A few 2″x8″ and 2″x2″ boards and an afternoon of your time and you too can have this functional (and SO PRETTY) patio console table / bbq table.
You guys,
I built this thing over a month ago, but I was holding off on posting an article until my petunias grew in so I could have a beautiful window box display over top…
It’s been over a month and it’s not looking like my petunias will ever be photo-worthy, and no one will want to build a patio console table / BBQ table come September – so I’m biting the bullet and letting you see my less-than-stellar flowers, but super-awesome-I-love-it-so-much patio console table.
To give you background, my dilemma started when we built the house and didn’t indicate where we wanted the hot water heater and furnace vents located… sooooooo, the builder put them out the back of the house (which didn’t have a backyard at the time).
Later we added a patio and pergola and eventually a hot tub and that wall became sort of central in the space – ugly pipes and all.
It’s a 10 foot expanse between pergola posts with these pipe outlets just about dead centre. I tried putting furniture in front of them to hide them, but they have to exhaust so I couldn’t block them completely. U-G-L-Y – you ain’t got no alibi – you UGLY!
This summer I bit the bullet and bought myself a baby barbecue. I REALLY don’t like to cook, so I didn’t need anything big and fancy for just the girls and ,I and this little Weber was perfect for a few dogs, steaks or burgers.
So I had a double dilemma – I wanted to fill the space with something functional and decorative AND it needed to hold little man here.
I’d seen several patio console tables on Pinterest that I loved, but not one of them came with building instructions – UGH! – so I took my favourite image and drew up building plans to fit my space.
This beautiful barbecue table is 96″ long, 36″ high and 23″ deep – so BIG.
I went with approximately 8′ long to fit between my pergola posts (spaced 10′ apart) and to maximize my wood purchases. With these plans, I only had to buy 8′ lengths of builder’s grade lumber.
Patio Console Table / BBQ Table
Wood
- (7) 2″ x 8″ x 8′
- (3) 2″ x 4″ x 8′
- (5) 2″ x 2″ x 8′
Cuts
- (2) 2″x 8″ @ 41″ front upper
- (2) 2″x 2″ @ 41″ back upper
- (4) 2″x 2″ @ 41″ lowers – front and back
- (2) 2″ x 8″ @ 16 ¾” sides upper
- (4) 2″ x 2″ @ 16 ¾” bottom and middle
- (3) 2″ x 8″ @ 96″ top
- (3) 2″ x 8″ @ 92″ lower shelf
Step 1
Cut your 2″ x 4″ x 8′ to 34 ½” lengths – you’ll need 6.
Step 2
If you have access to a planer, plane down the wide sides of these 2″ x 4″s enough to remove the rounded edge and create a flat, smooth surface.
Use outdoor appropriate wood glue and clamps to glue pairs together to create legs.
Step 3
Once the glue has dried, run your legs through the planer again until you have removed all rounded edges – your finished leg size will be approximately 3 1/8″ x 2 ¾” by 34 ½”
Step 4
Drill pocket holes into either end of the rough side of your front (2″ x 8″ x 41″) boards.
Inset these boards by ¾” and attach to the narrower sides of your legs. Below you’ll see a little ¾” spacer I cut from scrap wood to help me line everything up equally.
Step 5
Double check that you are attaching the front panels to the 2 ¾” side of the legs and repeat until you have 3 legs connected to each other by your 41″ fronts.
Step 6
Mark your legs at 2″ up from the bottom and attach your 2″ x 2″ x 41″ (lowers) using pocket screws and wood glue.
Step 7
Again, drill pocket holes on either end of all of your side pieces. Inset your 2″x 8″ x 16 ¾” (sides, upper) by ¾” before attaching to your legs with wood glue and pocket screws. Lower sides will be up 2″ from the bottom to line up with the front lowers.
Step 8
(Roughly) centre your middle 2″ x 2″ x 16 ¾” pieces on the centre leg and attach with wood glue and pocket screws.
Step 9
The back of your BBQ table doesn’t need an overhang or decorative inset if you are placing it against a wall like I did; no one will see the back so I was able to use 2″ x 2″s instead of the more expensive 2″ x 8″s. I also decided against the extra work of insetting the boards ¾” from the edge of the legs, so at this point we are gluing and screwing the boards so they are flush with the back legs.
Easy-peasy right?
Step 10
All that is left to finish up your patio console table / bbq table is the top and the lower shelf!
To make life as easy as possible, I placed one 2″ x 8″ x 92″ board underneath the front legs of the barbecue table and traced the outline of the legs on it.
Cut the notches out with a jigsaw or circular saw. Repeat for the back shelf board.
Step 11
Using 2 ½” deck screws, attach your two notched shelves to the front and back of your lower shelf. Attach the remaining 92″ shelf board leaving an equal gap on either side.
Ignore the wrong lengths in the photo above, I forgot to cut my lower shelf 2″ x 8″s down to 92″ before putting in place. I fixed it – but after I noticed it in the photo. lol
Attach your top 2″ x 8″ x 96″ boards using 2 ½” deck screws… the back board will be flush with the legs, the front board will over hang the front by about 5/8″ and the middle piece will be… in the middle. These bbq table plans allow for a 2″ overhang on either end.
IT’S PERFECT!!!
The lower shelf holds my loveseat cushion, 2 chair cushions and 3-4 throw pillows on one side and gardening gear / kids toys on the other without blocking the exhaust pipes!
I did add a coat of exterior stain to my patio console table to protect the untreated wood so it lasts longer, and so it looks a little more aged and a little less like builder’s grade lumber. (If you use cedar you can skip this step altogether)
We’ve had rain a few times since I built my barbecue table and the cushions have remained completely dry – thanks in part to the barbecue mat above them, but even without it not much rain gets through.
You can see my poor petunia showing here – I’m so embarrassed – but you can also see the massive amount of storage and prep space this simple patio console table provides.
Look at my little Weber – PERFECT! He’s so cute and the 23″ depth of the bbq table leaves more than enough space, front and back, for me to open the lid without having to move it.
The 96″ overall length left me with a foot on either side before it interfered with my pergola posts AND it really did maximize my wood purchase.
One thing I will say is that I’m 5’8″ – so relatively tall for a woman my age (kids now are giants!)… if you are shorter, then you might want to shorten the lengths of the legs so that the barbecue isn’t cooking at your face level. If you are taller, then you’re set – you don’t want to make it any higher.
aaaaaaand that’s a photo of watermelon. lol I had to include it – it was such a scrumptious shot.
I’m so pleased with this – and it was SO EASY! I’m kicking myself for not biting the bullet and trying it sooner (as I often do with most of my this-seems-overwhelming-projects).
So where am I writing this post from now?
Sitting outside, eating a chocolate Klondike bar and admiring my super-awesome-I-love-it-so-much patio console table.
Yeah, I’ll have an ice cream for you too. (wink)
In case you’re wondering (affiliate links – please see affiliate disclosure on sidebar or at the bottom of this page)
Have a great one!