Build a Loft Bed

Hey there... I'm gonna build this tomorrow for my son who wants a "fort" in his bedroom. One quick question... the bed is 78".. You say cut the 2 by 6s to 78" and that the long pieces overlap the shorter in the "box" assembly, yes? Wouldn't the thickness of the shorter boards decrease the true bed length, then, by a total of 4", losing 2" on either side? And if the bed width is 38", but the width of the box boards is 37", how is there the one inch space you describe? Help??? Am I crazy?

I am an idiot. Just did some research... who knew? Shrinkage? I hate the customary system. Bleh... Sorry 'bout that, Tim. Gotta start somewhere, eh?

Brandy,
No idiots visit AsktheBuilder.com. I think the confusion was caused by the last eclipse. Glad you stopped by and were able to figure it out. Did you see the other Loft Bed article that has the 3D illustrations?

Bill,
Maybe I'm missing something but it seems to me that if the bed is 38" wide and you cut the end pieces of the box 37", the bed is not going to fit.

Dan,
Read it again, the math is correct.

Bill,
I did read it again and I'm still confused. The way I read your directions, if you cut the end pieces 37 inches and overlap the side pieces (1.5 inches width for each 2x6 for a total of 3 extra inches) you get an exterior width of 40 inches (as your article indicated). However, if I took my single bed, which is 38 inches wide, and put a 2x6 on each side of it, the total width would be 41 inches. Doesn't the inside of the box have to be more than 38 inches for the bed to fit?

Dan,
The 2x6s are like floor joists. They are covered by the plywood. The mattress lays on *top* of the plywood, not inside the box. I think you feel the mattress sits down inside the upsidedown box. If that is what you want, then you must make the short 2x6s longer.

i have a condo that has a wall dividing the 460sq room. I would like to build loft bed with stairs and put a bed on top. what are some of my choices.

Tony,
This is just one of a series of my columns on loft beds. Read all of what I have written and let your imagination run wild.

Do you have a plan for a king size loft bed. My son is wants a loft bed but he is a big boy and needs a bigger bed.

Lisa,
I do not, but soon will!!!!! Because of a huge demand, I am creating all sorts of plans including several different loft beds.

I'd like to build a full-size loft for my kids. The bed is 54" wide, and I can certainly calculate the new dimensions.

My concern is whether I need to do any additional supports/bracing to accommodate the weight of 2 or 3 kids (ie at least 300-350 lbs)? And if so, what are suggestions for doing this?

Gina,
2x4s under the plywood bottom and diagonal bracing between the 4x4s is a good start!

My daughter bought a bunk bed set, wooden that has dowels in the posts to hold the frame together, one on top the other. Is there some way that we could make this into a loft bed without making the whole frame?

I thought about using long 4 x 4 posts, putting holes in the ends to hold the dowels for the upper bunk, then adding a 1 x 2 laterally between each of the posts (other than the front side) for stability. Or maybe a cross configuration.

Any other suggestions? We need to raise the upper bunk about 40 inches off the floor.
Thanks
Lois

Can this be modified to fit a full size bed? Does it need greater support?

Scott,
Yes. No.

Dear Tim,
Your instructions for this loft seem very easy to follow. So I'm going to challange you to help me! I want to build a corner loft for a full size matteress, with sides so I dont fall out. I have 12" high ceilings and the room is huge, so I have the space, I'd like the bead to be 7" high so my roommate can stand up underneath by her bead. Obviously there will be a space from the bead to the corner, so I thought the space could be used as a "side table" for a lamp and alarm clock! I have never built anything like this before, but I am handy with a power drill and I can always recruit handy boys to help!!!
Thanks, Brook

My husband is building one of our sons a loft bed. We want to attach a slide to the front of it. However, we cannot find any building plans or the types of materials to use for that part of the project. can you assist us with this information in any way? Thank you so much for your help.

I saw the green loft bed above, to cute.. I have a 9 year old with a bedroom with no space. It does have high ceilings which are nice, and I would like to utilize them. I would LOVE an easy plan for a king size loft bed. I even like when stairs are incorportated with drawers in them. I also like the loft above. Could you let me know if you have plans for a king size loft? Thanks so much!

Hi Tim,

I just built a model of this Loft bed in my house and probably should have asked any questions ahead of time but anyway.

You state that I should mount the box frame on the 4x4's at 44" from the top of the 4x4's.

Is this strictly due to the height allowances of most ceilings or is it more structurally sound as opposed to higher up. The reason I ask is my Ceiling in the room I have assembled this is about 16' to 20' high, it is a bedroom with a cathedral ceiling so your plans worked ideal for this type of room.

