Building a Bigger Table

* This post contains affiliate links.  For more information, please read my affiliate disclosure. *

After fixing up the pool and cleaning the area around it, this became our favorite hangout space.  It soon became apparent that not only did we need a bigger table, but we also needed more room for relaxing out of the sun.

The Plan

The area surrounding the pool was fenced in, and between our party area and the carport, was a wooden fence with a gate.  We wanted to move the fence over a couple of feet, and align it with the edge of the screened-in back porch.  Not only will this give us a bigger seating area, but we will create a better flow from the house to the pool area.  Before, you would come out of the house and be on the carport side.  You had to go through the gate to get to the pool area.  With our new plan, you would already be in the pool area when you come out of the house.

As for the table – it was time to try our furniture building skills.  Pieter was so excited about this part.  Not only could he use some power tools, but he also had an excuse to shop for more tools.  We did some research and settled on an idea:  a wooden table with inserts for two ice buckets.

David and Ilse came up for the weekend and the building began.  I’m usually more involved in the planning phase and afterwards, in charge of cleanup.  Ilse and I kept an eye on the men and their progress, but for the most part, we were just there for moral support.

Moving the Fence

The fence only needed to move a couple of feet.  Pieter and David cut it loose from the pool house and moved it over.  They did decide at the last minute to change the location for the gate, and that made putting it all back together slightly more complicated.  But they were able to use all the existing pieces, and only added a couple of new pieces to finish it.

Once the fence was all reassembled, I grabbed some of the leftover paint (thank you previous owners!!!) and painted all the new pieces of wood.  Once the paint dried, you couldn’t even tell which pieces were new and which ones old.

With very little effort (ok, very little effort from me), our fence was in place and step one was complete.

The Table

After getting the table plan on paper, and measurements taken, Pieter and David set off to buy wood for the table.  Since this was going to be an outside table, we opted for treated wood.  We used 4×4’s for the legs and a combination of 2×4’s and 1×4’s for the frame and tabletop.

Piece by piece the table took shape while Ilse and I supervised from the pool.  The top was built separately and fastened to the base, which we helped move into its final position.

Once the top was in place, we made another adjustment to the original plan.  Instead of long narrow flower boxes for the inserts, the men went off to the Tractor Supply store for galvanized bins.  They traced these on the top, cut out the shapes, and then added support for the bins below.  The cutouts were kept and fastened together so that the table could also be used without the bins.

By the time Pieter and David completed the table, they were quite tired (and thirsty!!!).

The final adjustment to our party table was made during our first test.  We realized that now that our drinks were so conveniently placed and kept cool within reach, we needed a faster, more efficient way to get them open.  Back to Amazon for some bottle openers (four of them to be exact), which we fastened onto the side of each table leg.

While this is a very heavy table, it is still in excellent shape and serves as the centrepiece on our current deck.

The outside was looking good but it was time to move on to the inside of the house and fixing up the Master Bedroom!