Loft Bed for Phaedra

I have been planning on building a bed for Phaedra for a while now, and had figured I'd mix and match some ideas from some of Ana's other plans to get what I wanted. Then she came up with this, and it was perfect! Phaedra is not yet able to use a ladder to get up and down from a loft bed, so I was planning on stairs. Her bedroom is small, only 8'x10', and I hadn't figured out how to manage the stairs so that the bed wouldn't take up the entire room.

I decided against the stairs on this bed, since they would take up too much floor space. Instead I put a couple of 2x4s to make a ladder up to the platform. Phaedra loves her bed, and figured out getting up in no time at all. It took her about 3 days to master getting down.

I decided on paint instead of stain for the bed, because it was what I had on hand. It is CIL Smart from Home Depot in the melamine finish. Hopefully it will stand up well. The cutting and assembling took no time at all, but the painting took me two weeks! Next bed I make will be stained instead.

The best part, because I already had the paint, was that it cost less than $50 for the materials!

Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

5 tator tots (not verified)

Mon, 08/13/2012 - 08:38

Love how the dollhouse fits perfectly under the "step". Nice job, it looks great! I love this plan and am waiting to see what the sex of baby # 6 is before we work on our bedroom arrangements. Right now the youngest has his own (small) room. If we have another boy, they will share this small room and a plan for lofting beds will be needed in a few years. If it is a girl then plans for triple bunks will be needed!

Phaedra's Mom

Mon, 08/13/2012 - 11:23

Thanks! The dollhouse fitting there was a total fluke. I had planned on getting a shelf to put it on under the bed, but then I saw that it fit there perfectly. I put some string lights around the rear legs of the platform so she can see well down there. She has played with it more in the last week than in the last couple years!

Eva | Little C… (not verified)

Tue, 08/14/2012 - 18:21

What a great idea to simply make a little ladder instead of the stairs. My son has a really small room that I wish to re-decorate now that he's starting school.

Love this bed with the small platform, and no stairs will make room for a drawer :)

Was planning on painting, but not sure if I will have the patience ...!