How to Build a Wood Window Box Planter
Add curb appeal to any home by making a cedar wood window box planter. This cottage window box style is simple to build and install, and easy to customize to fit your home’s style.
Read more ideas for adding curb appeal, such as building affordable DIY wood shutters and painting your front door a fresh color.
DIY Cedar Wood Window Box Planters for Cottage Curb Appeal
Hi, I’m Ashlea, a self taught builder, thrifter and huge sufferer of “I can make that” syndrome, I am sure you can relate!
Over on my blog, This Mamas Dance, I love to share furniture rehabs, home reno progress, and quick DIY’s that can be completed during toddler nap time.
Today I am going to show you how to build a custom wood window box that can be used all year long. This project can easily be completed in an afternoon and adds instant curb appeal to a home.
I thought long and hard about what style I wanted to build, and in the end I wanted it to be classic, yet versatile.
I live in a cottage style home, but this style of box could also work on a modern style home.
For the fall I am picturing large flowering cabbage, and in the winter mini “christmas trees” as you can see I added red geraniums for summer, and some creepy crawlers that will eventually fill in.
My husband and I recently built a DIY addition onto our original cottage, complete with a Cottage Style Family Bathroom, and Boys Bunk Room. I am slowly working on bringing the old and new together.
This DIY cedar wood window box ties in with the beautiful warm wood accents of our addition, and compliments the cottage style that I love.
How to Build a Custom Cedar Wood Window Box
by Ashlea from This Mama’s Dance
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Cedar Wood Window Box Materials:
- 6 Cedar Deck Boards
- 1 – 4′ piece of 3/4″ inch cedar square for vertical support
- Wood Glue
- 2 Small Galvanized Corner Brackets with screws
- Galvanized Finishing Nails
- 1 3/4″ Deck Screws
- Galvanized L Brackets to mount your Box
- Heavy weight plastic to line interior
- Optional: Stain or Paint and wood filler to finish your box
DIY Wood Window Box Cost
The estimated cost to build one cedar window box is $25 (depending on your local lumber prices).
That includes the cedar boards, the screws/fasteners, the interior brackets and the 2 L brackets to hang the box; it does not include the stain.
Tools:
- Compound Miter Saw
- Drill with Bit
- Optional: Pneumatic Nail Gun
- Sand Paper
- Hammer
How to Build a Custom Cedar Window Box Planter
Step 1: Cut boards to size
Cut fence boards to size. The length will depend on the size of your window. 5 ft cedar fence boards were the perfect length for my project, so I only needed to cut my side panels.
Be sure to check all boards are the same length before nailing anything. Sand all cut ends. My 2 side panels measured 9 3/4″. The 4 pieces of 3/4″ cedar square measured 8″ long.
Step 2: Attach front board
Apply glue to front edge of bottom base board. Position the base and lower face board, hold in place with clamps. Attach lower face board to bottom using glue and fasteners.
Step 3: Attach back board
Attach lower back board to bottom using glue and fasteners.
Step 4: Attach interior front supports
Attach 2 pieces of 3/4″ square to the inside of first face board using glue and fasteners, vertically and evenly staggered.
This will add additional structure to your wood window box, and tie in the 2 face pieces.
Step 5: Attach interior back supports
Replicate Step 4, by attaching 2 pieces of 3/4 “square to inside of back board.
Step 6: Add side panels and top front panel
Attach the top front panel and both side panels using wood glue and fasteners.
Step 7: Add support
Flip the wood window box face down. Attach a small corner bracket to the inside of the face front on both the right and left side.
This adds additional support to the front frame of the box, where finishing nails and glue are used . If you are using screws for the entire box, you can skip this step.
Step 8: Attach top back panel
Attach the top back panel along outside edge and to center support pieces with wood glue and fasteners.
You should now have a finished cedar wood window box!
Step 9: Drill drainage holes
Drill 3-4 holes for drainage in the bottom of the wood window box. I used a 3/8 bit.
For longer lasting wood window boxes, line with either heavy duty plastic or box liners. You may also place a small piece of landscape fabric at the bottom to keep them from drying out too quickly.
Step 10: Finish
Seal, stain or paint your window box planters for added protection.
Because I used a clear stain, I chose to finish the front with small finishing nails, so that I wouldn’t have screw heads showing. I also faced the boards rough side out for texture.
If you are going to paint or use a solid stain on your wood window box, you could use screws for this entire project- just be sure to pre-drill any holes to avoid splitting the wood.
I used treated screws for the back of the box, because they won’t show, and add a little more stability than finishing nails. If you choose to use screws, a little wood filler goes a long way!
Step 11: Install
Install your cedar wood window box planters using L brackets or corner angles and lag bolts. You can also add corbels for support like Morgan and Jamie showed here.
Related Reading: Tips for Planting Beautiful Flower Pots and Planters
I hope you are inspired to build some custom wood window boxes for you home. If you do, we’d love to see them on the Remodelaholic Facebook Page, or use the tag #imaremodelaholic on Instagram.
Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments.
-Miss Ash
More exterior window treatments to add curb appeal:
- build Z-style cottage shutters for just $40/pair
- how to build a custom window box with corbel supports
- plus 25 more exterior window treatments + tutorials
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Published 27 Aug 2016 // Last updated 24 Sept 2020
Ashlea is a wife, mother of 3, and blogger behind the Canadian lifestyle and DIY blog This Mamas Dance. Her blog offers a mix of tutorials, home building projects, coastal cottage style and a healthy dose of encouragement. When she isn't writing, rearranging furniture or feeding the small pack of wolves referred to as her children, she can be found teaching ballet or sipping a hot cup of tea.
Love it! I was looking for a way to grow some herbs at home and I don’t have a lot of room at my house to work with. This is great!
I’m so glad it gave you a little spark of inspiration!
We just did a big interior remodel, and now going to paint the exterior of our home. I love the blue color on your house. Can you please let me know the name of it?
Thank you!