How to Build a Couch: Overview of Couch Building Plans

DIY Two-Piece Upholstered Sectional Couch

The motivation behind this do-it-yourself couch wasn't so much cost savings as it was space. Shara McCuiston of Woodshop Diaries could not fit a traditional couch through the narrow hallway. So she built one to fit.

This couch is a modern two-piece sectional that prioritizes wood and clean lines rather than overstuffed cushions and tons of fabric.

One benefit that Shara found by using extra wood is that it cuts down on upholstery costs. Yard for yard, wood is cheaper than upholstery-weight fabric.

Another benefit of having a solid wood side on the arms is durability. Cats who love to methodically rip downward won't have anything to grip or rip with these sides.

This DIY-built couch is great for a mancave, a basement living room, or a guest room.

Building This DIY Sectional

This do-it-yourself couch uses two-by-fours for the base and plywood for the back and sides. You'll need a range of woodshop tools, including a miter saw, drill, circular saw, and a nail gun. Plus, you'll need a pocket jig, a handy and inexpensive little device for drilling angled holes.

The cushions are made from foam cut down to size and encased in envelope-style cushion covers. While this DIY couch is a fairly rigorous build, the process is made much smoother by Shara's clear directions.

DIY Plywood Couch / Daybed

Daybeds come in a few varieties—some flipping down, others flattening out—but this DIY daybed remains in place.

Manda McGrath of The Merry Thought designed this daybed so that, in sitting mode, pillows form the couch's seatback. In sleeping mode, the pillows are removed to reveal a generously sized 36-inch-wide bed that's perfect for afternoon naps.

Build this couch for small apartments, studios, guest rooms, or for a home office. Wherever work and napping mix, a daybed is essential. And this DIY couch fits the bill.

Building This DIY Daybed

The beauty of this daybed couch design is that most of it is made from 3/4-inch plywood. This means that you have fewer small pieces to assemble. The most difficult part of this project is ripping two-by-six boards into narrower boards.

But once that's done, it's just a matter of assembling the large plywood pieces. This is a simple, fast, and inexpensive couch to build.

DIY Twin-Bed Couch

If you need a couch-conversion bed that's large enough for a twin-size mattress, Glen Scott at DIY Creators designed one that slides out to the right size.

Most of Glen's creations have a clever twist and the trick here is that the slats on one half of the bed and the slats on the couch side are interwoven. When meshed, the slats make a couch. Unmesh the slats to form the bed. It's such an easy operation that it'll be no problem accommodating guests.

The couch is 88 inches long, 22-1/4 inches high, and 34 inches deep.

As Glen says, this is a "comfortable deep cushion sofa," with an armrest and a built-in bookshelf.

DIY Platform Couch

This do-it-yourself platform couch is worthy of both the home exterior and interior. For the exterior, Mandi Gubler of Vintage Revivals made sure that the cushions could easily be removed and replaced. Also, its thin frame is less prone to collecting water than heavier framed couches. For the interior, the couch's frame material—maple—is right at home with nearly any style.

Building This Platform Couch

What makes this a platform couch is its flat base where the cushions rest. Factory-built couches are often complicated affairs with sinuous upholstery coil springs. Dispensing with the coils turns this into a far easier project.

While there are two scoop-outs in the platform where Mandi adds nylon webbing, the webbing is there only to help with water drainage. If this platform couch were to stay indoors, webbing wouldn't be needed. This platform couch is a relatively easy build because Mandi incorporates dowels for the legs, back, and arms.

DIY Storage Couch

Couches are so big that they gobble up much of your room's free space. What if you could build a couch that returns some of that space?

Blogger and woodworker Ana White designed a DIY couch with a seat that flips up to reveal generous storage space below for pillows, sheets, and even a light comforter. This couch is easy to build, with an upholstered seat made from a slab of camping foam rubber.

The couch is 72 inches long and 30 inches deep. One of Ana's secrets for taming the high cost of upholstery-weight fabric is to use painter's canvas drop cloths.