Turning a Footboard into a Porch Swing

I have a beautiful handmade four-poster bed.

Unfortunately, the bedroom in this House with Potential

is pretty small and the big bed dwarfed it!

So, I took off the footboard and mounted the headboard to the wall.

The footboard I stored in the shed, figuring I would be able to use it

again in another house.

Over the last few years, I have decided I liked not

having a footboard, so I began to think about what

I could do with the one taking up space in my shed.

I decided on a porch swing.

Now, usually when I come up with an idea like this,

I assume it will be pretty easy; my husband, however,

assumes the opposite.

And he is usually right.

This time, I was right!

It really was pretty simple.

The first thing we did was take off the posts and
straighten out the sides.
We then added arms, made simply out of wood left
over from another project.

The seat was made from slats with 2x4s on the bottom
for added strength.

I thought it might be tricky to hang it, but it too was simple.

Just measure from the top to the arms and add about 10"

to compensate for the slight slant in the chain.

 It's now a favorite spot for the kids!