How We Built a Bespoke Garden Seating Area on a Roof Terrace

Bespoke Roof Garden Seating Area: From Design to Installation

In this blog, we’ll take you through the full process of creating a bespoke roof garden seating area, from the initial design through to manufacture and final installation.

For this project, we designed and built made-to-measure garden benches along with a matching coffee table featuring a clever additional use.

This particular project was for a roof terrace at a popular Airbnb property in the Cotswolds. The clients initially contacted us after discovering our floating bench seating on our website.

The original seating arrangement on the terrace was modular with loose cushions. While it looked great, it proved to be high-maintenance and not ideally suited to a busy holiday rental property.

The clients wanted a garden seating area that was fixed in place, highly durable, and easy to maintain, while still offering a stylish and welcoming space for guests to relax. We created a bespoke design for a fixed seating area using the same footprint as the original layout, allowing us to maximise seating while improving both functionality and longevity. To complete the space, we also designed a matching coffee table to complement the bench seating this also has a special use we will show later in the blog.

What did the roof terrace seating area look like before?

Before we started work on this project, the roof terrace seating area featured modular outdoor seating with loose cushions.

The customer sent us the photo below along with the measurements of the existing bench layout, giving us a clear starting point for the design process.

They were very clear about what they wanted to achieve: replacing the current seating with a bespoke garden seating area that would be easier to maintain, more durable, and add a real wow factor to the space.

The goal was to create a stylish and practical seating area that would elevate the roof terrace while standing up to the demands of a busy Airbnb property.

Before we started work on this project, the roof terrace seating area featured modular outdoor seating with large cushions. 

The main issue was that the cushions were oversized and, although they were made from exterior-grade materials, they discoloured easily over time. Storage space on the roof terrace was also limited, making it difficult to keep the cushions protected when not in use.

It was clear that a more practical solution was needed. A bespoke fixed bench with loose cushions offered a far more suitable option—providing the same level of comfort while being easier to maintain, more durable, and better suited to the demands of a busy Airbnb property.

The bench design proposal 

Once we had all the information we needed, our design team created a detailed proposal for the new roof terrace seating area.

The design featured a bespoke U-shaped seating configuration, with two sides designed as floating benches supported by heavy-duty brackets bolted directly to the walls. The third side was supported by cedar legs, creating a clean and contemporary look while maintaining strength and stability.

To complement the seating area, we also designed a matching coffee table to provide a practical space for drinks and entertaining.

This coffee table also had a clever secondary function—it doubles as a day bed extension. When pushed up against the bench seating, it creates a large lounging area, perfect for relaxing in the sunshine or enjoying long summer evenings.

To help the client fully visualise the finished project, we presented the design using 3D visuals of the space. This gave a clear representation of the proposed seating area and allowed the client to understand exactly how the finished roof terrace would look.

Building the seating in our workshop

Once the design has been agreed, the manufacturing process begins in our joinery workshop.

Before any timber is cut, our workshop team and designer go through every detail of the project together to ensure nothing is missed. Clear communication at this stage is essential and plays a huge part in delivering every bespoke project to the highest standard.

The first stage of production is preparing the timber. Each piece is machined to a smooth, consistent finish using our planer thicknesser, ensuring every board is perfectly sized and ready for assembly.

This stage can be time-consuming, especially on large bespoke seating projects like this, but preparation is key when creating high-quality garden benches.

For this project, the bench was finished in cedar oil to help protect and enhance the natural colour of the timber. To ensure maximum coverage and protection, every piece of timber received an initial coat before assembly.

Next, the main bench sections were assembled, with cross supports carefully fitted in place to ensure strength, stability, and consistent spacing between each board.

With large bespoke seating areas like this, the benches are often manufactured in multiple sections to make transportation and installation possible. Once each section was complete, fascia boards were fitted to the front and ends of the benches to create a clean, seamless appearance.

This is where precision becomes critical.

Each section must join together perfectly, with tight mitres and straight joints to ensure the finished seating area looks flawless once installed. Every bench section is carefully cut and adjusted to achieve a seamless fit.

There’s a saying in joinery that finishing is 50% of the work—and with bespoke benches, that’s absolutely true.

Once all sections were checked and fitted together perfectly, we carefully sanded and planed the edges of every board to achieve a smooth, premium finish.

Finally, a top coat of cedar oil was applied, enhancing the natural beauty of the timber and giving the finished bench its rich, warm appearance.

Getting the seating onto the roof terrace

Installing bespoke seating on a roof terrace brings a few extra challenges, not least getting everything safely up to roof level.

The seating was made in sections in our Kent workshop before being transported to the property in the Cotswolds. Once on site, all the individual sections, fixings and tools had to be carefully taken up to the roof terrace ready for assembly.

Designing the seating in sections makes this type of installation possible. Rather than trying to manoeuvre a complete bench into position, the individual components can be transported to the terrace and assembled in their final location.

Installing the bespoke benches

The seating runs around three sides of the terrace, but the different sections couldn’t all be supported in the same way.

One section of the bench has legs supporting it from the terrace floor, while the other two sections are fixed directly to the rendered walls. We installed the freestanding section first, carefully setting and levelling it at the correct finished height.

This then gave us a precise reference point for the remaining seating. The two wall-mounted sections could be positioned to exactly the same level before being securely bolted to the walls, creating one continuous run of seating around the terrace in a U shape.

This approach also means that legs are only used where they’re needed, keeping as much of the floor underneath the seating clear as possible and giving the finished terrace a much cleaner appearance.

The wall mounted benches are often reffered to as floating benches, these are attached to seat brackets bolted to the wall. This method of installing a bench is becoming increasingly popular in modern garden spaces. The brackets are ablet to support 150Kg per pair and we gencrally space them around 500mm  – 600mm apart.

The Finished Roof Terrace Seating

The completed bespoke seating has transformed the roof terrace into a practical and contemporary outdoor living space.

The built-in benches provide a generous amount of seating without taking up unnecessary floor space, while the matching coffee table can be positioned against the bench to create an extended daybed-style area for relaxing.

Because the property is used as an Airbnb, the seating needed to be particularly robust and easy to look after. The simple slatted design, durable construction and carefully selected timber make it well suited to regular guest use and the changing British weather, while requiring relatively little ongoing maintenance.

The finished result combines practicality with a clean, contemporary appearance, giving guests a comfortable place to sit, relax and enjoy the rooftop setting while providing the property owner with a hard-wearing outdoor seating solution designed to last.

A Final Note from Dom

A big thank you to Lee and Jordan for all their hard work on this project, especially for putting in such a long day to get everything completed in one visit.

The daybed idea came about when the client decided they would also like a coffee table. Rather than simply making a standard table, we suggested designing it at the right height and size so it could be pushed up against the bench and used as an extension to create a much larger daybed.

We always try to look for opportunities like this where a small design idea can make a finished project more useful and versatile.

This was a really enjoyable one to work on, and it was great to see the whole roof terrace come together at the end of the day.

— Dom, Director

The bespoke coffee table can be pushed against the built-in bench to create a larger daybed-style seating area.

Design your own bench 

If you would like to design your own seating area try out our Bench creator app – The easy way to design bespoke garden seating – Bench designer 

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