How to DIY: Detachable, Portable Fence-Mount Outdoor Television.

 

All right, yeah, this is going to seem strange but hear me out.  This here How to DIY post is about a detachable, portable fence-mount outdoor television.  Ok, maybe it still sounds strange.

And yes, with an indoor TV.  Hence why it's detachable and portable.

For game time, right?

Oh hey, let's cross this with The Bake Dept so you can supplement your viewing pleasure with tasty baked goods!  Here's a link for a few appetizer-related recipes, pizzas, and shortly I'll whip up a delectable game-time snack so check back as I'll link here.

Where the heck did this idea come from?  Mike, of course!  Well, generally our cool neighbors Anne and Renee, frankly.  Mike has desperately wanted a television outside for goodness knows how long.  For-freaking-ever. 

Personally I think one TV is sufficient but I get that folks like additional TV's around.  Foot is solidly down at a television in the bedroom though; not happenin'.

One midday Friday, quite last minute obviously for a Sunday noon kickoff, Mike rings me up:

M:  Hey babe.  Sooooo I was thinkin'....

B:  (uh oh)

M:  ...we had such a nice time hanging out around our fire pit the other day, I was thinking... we could watch Bears games out on the patio with a fire, ya know, just hang out...you, me, Finn...

B:  ...mmm hmmm....(Cautiously curious.  Where is this going?)

M:  Sure would save money over going to the game or out....(dramatic pause as he waits for me to respond in some fashion)...

B:  mmm hmmmm, ok so...?

M:  (slightly nervously) So I found an inexpensive TV and thought you could ya know, rig up a thing to hang it off the fence and then all three of us could hang out by a fire, watch the game.  What do you think?  Sounds fun, right?

B:  Tell me when to pick it up.

I could practically hear him jumping for joy on the other end of the line.

An hour later I'm at Best Buy* picking up the 32" Roku* indoor TV he ordered for this DIY outdoor portable detachable fence-mount television thingamajig.  Yes, the Roku is built right into the television, way handy!

Pretty cool that the Roku is built right in!

Then Mike (I love him) pestered me incessantly about it.  Several times a day.  For a day and a half.  "You're gonna have this ready, right?"  "You know the game is at noon on Sunday -- you on this?"  "Got this under control?  You know you don't have a lot of time."  "You sure you're going to get this done in time?"  

Even after it was done, "You sure you got it?  Really?  It's ready?  Did you test it?"

I got it.  

Got this fence-mounted television rigged and ready in no time flat, for less than twenty five bucks even.  Lightweight, easy to hang, easy to carry, detachable, portable, and inexpensive to boot!

What I used:

• scrap plywood
• wall mount double-u utility hook/hanging bracket
• various nuts, bolts, washers
• low profile tilt and swivel TV mount
• various drill bits
• cordless drill*
• scrap wood block
• scrap bit of cork
• the television*

 

Now, a few tip-py notes.  I can't seem to find anyone who carries exactly the utility hook I used from Menards but Amazon* has hooks that will work, as does Home Depot* and scrolling through Lowes' site,* stuff there will work too.  I swear I've seen the same hook at a Dollar Tree,* or something similar.

The hook is what's key here.  Obvs.  And a very lightweight television.

And the TV mount.  Ok, each aspect is key, haha.  The mount I found at Menards was a boon -- it swivels, it tilts, it's small, it's light, it has a low profile, and was very affordable.  Here are some on Amazon.*

Too, I found you could skip this whole contraption entirely and get a quick-release TV mount.*  But.  I was crunched for time.  And what's the fun in that?!

First things first, locate where you want to hang your detachable, portable fence-mount outdoor television.  For us, it was right at the metal fence post on the patio.  Measure around, note things, ya know.  I did a quick sketch, added key dimensions and such.

Mike said here.

Back inside I yanked out a slab of 1/2" plywood that was perfect.  It needs to be wide enough for the hook/hanging bracket, long enough to provide stability plus room enough to hold the TV mount.

Now, I used scrap wood as again, trying to use up crap I've got laying around but you can get as fancy and swanky or as utilitarian (like me) as you'd like.  My purpose here is to provide the inspiration.

Next I attached the double-u utility hook hanging bracket thingie to the top.  After doing it once and testing it outside, I discovered my bracket is bent meaning it was tweaky out of level therefore inspect and adjust as necessary before moving ahead.

Make sure to use bolts, washers, and nuts here, and to tighten everything down nicely so as to not have a detachable-in-the-wrong way disaster.  If you're acutely worried, you could use a thread locker.*

Yes, this could be much more attractive.

Next I grabbed some brown kraft paper, my newly hooked plywood, painters tape,* and a pencil then dashed outside to figure out an ideal height for the television to sit at.

Hooked the thingie onto the fence, folded up an approximation of the TV's size then shabbily taped it up, stood back, head tilt, sat, adjusted, etc. blah blah, guestimating a good height.  With my pencil, I made sure to mark the top and bottom of the paper TV on the wood.

Back inside, a little measuring, a little math yikes, and it was time to attach the TV mount.  Trace the holes with a pencil then drill them out.  Same again:  use bolts, washers, and nuts and tighten that sucker tight. Attach the other mount half to the TV; follow the product's instructions there.

Found center on the plywood and based on the back of the TV mount area, marked up where the mount base went.

There it is!  And yep, that's all it is!

A quick trim up so the bottom was hidden by the TV, a quick lick of black paint to semi-match the fence and back outside to finish assembly.

 

Paint is drying here but, voila!  So simple!

Hang your detachable portable fence-mount outdoor television gizmo on the fence.  Nice, right?!  

Yet, doh!  My fence-mount thingie wasn't perfectly plumb; it had a natural tilt to it already so back inside I grabbed a scrap block of 2x, spray mounted* some cork* to it, then back outside, slipped it behind cork side out, screwed it in from the front.  Problem solved.

Last but not least, attach the TV to the mount.  Be safe and rope an extra pair of hands in to assist then just follow the directions as they're all different.

Yep, still got that modular patio coffee table!

And voila!  Ha!  It's an outdoor television extravaganza for game time that's detachable, portable, fence-mounted, pops right on and off quickly and easily, no muss, no fuss, and we're rarin' to go!

Mike could not contain himself when I told him game time was a go.  First thing he did when he got home was look for the setup.  First thing.  Not even a kiss hello.  Second thing he did was a kiss hello and third was to scurry outside with his new favorite toy.

We have a wifi extender* up in Mike's office now and it works shockingly well for backyard and deck activities.  Shockingly, like almost better than the router itself so a quick link up to that, extension cord from the garage, and....

We spent the evening outside on the patio with Finn, a nice fire going, bundled up in blankets and hoodies, watching some whatever random college football game.  Mike could not stop the ear-to-ear grinning.

Despite the Bears losing the next day, our setup was a tremendous victory.  Again we had a fire going, blankets, hoodies, snacks galore, no line for the bathroom, comfy clothes in our own backyard.  Only issue?  We just need to find a good storage spot inside, heh.

So there we have it folks, a fine how to DIY for a detachable, portable fence-mount outdoor television!

Let me know how yours turns out!

*The Best Buy and Roku links are Best Buy affiliate links.  The Amazon, Home Depot, and Lowes links are their respective affiliate links for the products mentioned.  The other televisions, quick-release tv mount and cork are Amazon affiliate links.  The spray mount is a Michaels affiliate link.  The cordless drills and thread locker are Home Depot affiliate links.  The painters tape, Lowes.  Mwah, thanks!  Please see the "boring stuff" tab for more info.