I wanted to have a room for an office and at the same time have a spare guest bed, since I was not concerned with headroom for this bed and wanted to be sure anyone working on the desk below would be able to stand underneath I placed my box roughly 2 feet from the top. I have assembled the structure and while it seems sturdy enought it does shift slighty left to right and back to front,(only a half inch either way), it still feels very sturdy, however the creaking could be annoying if trying to sleep so I intend to mount it to the wall for more stability and less creaking.

To refer back to my initial question, your stating the 44" down, is that for structural stability or for ceiling allowances?

I must say I am very pleased with the results and just finished the ladder on the weekend, I intend to place safety ralings on the one side with some 1x4's and 2x2's due to the height of my mattress.

Thanks for the great idea, you saved me a ton of money and gave me a very fun and satisfying project to build.

Thanks,

Alex

Hi there. I really want a loft but with a bed off the ground down the bottom and a couch kind of bed up the top.
Kinda like this picture in the link below.
Do you have any ideas?
By the way the matress that i would put underneath i was talking about is a KING single.

Thanks
THE LINK TO THE PICTURE
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=164093103

I am wanting to create a second level to my daughter's room for her birthday.. I'd love for it to be approx. 90L X 90W.. Would you be able to give me ideas on how to build this? I'd like the steps to be built like steps running up the side, maybe even with drawers inside the steps? I'd also like there to be a 5 ft clearance from the floor. She wants a swing to be hooked underneath so I need stability not only for the bed but also the swing to hold..

Hello. I am going to make a bed similar to Dona's and I was wondering what screws/bolts to use for that type of ladder on the side of the bed?
Thank you!

Lisa,

Just look up dimensions for your son's size bed and adjust accordingly.

I will be building this loft bed for my son when school starts, and am wondering... In order to maximize headroom and playroom under the bed, can I use 2x4 and just add additional "joists".
thanks

The only 4x4 posts we found are pressure treated. We primed and then painted them with oil based paint. Are they sealed enough to prevent chemical exposure?

Thanks

I'm having trouble finding untreated 4x4's. Any ideas? Great site by the way! Very helpful.

hi there
we are attempting to build a loft for our college student also. the dorm mattress measures 7 feet. should we make the platform that size and go from there?

I'm thinking of doing this plan in my small room, unfortunately the only place where it will fit has a window on one side approx. 47 inches in from the corner. I've done the math and the width of the bed including the 4x4 posts is too great for this space (average mattress being 39 in., cutting the 2x4s to 41 inches, add 8 inches for the 4x4 posts... comes out to about 49 inches) I was wondering if it would be possible to attach two of the posts underneath the mattress box so I gain a little bit of space? Wouldn't it still be possible to attach two of the posts to the frame with lag bolts, only inserting them from the outside of the frame to go INTO the posts, instead of the other way around as you have written in the article (insert the lag bolts from inside the frame to attach to the posts on the outside)?
many thanks

Recently we purchased a loft bed with desk for my 11 year old son. He loves it alot. The problem is that it's too high for him and he does not want us to return it. It's about 81"1/8' (207cm) in height. My question is can we make it shorter by cutting or any idolistic ideas you have. I would very much appreciate your suggestions.

Thanks
Fay

I want to make this loft for my daughter but we are limited on space as well. I was wondering what size boards we need to put on the ends for her to climb up?

I need help adding a book case to the end of the wonderful design you have listed instructions for.

My son already has a loft bed in his dorm room at school. However, he has no ladder and it makes getting in and out of bed a real challenge. Do you have simple plans (for a novice woodworker such as myself) to build a ladder for his bed??
Judy

Hi there,

My girlfriend just moved in a tiny little space on Wall street and needs something similar to this to be constructed in her room. The only problem I can see with the layout that you described is that her matress alone JUST fits in the space provided. Apparently there was a makeshift wall they put in the living room to add an "extra" bedroom. It closed off the room something terrible and is making my life a harder trying to figure out a way I can suspend her bed 5.5 feet in the air. The matress would have to literally sit on top of something because the walls touch the edge of the matress directly.

She has 9ft ceilings which is nice so I can raise her bed a bit higher allowing her to have a nice "walk-in
" closet for her 10,000 pair of shoes and such.

