How to make a sofa on the balcony with your own hands?

A balcony in a city apartment is a good opportunity to expand the living space and equip a small room. To do this, you just need to free this room from unused things and arrange ergonomic furniture. The optimal solution for such a space will be a miniature sofa assembled by your own hands.

The layout of the balcony space dictates its own rules for furnishing and selection of decor items. Due to the small size of the room and the prolonged exposure to the rays of the sun, the sofa structure must meet the basic requirements:

• lightness - each balcony ceiling has its own weight load limits;
• compactness - if the furniture is voluminous, then it will block the passage;
• material resistance to UV rays and other external factors;
• the presence of built-in modules for storing old things.

Before drawing up a diagram and drawings for a homemade sofa, you need to decide on the type of your future product and its configuration, as well as take the necessary measurements. It should be understood that the main characteristic of such furniture is its compact size. It is from this that we need to make a start. There are several types of loggia furniture.

• Folding sofa / sofa-book. These are quite popular options that are considered a versatile solution for small spaces. Both models are transformers. Their difference lies in the fact that in the first case the sofa turns into a bed with the help of a few simple manipulations, in the second it is enough to turn it over to get a comfortable sleeping place.

• Corner sofa. Relevant if you need to save free space. This is a compact model, it looks harmoniously on any loggias and balconies. However, when using it, it is important to choose the right place, the placement of the back to the window is considered optimal.

• Unbreakable sofa. The simplest solution is to make such furniture yourself. This design provides a base, as well as a back and legs. Each element is sheathed with thick, soft material. Such models provide a comfortable rest and at the same time can be used for a long time.

• Ottoman. This is furniture without a back, there is no room for unnecessary elements and armrests - their functions are performed by sofa cushions. A similar model is usually placed against the wall. In this case, the user has the opportunity to lean on a vertical surface by placing one of the cushions under his back.

Loggia sofas are easy and simple to make yourself. The advantages of such solutions include:

• the ability to plan the length and width of furniture in order to fit it as ergonomically as possible into the space of the loggia or balcony;
• independent selection of the frame and cladding material, taking into account the stylistic features of the additional room and individual preferences;
• the possibility of saving costs due to the use of scrap materials, as well as the lack of payment for the work of the joiner.

Finally, a plus will be the acquisition of practical skills in making furniture with your own hands. There were no obvious shortcomings in the independent arrangement of sofas. The only thing that should be taken into account is that the responsibility for the safety of homemade furniture and the period of its operation in full lies with the master. To make a functional and at the same time beautiful sofa for a loggia, you will need basic skills in working with wood materials, namely:

• plywood and wood processing;
• covering the frame with matter;
• sewing pillows.

To assemble the sofa yourself, you will need a simple set of tools and materials:

• wood bars;
• Chipboard or plywood;
• hardware for fasteners;
• thick synthetic winterizer or foam rubber;
• covering fabric;
• compositions for wood processing;
• saw;
• roulette;
• sandpaper;
• drill screwdriver;
• hammer;
• construction stapler.

The fabric for upholstery is selected from wear-resistant fabrics that are resistant to dirt and moisture. These requirements are best met by:

• easy-care skin;
• durable chenille;
• cotton flock;
• wear-resistant jacquard.

The creation of balcony furniture begins with drawing up a diagram on which the dimensions of the future product are indicated. You can make a simple freehand sketch or a color project made using specialized programs on a PC. The most important thing is that, according to this drawing, the master can understand what parts he should get at the output, and not make a mistake with the opening of the parts.

The simplest solution would be a pallet balcony sofa. To do this, you just need to fasten a couple of pallets with metal corners and process them - sand and then paint. After that, all that remains is to put pillows or a mattress on top. When choosing pallets, you should focus on the following criteria:

• boards must be taken without chips and cracks;
• pallets must be strong and stable;
• the dimensions must fully correspond to the space being equipped.

Preference should be given to materials of light shades. As additional materials, you will need fasteners, corners, as well as handles and legs. To assemble a sofa on a typical balcony, 3 pallets are enough. Before work, the surface is thoroughly cleaned and polished. In its most general form, the scheme for making such a sofa includes several steps.

• A base is formed from a pair of pallets. To do this, one element is placed on the second and fixed with screws.
• A third element is attached to the back wall of the base.
• The entire structure is primed and then varnished.
• If desired, the legs can be mounted from below.
• At the end of the work, a mattress and cushions are placed on the base. If you have 4 pallets, you can make a corner model.

To make a wooden sofa for a balcony, a blank is assembled from plywood and beams in accordance with the drawings. All work with it can be done only after thorough grinding of the surface.

