DYI: a simple balcony bar

One of the fabulous features of our home in Vilamarxant is the view. Nothing beats watching the sunset over the mountains and orange fields, with a glass of wine, on our covered patio. From the moment we bought the house, I knew I wanted to build a balcony bar there. Something simple, to enjoy those moments even more. And so I did.

Getting parts

The design I had in mind was super simple. Our patio railing is the same used everywhere on the property so I wanted something portable. Because in summer, at dusk, the pool deck is excellent for a bar too. So I wanted it to be portable. I set off to the local hardware store and got myself two planks of wood, some decent shelf supports, and some hooks. And that was quite a challenge in our rented Fiat 500, let me tell you! I went for 2m long planks, one with a width of 40cm (the bar part) and one with a width of 30cm (the support part).

Staining the wood

The first job was giving the pine a stain. The area is undercover but still exposed to the elements so the planks needed to be suitably protected. Plus, I didn't love the light colour of the wood. I picked a stain that would give it a little more weathered, grey-wash look.

Before you stain, you sand the planks, a job my kids loved to do in the sunshine. Winning!

Assembly

Then the fun part. Putting the bar together! It couldn't be easier really. My son loves helping me out with these types of things, so together we screwed the planks together with the help of shelf supports.

A clever person would do this with an electric screwdriver, but I didn't have one at my disposal, sadly. I found a hammer drill in the shed however this was way too powerful for screws. As it wasn't a massive job, we did it all by hand. I should have walked over to the neighbour's home and borrowed an electric screwdriver, to avoid the massive blister in the palm of my hand (rookie mistake!).

We used 2 nice shelf supports for the outer parts of the bar (as they're in clear view), and then 2 simple ones for the middle. Note how these don't have a triangular shape. I don't want to bump my knees when I am enjoying my glass of wine.

Attaching the hooks

It's a bit of a search to find the right hooks to hang your balcony bar. It all depends on how wide your railing is. I found mine in the bike section of the hardware store, as these are normally used to hang bikes. I have a dislike for primary colours, so the blue had to go. Easy solution, I simply used black tape to turn them into black hooks.

We attached them to the back of the balcony bar. I made sure that the screws were positioned (and long enough) to go through both planks, for extra support.

Depending on your railing, you might find that the top is wider than the fencing (as was the case at my place). I added an extra bit of wood to the back of the bar to level the bar and make sure my glass of wine wouldn't slide into my lap.

Done!

All that was left was hanging my DIY balcony bar and enjoying the sunshine! It turned out to be a great sunny home office as well. All I need now are some funky bar stools.

I am stoked with how this turned out, and it couldn't be easier really! Will you have a go at your own balcony bar?