Any ideas you could throw at me would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thank you kindly!

we are doing new construction (the rough framing is finished) and wanted to create one long loft along the long wall of our sons' bedroom. unfortunately the ceiling height is only 7'6". is it even possible to put a loft in with that low of ceiling? we wanted to put 2 single mattresses along the wall with a ladder that comes up between them. and then have a desk underneath and a single bed perpendicular with the head under one end of the loft. i have an image but didn't know how to upload it to you. if we can fit it in? at what height from the floor should we have the plywood base for the mattress??? or how much clearance do we need from top of mattress to ceiling height.. and does that allow us any useable space underneath?

thanks, francie

Hello!
I have two 5 year old little girls, who are now having to share a room. we have a really nice twin bedroom set for one of them and would love to find or build a loft bed to match the 4 poster bed that we have. With your design, is it possible to build the bed a little shorter?
also, just a estimate, about how long would it take to build one? I have done MANY refinishing projects, but this would be my first build.
thanks for your help!

LOVE this idea! I have 2 boys-and we are really needing extra room in their bedrooms. A friend of ours built one for their daughter-and it had lattice around the top and lace curtains around the bottom-it was very cute. I am excited about this project for the boys! Thanks for the info.

Hi! I am an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher. I would like to build a loft in my preschool classroom. Do you have any building plans for a classroom loft?

I would really like to know if anyone has some plans for this loft bed? I really think I am going to go and try and do it, but only want to do it once.

I would love to see if anyone did some skethces or has a blueprint.

Tim ,

On your son's bunkbed conversion, did you need to add anything to make it stable ?

Thanks for the great guide. I was wondering, would it be safe to put the posts on the inside of the frame?
To clarify, what I mean is for the frame to rest on top of the posts, which would be attached fram the inside rather than the outside.
Obviously, the posts wouldn't extend upwards beyond the frame.

Hi Tim, I am on a budget and have no wood cutting tools. Could you provide a rough estimate for the cost of this particular project if I were buy the materials and have them cut at a home improvement store?

I am looking for plans for a L- shape corner loft bed for my grandchildren

Tim,

I want to sign up for the newsletter your daughter sends out but cannot find out where on the page to do it. Please send the link to my email address.

By the way I love getting these. They are like reading letters from home.

Thanks
Toni

Bill,

Couldn't you attach the post to the inside of the bed frame? This would allow you to set the loft flush against the wall, decreasing the floor space required.

Are there any structual issues with this?

Time,

My dad is trying to build me a loft for me when I go off to college in the fall. Our one problem we keep having is that the 4x4s are all pressure treated!!! Ahhh!!!! We've looked at Lowe's and Home Depot and they both do not have any 4x4s other than the pressure treated wood. Could you please tell me where I could find some 4x4s that are not pressure treated? Me and my roommate both want our lofts because our rooms are only 12 by 16. Please help.

Hi Everyone...ok I need to make a loft bed because my mom is super small but I am an idiot when it comes to "building" things....please someone help me...I don't really have anyone to help me :( I would like to make a loft bed but I don't even know where to buy the wood or how to put it together.

This worked great for us. Thanks!!!

hey i am 12 years old am a big boy i am about 145 pounds and i want a loft bed in the $200 rande and i want a full bed on the top a little desk on the bottom and a chair that folds out into a bed next to the desk oh and encludes a chair

i am going to be a freshman in college this year and im confused on building my loft. My step-dad is helping me but we are confused because the school told us not to assemble the bed until we get to the dorm so we know exact measurements..but wont that be alot of work? what can we build before hand that wont need changing? we know the length and width of the room.
Also, we want to build a double loft. Its the same as a normal one just twice as long with out any supports in the middle to allow for more space in the room. how can we do this?

We already have the bunk bed constructed but we are desperately looking for a plan/instructions or advice on how to build the attached steps (the kind with the drawers in them) to get to the top bunk. We like that idea much better than a ladder. Any help or plans/measurements?

What wood measurements should we use for a queen size loft bed? Any thing special we should when building it?

We are remodeling our daughters' bedroom with walk-in closet making it two small bedrooms. We want to build loft beds for each of the girls with a closet system underneath. My oldest daughter is quite tall so we want to make a "pull-out" type closet system under her bed so she will not have to dunk to get to her clothes. Do you have any suggestions on how to build a roll out type closet?

I would like to make the loft bed high enough to put another bed or preferably a futon under it. How much do I need to increase the 44" markers and do I need to make the 78" measurements longer? If so, by how much? I know this will create a gap between the bed frame and mattress, but I am thinking I could make some kind of small hinged box to fill in the gap. Any suggestions on how to do that also?

