D.I.Y. kids loft bed

So my kids we’re treated brand new bedroom suites when we built our house. Which was great until one of their friends got a loft bed early last year. As my daughters decided at NYE they wanted seperate rooms again so I had to work out the layouts etc. So I did my research and given their single bed frames are in perfect condition I decided to convert them to loft beds.

I used spare pallet wood, leftover timber from the playground I made and also spray painted their old cot to add some feature to my eldest daughters bed. Have spray painted a desk for my other daughter so waiting to add that. Plus find the right lights to have under the bed to provide light at nighttime. Will be battery operated. Thinking those LED strips. Still a couple of touches to go but the girls love them and haven’t had any issues.

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Deanna

Great job, looks fantastic

Tara86

@Deanna Thanks heaps!

redracer01

Excellent build!

Old-gal24

@Tara86 Yet again, another of your master pieces, I bet your girls loved these beds. I know this could be an old post, but I was looking for inspiration for a job I have coming up and spotted this post...

Cheers

Old Gal

Tara86

@Old-gal24 Thank you so much! My middle child had been begging for a loft bed but after seeing the prices (plus their beds were still so knew) I thought I’d tackle it myself. 12 mths on and my 2 girls still love them! I’m actually in the plans to rebuild them while I move their rooms around. Making them higher and change to stairs not a ladder. My eldest is notorious for being a klutz ha ha. It’s a great DIY project and makes such a huge difference to the room. My son can’t wait till he is a bit older to have his own. Good luck with your upcoming project ☺️

Old-gal24

Well you tell your children how very lucky they are to have a mum who gets in and has a go at making things.. But more so such special beds for them. Just think of all the money you have saved and they fit where you want them to fit. Go girl...Keep up your great work, and please please load any more pictures you take won't you? And you just tell your little boy, good things come to those who are patient and wait their turn... 🙂

I have a daughter with special needs and could never make it up onto a bunk bed, and she didn't want to, so my eldest had the bunk bed to her self. And never had to worry about her little sister getting into her things.

I have a great many projects under way, Too many to think of right now. All are on hold now as I have ruptured the sack between my knuckle on my index finger of my writing hand so I a in a lot of pain and can't do very much without a lot of pain. I go into surgery for it on the 30th of this month and will have fingers crossed the opp goes well and that I get some use of that finger/hand back without the pain I am getting now.

So fingers crossed.

Take care and all the best @Tara86

Old Gal

Tara86

@Old-gal24 I am so sorry to hear about your injury! wishing you all the best on the 30th, I’ll keep my fingers crossed (no pun intended) that all goes well. It’s really hard mentally and physically when dealing with the limitations they cause. I sustained a ruptured tendon, torn ligament and broken ankle a couple years ago from a work injury. It was right before Christmas and just when I’d started doing DIY.
I struggled the most mentally.
I can only imagine how hard it is for you, plus your caring for your daughter and tackling your own DIY projects on top. Your projects are fantastic, beautiful finish aswell. That’s an area I’m working to improve on. Can’t wait to see more once your recovered and back into it.
Thank you I’ll have more pics soon as I’m almost done re-doing my eldest loft bed. She loves the new look. Her room is so much brighter and more functional. Then onto my other daughters loft bed. Which will be more tricky due to her room layout. I’m obsessed with storage and organisation. It does help keep my OCD under some control but it can make each project more time consuming.
Thanks again for such supporting comments I really appreciate them. Best of luck on Thursday xx

Old-gal24

@Tara86

Thank you for your kind wishes for tomorrow. Fingers crossed and all LOL 🙂 I tried to email you privately without success.

Totally empathise with your re; leg ankle, I smashed mine up super bad a few years back now after spinal surgery the year before, which left me with numb feet, climbing up a small step ladder and put my foot through, missing the rung and snapped my tib & fib, crushed my ankle out the side of my foot/leg. Made a real mess of things. Tried to get up and could see the bottom of my foot sitting between my legs, took 15min for me to pass out... Can laugh now, but has taken me a long time to get that far. Took me 18mths to learn to walk again and still don't have very much feeling in either of my feet. Grrr

The hardest was 6 weeks in hospital and my daughter had to go into care, which was the longest time we had ever been apart. She will be 29 next month going on 8 -`5 depending oh how good she is going.

How old are your kids?

I bet they are grateful having parents that are both hand and able to do and make things?

Take care and thanks again for your kind wishes for tomorrow. 🙂

jovybsb

You’ve done an amazing job @Tara86! I’ve been wanting to do this myself as well and use my daughters existing bed, do you mind sharing the steps of your project for inspiration?

thank you

MitchellMc

Hi @jovybsb,

Hopefully, @Tara86 will get back to you on those steps. It appears that, essentially, she created a frame to support the lower edge of the bed (just like it was sitting on the floor) and then elevated that on the legs. The method you use will be determined by the type of bed you have, so if you'd like to post some images of your bed, our helpful members will be able to provide some ideas on how you could do the same.

Mitchell

jovybsb

Thank you Mitchel! This is the bed I’m wanting to use, it’s a double bed from IKEA.

MitchellMc

Hi @jovybsb,

Thank you for sharing the image of the bed. Elevating a standard bed into a bunk or loft configuration can be a complex project, particularly when using furniture not originally designed for that purpose. Safety should always be the top priority, especially if the bed will be used by children.

I recommend starting by consulting the manufacturer or referring to their product guidelines to confirm whether modifications like this are feasible and safe for the specific bed you have. The manufacturer may provide critical information about weight limits and structural considerations.

If they confirm that such a conversion is possible, it would be best to engage a qualified carpenter or builder to construct the supporting frame. This ensures that the frame is properly reinforced and stable. Key considerations include securely supporting the bed base, evenly distributing weight, and anchoring the structure to prevent movement or tipping. A professional will also be able to advise on the best materials and construction techniques to ensure the project is completed safely and to a high standard.

In regards to Tara's project above, I've put together some renders of how she might have assembled her frame.

Mitchell

jovybsb

Thank you! That is very helpful!!!

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