Have A Seat!

Believe it or not . . . here it is! Yes, this weekend I finally reached the point where we could install the window seat in my daughter's room. After spending much of yesterday working on the extra supports, today I put in the 2x4 support beam for the top back, leveled (and leveled and leveled and leveled) the carcass, and finally screwed it into the base frame. Thanks to my husband for his help in toting the thing (which weighs a ton) up the stairs and for installing the power strip behind the window seat. He also drilled the pilot holes for the base screws while I was searching for the screws :-)

I didn't get to finish screwing in the last support panels, which abut the 2x4 pieces inside the carcass. My drill battery died again on me! But it surely got a workout today, so I can't begrudge it a rest.

In the photos above, the top is not set all the way back due to an electrical cord that's currently in the way. That will be hidden as soon as I bore a hole through the right desk cabinet's left side. Once the lid is permanently affixed, you will be able to lift it and reach behind the windowseat to access the power strip. It's not a huge gap, but it's big enough for a hand and adult arm to get in there when needed.

The window seat also looks like it's a different color in the photos. That's because it's only got primer on it, not the two coats of white paint that will match it to the desks. I also need to add the toekick trim and trim, rout the front edge of the top, and trim the other edges as needed.

The seat is a bit higher than I planned originally. That's because I built my 2x4 base frame vertically instead of horizontally. In other words, I laid the 2x4 pieces so they were taller than they were wide. I should've laid them flat; then the frame would've been about 2" shorter. Once we add a thick cushion, the seat will be higher than I wanted. But my daughter's tall, so she can adapt better than I could.

My younger daughter has already decided that she can sleep on the seat once it's finished. She's closer to my height!

A hard weekend's work done. My back aches, I have scratches on my shins, and my mind is tired of measuring. I must be worn out because I ate at the dinner table with my dust mask pulled up on top of my head! I didn't even realize it, and no one bothered to tell me. I guess they just figured it was par for the course. Crazy carpenters!