You sat to use three 3 inch long drywall screws to connect the 2x6's to one another at each corner, but I was wonder if you meant 4 screws since there are 4 corners. If not, which corner do you not use a screw?

Hi, I would like the materials and instructions for the green bed display on this page made by Donna Lopez. Can you provide me with that information or tell me how I can contact Donna to get this informatin.

Many thanks

I have 2 girls with a fairly small room, we wanted to put in some sort of loft bed with desk underneath. Is there a way of having both beds up top and using the bottom for desk, storage, etc???

I Was just wondering how you could do this if you already have a bunk bed and just want to build the lower supporting part to loft them, so break down the bunks and put each bed into a loft. Please help. Thanks

I posted a question on here a few months ago and it never showed up. Now I get emails saying there has been a new comment added, but when I click on the page it doesn't show any new comments. What is going on?

Clarisa,

Not all the comments are shown on the first page. There is a link near the bottom of the page saying View All Comments. Click on it to read more comments.

Hey
I want to build a loft bed larger than a twin size, more like a double bed size. I wondered if i could just make to top to fit the mattress and just add a third support leg on the ends of the bed.
Would this work?
Thanks

I am running out of room in my bedroom, and need a loft bed bad.

Only thing is i have a full bed...
Would it be strong enough to have 4 legs with supports on 3 sides? i know you can do it with a twin but this is bigger

awesome guide, exactly what i was looking for. i had to google for "lumber true dimensions" to figure out why some of the dimensions turned out as described, but other than that things are pretty clear.

my only concern, however, is about the wieght limit of this loft frame. i plan on putting a box spring and mattress on top of the plywood (adjusting height of the 2x6 box as necessary), as well as my heavy self (~175 lbs). will the lag bolts and overall frame "system" be sturdy enough?

also, how much shifting can it tolerate? i basically want to make the frame as sturdy as possible for normal tossing and turning, maybe the occasional earthquake (i live in southern california), and am wondering what adjustments i'd need to make in order to ensure that it won't topple off to one side, or snap at one of the lag bolts. of course, maybe the structure is intrinsically sturdy enough so that adjustments aren't necessary, i don't know; i have very little knowledge about woodwork and such :-[

any tips would be greatly appreciated. thank you!

oops.. i didn't read all comments until now (didn't see the "view all comments" link). i noticed someone already asked about the weight limit.

just to be clear, i imagine the 2x4's would be "propping up" the plywood, in addition to bracing the 2x6 box; is that correct? and would they be running width-wise?

about diagonal bracing, does this mean a post or beam would be attached from one of the 4x4's to another 4x4 diagonally across it? sorry about the newbie questions.. thanks again!

I am trying to find plans for an L shaped Loft. (two twin lofts that form an L) NOT the loft on top and the other bed under as in an L shaped BUNK...and we DONT want a bed underneath. ANy idea where I can find plans for that? or what is it really called so I can look for it?

I chose the hottest week of the decade to build my daughter's loft -- sanding all that wood in 90 degree heat with super high humidity was a lot of fun! lol Anyway, thanks so much for the great ideas on this page!

Just recently divorced, temporarly staying in a one bedroom 1950's cottage. I have 3 teenage sons, and 1 teenage daughter. I would like to build a bunk bed to sleep 3. I just need information on how to; build the bed, make it strong and sturdy. If you honestly know how I can build it, please let me know ASAP. I can not afford to buy one nor have one build for me, what I do have is tons of left over lumber from a shed project. Thank you for your time.

I would like to know the pattern/directions for tom k's bed/desk my daughter would LOVE this

Do you have dismentions for a queen sized loft bed with a 8ft ceiling? also do you have a estimite on what this would cost?

doyou have plans for a loft for a twin size bed

Tom - Thanks for the simple, but elegant design. I'm building a "Harry Potter" themed room for my daughter. Though her loft will be poplar stained quite dark, your simply-but-elegant design provided great inspiration!

I am trying to figure out what is the best easiest hand tool (preferablly dremal router attachement) to make loft bed with integrated later for clean lines. Please advise for a clean 'tooth and groove" or dromel construction type ladder, completely smooth sturdy and sleek. Thank YOU!

Are there weight restrictions or suggestions for a 6 foot 190 pound 14 year old? I want to make sure it dosen't break with him in it?

I didn't read through all the details but it seems to me that if at least one -- or, preferably, two -- of the vertical members are not attached to the wall, the entire structure is susceptible to sagging to the side and, potentially, collapsing. This could happen if a large child leans back or to the side while climbing the ladder, or if he tries to climb on to (or off from)the bed from the side instead of using the ladder.