Tag Archive | Tape measure

Building Raised Beds

Okay, it’s time to get this party started.

The plan for this weekend is to build (2) 4x8x8 raised beds. I already have the pressure treated wood (see previous post about the type of pressure treated wood used) and will be assembling them this weekend. It’s really easy to build the beds with little to no experience working with wood.

All you need to get started for each bed is the following small material list:

Qty: 3 - 4×8 (or 4×6 if you prefer) pressure treated lumber boards

Qty: 12 - hot dipped galvanized screws (at least 2.5 to 3 inches in length)
Cordless drill or corded drill (whatever you have will work)
Handsaw or Circular saw (if you are comfortable with a circular saw it will make the cutting much easier)
Tape measure
Pencil
Landscape fabric to attach to the bottom of the bed to prevent weeds from growing up through the bed.
Staples and Staple gun to attach Landscape Fabric.

Simply cut one of the 4×8 boards in half and then attach the cut boards to the long side boards with at least 3 screws per corner. You will have a 4×8 rectangular bed once you are finished. Attach the landscape fabric to the bottom of the bed with staples to form a barrier.

The next task after building the beds is to fill them with dirt. I will most likely make a trip to my local landscape company and have them fill my truck up with a couple scoops of dirt. I have estimated that it will take at least 2 scoops of dirt per bed. More details later on how this works out.