We finished our simple Garbage Can Storage Area in our side yard. It's been such a welcome addition...even our neighbors are commenting on how nice it looks. It's a simple, but a very effective idea to keep our unsightly garbage can hidden from the street.
My city-issued eye-sore of a dumpster is now hidden. Amen and hallelujah. I so wish I could have a cute painted metal garbage can on my curb, but we get to use these beauties above. They are more practical and functional with their fancy wheels and super truck that picks them up. But...meh.
And I'm proud to say, this mini deck we built for our garbage can went together in one morning's time (this doesn't include the drying time for the stain and weather sealer). It is very simple, straight-forward construction. See how to put together your own garbage can storage area below.
Create a Simple Garbage Can Storage Area
We were able to keep the cost of this project really low. My dad recently built a deck at their home and let me use some of the scraps to create this piece. And by "let me use", I mean, he hauled everything over to my house, and helped me assemble the entire piece. Have I mentioned how much I adore that man?
Supplies for a Garbage Can Storage Area:
- We used three 2x4s, cut to the length we needed for the area we were creating this piece for (you'll have to decide what's best for your space on this one, size wise...and if your piece is a lot longer/larger than ours, you may want to consider more than three 2x4s to distribute the weight evenly).
- For the main surface area, we used seven 1x6 treated decking boards, cut to our length that we needed (again, the amount of these you use will depend on how large yours is).
- We also used 2x4s for the lattice framing and plastic lattice for the interior of the frame (I was a bit leery of the plastic lattice for fear it could cheapen the piece, but I really like how it turned out...you can't even tell and it is much sturdier than the wooden variety).
- For the main base, everything is held together with coated deck screws. Be sure to buy both the coated screws and treated lumber so the elements won't affect either over time.
Building Your Garbage Can Storage Area:
We laid our three 2x4s out and started with our first board. Each 1x6 was attached to all three 2x4s with three screws (so, nine screws total per 1x6). I pre-drilled the holes on the end pieces to prevent them from splitting (see above photo).
I have to say, a great system to put these together is to use both a driver and a drill simultaneously, so you're not having to switch bits all the time. Or, two drills would work, too. My dad brought over his driver for me to try out. Then he left it here and went and bought himself a new one (but, don't tell my mom, k?). I think this is how I acquired about half of my power tools. Love him.
Once we added the second 1x6, we used a clamp to make sure everything lined up correctly and the boards were level once screwed down. We used the clamp on every subsequent 1x6.
Then just keep on attaching all of the 1x6 boards to the frame, one right next to the other. It went really fast and this thing was almost done before we knew it.
We measured how high the garbage can was and then the width of the base piece to determine the size of the lattice. We cut four 2x4 pieces and used longer deck screws to assemble the frame. Again, pre-drill your holes on the frame since the screws are in the ends of the wood pieces.
And someone, please remind me not to wear that clown shirt when I'm in a photo again. And maybe to slap on some lip gloss. Honestly.
Lay your frame on top of your lattice to see how you'll need to cut it. We just marked the lattice with a permanent marker. We used a plastic-cutting blade and trimmed the excess with a jigsaw. We tried to use tin-snips, but they didn't work quite as well. The jigsaw gave us a much cleaner edge. We actually left it a bit longer on the bottom edge to allow it to cover the base as well. This was just a preference.
We used galvanized lath screws to attach the lattice to the 2x4 frame. These prevented the screw head from sinking too far into the lattice.
I switched back to the longer deck screws to attach the frame with the lattice into the base of the garbage can storage area. I did them every couple of inches. Originally, we planned to add a large L-Bracket to that corner you see above {and its partner}, for stability. But the piece was actually super stable without it. We've even had two major storms with crazy wind since this was assembled and it's held up beautifully. B-E-A-utifully.
I stained the piece with maple-colored stain cloths...they matched the lattice perfectly. Then I went over the entire piece with two coats of weather sealer (the type you seal a deck with). We let it dry overnight and pulled it back outside.
If your cute lil' garbage can storage area doesn't sit level, add some wood scraps under the base pieces until it does. We used a couple of wood pieces under the back corners to make ours level. It's a super mathematical leveling process: stand on it and wiggle around. Add wood pieces and repeat wiggling until it won't wiggle anymore. Super technical.
We made a notched area where our sprinkler system piping comes out of the house. This little pipe was a part of the reason we didn't do patio pavers as we originally planned. But, honestly, I'm happy we didn't. I'm loving how this turned out.
I also planted some jasmine to grow up the lattice. I went back and forth on where to plant it. I settled on a simple planter on the inside. Our mowers, God love 'em, are kind as all get out, but not always careful with the edger. Not sure a vine would have lasted on the other side of the lattice.
More Garbage Can Storage Area Ideas:
If you like this project, chances are, you'll love the DIY Planted Posts my dad and I also constructed. They're a hit on the interwebs, y'all.
UPDATE: 2/24/18: We moved from this home two years ago. However, I still drive by it from time to time and am happy to report that the new owners still use this same garbage can storage area that we built. It's still going strong four years later!
Original article and pictures take www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com site
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