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There are lots of ways to add bench seating to your deck or porch. One way which is becoming increasingly popular is building the bench into the deck railing so that it forms part of the railing itself.

The great advantage of deck railing benches is that they’re incorporated into the deck railing design, so they don’t take up too much precious space.

Because you look inwards toward the house from a deck railing bench, you get a much better sense of privacy as you enjoy your outdoor space.

These deck benches are made with composite deck material If you love entertaining, deck benches around the railing tend to make the corners of your deck much more inviting, and entice people to make much better use of the space you have available.

This is also nice if you have a smaller deck and don't have enough room for everyone to sit down and enjoy the warm sunshine while enjoying a beverage.

You can have a professional carpenter design and build benches into a new or existing deck railing, but if you’re handy with a hammer and nails, building some simple deck benches is a great DIY project.

Tips on building benches in and around your deck railing.

As with any home improvement project, it’s essential to check with your local authorities for any building regulations which may apply before you begin. It’s not likely that you will need formal approval for a small project like building deck benches, but it’s very wise to check to make sure.

Your local building authorities will probably provide you with useful advice and information on building.

The design of your benches depends on the design of your individual deck. If your deck is low to the ground, and wouldn’t normally require railings, you can build simple flat benches around the edges of the deck to provide a boundary.

For a higher deck, the benches will need backrests for safety. If you have an existing deck railing, you can build the benches in a similar material, and mount them to the railing. An easy way to add a bench to an existing or new deck is to use a bench seating bracket from Rockler.com.

For more information on rails for your deck, please read these articles:

Use deck bench plans to build your bench

Caps for Deck Railing