Under the deck seat, there's plenty of space for firewood storage

Sunset, Nov, 1988

Part seat, part lid, this built-in bench provides a quiet place to sit, and it also covers a woodbin hidden below. The 5foot-wide section jogs out from the railing of a large deck that wraps around the corner of the house. The bin is located near a small door in the back of a woodstorage box in the house; piled-up firewood on the deck would have crowded the narrow space and been unsightly.

To keep the wood handy but protected and out of sight, Sacramento landscape designer Michael Glassman built the 30by 60-inch bench with a hinged top that opens to the roomy storage bin. From deck level, the bench is only 18 inches tall. But since the deck runs above a slope, there's plenty of room below.

Made of redwood 2-by-2s, the heavy lid pivots on brass butt hinges mounted along the rear lip. The 2-by-2s were nailed onto flat 2-by-4s. A 2-by-4 lip frames the lid's front and sides. A hook-and-eye catch mounted to the lip and deck railing holds the lid open while wood is being taken out. Owners are Barbara and John Fraivillig of Rocklin, California.