Ella's Loft Bed

Submitted by natehu on Sun, 01/08/2012 - 20:46

My daughter loves her new bed, thanks Ana!

The plans were well thought out and very easy to follow. I did make a few changes/modifications that others might want to consider.

I used select pine boards to cut down on the amount of sanding necessary prior to paining, however that boards have a fairly sharp edges. Because this is a kids bed and play area underneath I rounded off all the edges with a 1/4" round over bit in my router. I love how it turned out!

I also added two 1x3 supports to the long 1x2 top back rail. I did this for two reasons, first was the 1x2 seems a bit saggy and didn't seem like it would hold up too well to my 6 year old up there. Secondly, it match the front rail nicely. Speaking of the front rail, I also changed the vertical supports from 1x4s to 1x3s. The 1x3s match the 1x3 posts and look much better IMHO.

When I built the ladder I was struggling with the gaps left by the 1x3 stair treads when I placed them in the 1x3 sides. Finally I decided to use 1x4 treads, again rounded over with a 1/4" bit. These larger treads overhang the 1x3 sides by about 1/2-inch and look very nice.

Finally, instead of screwing the ladder to t 1x8 bed frame, I bent 5" corner brackets into a "J" shape and attached them upside down to the top of the ladder. The upside down "J's" hook over the top of the 1x8 bed rail and allows the ladder to be easily removable yet is still securely attached to the bed for use.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I finished it with a coat of latex primer followed by a couple coats of an off-white latex paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

DanKaren

Mon, 01/23/2012 - 14:12

Wow!!!! Saw a similar bed at a kid's furniture store for about $2,500 in NYC. Thank God I came across this site before plunking down that amount of cash.

Well Done!

Mary - Scentsy… (not verified)

Sun, 02/26/2012 - 21:47

Is this bed as tall as the original design specified? For some reason it seems shorter to me. We have a ceiling fan in my childrens' rooms and average height ceilings. I am concerned with making something too tall.
Thanks.

natehu

Wed, 07/11/2012 - 07:59

Mary - No, I had to shorten the bed by about 3 or 4 inches because our ceilings are lower than 8' in the basement. The only real challenge with changing the height of the loft is re-working the step spacing on the ladder.