Can't find the perfect sofa? Find it difficult to balance quality and cost? Let me show you how I made my own sofa to suit my needs, price point, quality, aesthetics, comfort and everything basically!

This was our very first furniture built from scratch, so do excuse our execution (we only had a handsaw, I was too scared to commit to a powersaw at this early stage of my DIY journey. Watch the youtube video if you don't believe me :D). My hope in sharing this is to show you that making your own long-lasting sofa can be straightfoward!

My oversize, loungey sofa needed less than four 2.4mx1.2m (8'x4') plywood sheets.

Dimension:

Seat Length - 244cm
Seat Height - 22cm
Seat Depth - 101.5cm
Seat Back Height - 70cm
Seat Back Angle - 75 degree

Cushions:

Seat thickness - 12.5cm
Back thickness - 6cm
Length - 214cm

Supplies

Four 18mm 2.4mx1.2m (3/4inch 8'x4') birch plywood sheets
Interior wood glue 1 litre
Screws
Japanese handsaw (US link) (UK link)Yes, this is what I used for all the cutting...
Circular saw (UK link) I didn't yet have this for this project, I regret not getting one sooner!
Mitre saw (US link) (UK link) I didn't yet have this for this project, I regret not getting one sooner!
Quick-grip clamps (US link)(UK link)

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Step 1: Design and Plan

I tailored my plan to focus around having as little cuts has possible while still acheiving an oversized loungey sofa, you can adopt the dimension to suit your needs. E.g. shallower seat depth, higher seat height, less reclined seat back etc.

Moveability

Four 18mm (3.4') hardwood plywood sheets is not light! To be able to move this sofa when it needs to be, I put in 2 middle legs instead of 1. The idea is that I can cut the sofa (the base, seat back can be unscrewed) in half, seperating into 2 standalone units. Easier to move, and can be used from then on as 2 units or put back together again.

Step 2: Seat

No cutting required, stack 2 plywood sheets together by gluing them.

Step 3: Legs

Cut according to plan. I tried to fit all the leg pieces into one sheet of plywood, hence the varying width.

Front legs: 30.5cm
Back legs: 20.3cm
Middle legs: 10.2cm

Front and back legs align with each 4 corners of the seat. Back legs are placed in the middle with about 69cm(27') between them. Doesn't have to be exact, I didn't actually measure when placing them down.

Glue and screw the top piece of each leg into the seat first, then build the legs top to bottom. I did this to avoid screws being shown on the seating side of the plywood.

Stack and glue the rest of the legs.

Let dry and cure for 24 hours.

Step 4: Back

Cut support triangles and back piece as per plan.

Glue each pair of triangles together to form 4 triangles, each 2 plywood-thick. Cut off the sharp corner from the top and round by sanding.

Glue and screw each triangle support along the long side (70cm) into the back piece. Screw one from the top end to secure in place.

Stand up the back to screw in another screw from the seat back into the triangle support.

Step 5: Sand, Apply Finish

The surface of plywood only requires a light sand. I sanded any sharp corners and edges down. All using an orbital sander.

To preserve the natural look of the birch plywood as much as possible, I used satin polyurethane. Repeat as many coat as desired, with light sand in between.

Step 6: Attach Back to Seat

Attach the back to the seat by driving screws from under the seat and up into the base of the triangle supports. 2 screws per support triangle. Then 1 screw diagonally from outer edge of triangle into the seat. See arrows. I was suspicious but actually plenty strong enough! We have been using it heavily for the last 8 months and no signs of wear or failure.

Step 7: Cushions

You can use what's comfortable for you, e.g. spare mattress, pillows. We used a spare duvet with pillows for a while before ordering some cut-to-order high density foam, then made some covers with upholstery fabric. This was a bit involved given the size of the cushions, and I didn't want any seams showing from the front! Deserves another Instructable of its own.