Follow this complete action checklist to plan, cut, stain, and assemble a cedar poolside bench with planter and tortoise pass‑throughs — in a single weekend.
Based on: DIY Poolside Bench with Matthew Lawrence | Celebrity Style: 90s Edition | HGTV by HGTV
▶ Watch the source video on YouTube
Have you ever stared at that one neglected corner of your yard and thought, 'I know something should go there — I just have no idea where to start'? You are not alone, and the good news is that corner is about to become your favorite spot.
Here is the problem most DIYers run into: they watch a video, feel inspired, grab some wood, and then freeze the moment things get real. The slope is uneven. The measurements feel confusing. The cuts do not line up. What started as a fun weekend project turns into a pile of cedar sitting in the garage for six months.
Now picture this instead. You walk outside on a Saturday morning with a clear, step-by-step plan in your hand. You know exactly which materials to buy, what cedar to choose, how to scribe the base so it sits flush on a sloped surface, how to cut clean tortoise-sized pass-through holes, how to stack planter boxes Jenga-style, and how to apply a low-VOC aged-gray stain that makes everything look like it has been there for years. You finish the day with a sturdy, beautiful poolside bench complete with built-in planters, decorative pillows, and even a handmade copper embossed sign. Your yard looks like a magazine shoot.
That is exactly what this checklist delivers. HGTV's McKenna — your ultimate DIY bestie — walked through every single step of this build alongside Matthew Lawrence, and we turned the entire process into a clean, print-ready action checklist you can hold in your hand at the worksite. No rewinding. No searching for timestamps. No guessing.
McKenna has built her reputation on creating spaces that anyone can pull off, on a budget, with real tools and real results. This project proves that even a complex multi-component bench with scribing, arched cuts, and integrated planters is completely doable if you follow the right sequence. The checklist captures every technique she demonstrated: power washing the space, leveling and scribing with a square, marking and cutting pass-through arches, gluing and stacking cedar planter boxes, staining with water-based low-VOC product, cladding the facade, securing all components, planting succulents and trailing ivy, sizing pillow inserts for that expensive look, and finishing with a decorative sign.
Whether you are building this exact bench or just want to understand the process so you can adapt it for your own space, this checklist is your shortcut from inspiration to done. Download it, print it, and start building this weekend.
Every checklist item comes with actionable notes to guide you — things like "Don't forget to do this before you start," "Avoid this common mistake," or "Set a reminder for 30 days out." Nothing vague, just clear next steps.
+ 21 more action items inside...
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