood Glue
• Wood Stain
• Wood Filler
• Miter Saw
• Sand Paper
• Jig Saw
• 4 Eye Screws
• 1 1/4″ Finish Nails
• 2″ Finish Nails

Wood

• 3 pieces of 1″ x 8″ x 8′ clear pine
• 12 pieces of 1″ x 3″ x 8′ clear pine
• 1 piece of 1″ x 4″ x 8′ clear pine
• 2 pieces of 2″ x 3″ x 8′ framing lumber
• 1 piece of 2″ x 4″ x 8′ framing lumber
• 4 pieces of 1″ x 6″ x 8′ knotty pine

I tried to keep everything as simple as possible. So all joints in this build are butt joints. And in case I forget to mention it anywhere in this tutorial, assume that everywhere there is a joint or two pieces of wood meet, apply some wood glue.

Step 1: Build the Porch Swing Bed Frame

For this porch swing bed, I started off by building the main bed frame out of the 1×8’s. You can find the measurements in the illustration. On these joints, I used 2″ finish nails.

Then I added an inner frame for support and something to nail the bed slats to. On the sides, I used 2×4’s for some extra bulk since this is where the eye screws will go through. I made sure the bottom of the 2×4’s were flush with the bottom of the frame. Then I nailed and glued them onto the inside of the frame using 2″ nails. For the front and back, I used 2×3’s making sure the top was even with the top of the 2×4’s.

For the slats, I cut 8 39″ long pieces of the 1×6 knotty pine and spaced them out 4 1/2″ evenly along the inside of the bed frame as seen below and nailed them in place. This will be the support for the mattress.

Step 2: Build the Posts

Then I constructed 4 posts out of the 1×3 clear pine, one for each corner.

Each post is made from two pieces. I applied a bead of glue down one edge.

I placed the other piece on top of the glued edge to form an “L” shape and made sure the edges were perfectly lined up. Then I nailed the two pieces together with 2″ nails.

Then I attached each post to the corners with glue and 1 1/4″ nails.

Step 3: Add the Rails

After all four posts were in place, I cut all of the rails. These are the horizontal pieces that connect all of the posts. I attached all of the back rails first. Then the side rails. Refer to the illustration below for lengths and spacing.

As I mentioned earlier, I really wanted to design this swing to be super simple to build with only straight cuts that could be done with the miter saw, but then I got to the armrest pieces which required a little extra cutting. I first cut each arm piece to length from a piece of 1×3. Then I had to use a jigsaw to cut out a notch for it to fit around the back post as you can see below.

After I finished these cuts, I glued and nailed them in place as shown in the illustration. Then I added 1×3 trim around the bottom of the swing on all four sides using glue and 1 1/4″ nails.

The final step in the building process was adding the top to the back and a middle rail support. For the top piece, I used 1×4 and for the middle support, I used 1×3.

Step 4: Fill Holes and Stain

I filled all holes with wood putty and to round off the corners a bit and get rid of any splinters I sanded the swing with fine sandpaper. I then applied a coat of stain and three coats of polyurethane. Even though the swing won’t be in direct weather, I wanted to give it a little extra protection.

Step 5: Add the Eye Screws

Once everything was dry. It was time to add the eye screws. The rope will run through these and hold up the swing. I measured 1″ from the edge of the post, and 1 1/4″ up from the bottom, which put me in the middle of the bottom trim piece. Then I drilled my hole for the eye screw and screwed it in.

And that’s it. When you hang your swing, you’ll use the same eye screws in the ceiling. You just need to make sure that you are screwing into ceiling joists. For the cushion, any twin mattress should work, and you can order a custom mattress cover here. Then you can finish it off with some pillows.

Once you’re finished with your swing, you can follow my instructions on how to hang a porch swing.

I hope you found this tutorial useful, and if you have any questions, please leave a comment below.