In the most simplified form, the sofa model should look like a parallelepiped. In accordance with the drawn drawing, the beams are connected, which are subsequently sheathed with plywood sheets, this will allow the structure to withstand impressive weight loads. Screws and steel corners are used as fasteners, individual parts need to be additionally glued. Upholstery is done in several ways.

• The easiest option provides for a separate production of the mattress and soft pillows, which are later fixed to the frame.
• The second option is more time consuming. It provides for the initial fixation of the soft filler on the board frame with its further sheathing with fabric. Only then can all the prepared elements be combined into one whole. Experienced craftsmen usually prefer this particular method, since in this case you can mask the edges of the padded canvas and other imperfections.

If the footage of the balcony allows, you can build a full-fledged pull-out sofa that can fit two people. First, you should make a design drawing, paying special attention to the dimensions of the furniture when folded and unfolded. To do this, you need to measure the seat. It should be taken into account that in the unfolded position its dimensions will increase by 2 times, plus the size of the sidewall adjacent to the wall. Try to make the seat slightly smaller than you want it to - this will allow you to leave a little power reserve for the lower drawers to extend.

After drawing up a diagram and applying the main markings, you can proceed to cutting structural parts. The frame is cut out of a dense timber, reinforcing the main elements with self-tapping screws and corners. In the future, the pull-out modules will serve as drawers for old things, as well as the basis for a mattress and textile pillows. They are made of chipboard in the form of a full-fledged box and supplemented with a sturdy lid.

After the frame of the sofa, as well as all the pull-out modules, are formed, you can start sewing the soft part. To do this, all the main elements should be sheathed with upholstery even before they are fixed to the frame. To make the seats come out soft, a piece of a suitable size is cut out of the foam rubber, a thin layer of padding polyester is placed on it and fixed with glue to the hard side of the seat. After that, with a construction stapler, it is fastened to the main material.

Regardless of how the sofa is made, there are some general tips for creating balcony furniture. They will help joinery beginners avoid the most common mistakes.

• For the most accurate drawing up of diagrams and drawings, measure the balcony at least 3 times. It is advisable to do this with an assistant, and then check all the results obtained. This measure allows you to identify flaws in the calculations and minimize the consequences in which the finished furniture does not fit into the space of the loggia, or, on the contrary, little aesthetic cracks appear along the edges of it.
• When determining the size of your sofa, consider your own sense of comfort. If it seems to you that the back will be too low, and the seat is too narrow, then it is worth changing the parameters of the blanks, otherwise you will be uncomfortable resting on such furniture.
• Do not make the sofa too bulky or overcrowded with structural elements. A voluminous back and an abundance of pillows look perfect on large soft pieces of furniture. For the sofa on the loggia, the most laconic options are optimal.
• All materials should be purchased with a stock. As practice shows, during work something is sure to go wrong: either the timber is cut to the wrong measurement, or the canvas is stitched in the wrong place. Do not worry, you can always make additional elements from the leftover materials that will give some zest to your sofa. For example, you can put excess fabric on small sofa cushions and leftover planks on shelves.
• If in the process of making balcony sofas something does not work out or you have questions, contact the help of specialists. Nowadays, there are a large number of narrow-profile forums, where experienced craftsmen will definitely tell you the correct algorithm of actions.

It doesn't take much to create a cozy and practical lounge area. The most important thing is to be creative, and then your furniture will serve you for many years. In addition, do-it-yourself sofas will certainly become the pride of their owner. In conclusion, we offer a selection of the most original ideas for arranging balconies.

• A practical choice for balconies is a pull-out sofa. This is quite comfortable furniture, besides, if necessary, it can be easily transformed into a cozy sleeping place. The only requirement for such a structure is that after unfolding it should not block the passage. If the room is heated, then this sofa can be used not only in the summer, but also in the winter months.

• A convenient place for storing rarely used things on the loggia is a model with drawers. This is an ergonomic solution. On the one hand, you create a comfortable resting place, on the other, you use furniture for storing seasonal clothes, conservation and garden tools. Such a sofa will help free up the main space of the living space and make the balcony more functional.

• Corner sofas look harmonious in narrow spaces. This furniture creates a cozy home atmosphere in the room. When assembled, it will fit 3-4 people, and when unfolded, it turns into a full-fledged recreation area. Usually, such a sofa is complemented by a table, which gives the room a special comfort.

• Pallet mini sofas are very popular. This is one of the most budgetary options, and even a novice master can cope with the creation of such furniture.

How to sheathe a sofa with a soft fabric, see the video below.