Chronicles Von Quandt

The Story of The Adventures

How to Create a Lawn Sofa

Make your own Lawn Sofa

We are working on getting our yard ready for summer and this is one of our favorite ideas.  I love spending time outdoors but feel like it’s so much less comfortable.  Well, not for long!  David Sheen over at Rumble Pie has compiled a lovely array of sod lawn sculptures along with the instructions to make our own lawn sofa.  

He says:  ARCHITECT-ARTIST GREG TATE in Orange County, California has taken the concept of sod sculpture and has placed function over form, creating sod sofas! He came up with the idea of sprouting a couch, creating literal lawn furniture! And he’s been kind enough to share his idea with the world, publishing instructions for how to make a D-I-Y couch that’s covered in clover. It’s pretty simple: basically, just use temporary forms, pack the mud into whatever shape you want, then cover it in chicken wire and rolls of sod. How easy is that? It may seem a little cheesy, but I still want to build one, it looks like tonnes of fun! Could you imagine one of these in your own yard?

 

  • Figure the dirt you need by multiplying the dimensions of the couch you plan to make (Height x Width x Depth = Volume of Earth).
  • Next, locate a suitable spot. Placement is key: There’ll be no moving once you’ve begun. Clear the area of grass and weeds until you have a level swath of dirt, then use a stick to sketch the shape of the couch into the dirt with a stick.
  • Drive the wood stakes into the ground along the perimeter of your sofa-shaped sketch, every 18″ or so, to a depth of about 12″. These will secure the form.
  • Attach the waferboard to the stakes to create the walls of the form (see illustration). Use a handsaw to trim the waferboard to size. Drive in a nail every 4″ along each stake to secure the boards.
  • Start shoveling dirt into the form. Here’s where things get messy. Once a foot of dirt is in place, water lightly and compress by stomping around on top of it.
  • Once the basic shape is in place and secure, carefully remove the form works.
  • Mold the shape to your liking. Remove any loose debris and sprinkle the sofa and other areas you’ll be sodding with a healthy layer of fertilizer and gypsite. Water lightly.
  • For extra support, lay strips of poultry netting over the arms and back.
  • Lay the sod. Press down the edges to create a smooth surface clear to the ground. Stagger the rows so the seams don’t fall in a line, and use chopsticks or planting stakes to keep them in place over the wire.
  • During the next few weeks, water your sofa often, soaking it thoroughly. Once the sod has taken root, remove the chopsticks or planting stakes. Trim as needed.

    Go out there and get your lawn sofa started so you can relax and enjoy soaking up the sunshine and feeling the earth!  Add photos of your creation to the comments below.

 

 

 

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