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Farmhouse Loft Bed for Double Mattress, Not too low, not too tall!

Submitted by DirtSquirt on Wed, 11/30/2011 - 12:31

We couldn't find a mid-height, double loft bed for our daughter that we liked that wasn't ridiculously expensive, so we decided to build one ourselves! I found some awesome plans on this website and played around with a few until I created exactly what we wanted. I mostly used the Full Size Farmhouse Bed plan but also used some aspects from the loft bed plan for the guardrails and the bottom rails. Then we went out and bought the wood and started building! This is really the first thing that I have ever built (my husband has never built anything either) and it turned out so well. I think it is gorgeous and I am so proud of it! This is my first brag post so forgive me if I am doing it wrong! Lots of instructions on how I built it below, so scroll down if you just want to see the pictures.

I used Google Sketch-Up to build the bed first and to tweak the plans. Below I will explain some of the changes that I made.

- I actually did not trim anything off of the ends of the head board or foot board as shown in the Full sized bed plans. I just built the bed to be as wide as 8 x 1x8s and adjusted the plan accordingly. I figured that if I had to climb up there to change the sheets, the extra room around the mattress would be appreciated. The 1x8s that I used were 7 1/4" wide.

- I bolted a 2x4 to the 4x4 posts right under the foot board and headboard panels for the side rail supports to sit on. I wanted it to be extra strong as the bed was going to be up high and I figured the bed would take a lot of abuse from the kids.

- The siderails were made from a 2x10 glued and screwed to a 2x4. The 2x4 sits on top of the 2x4s at the bottom of the headboard and footboard panels and is screwed into the 4x4 posts. The 2x10s are also screwed into the 4x4 posts.

- Since the mattress would be sitting up higher on the headboard and footboard than in the original plans, I added 3" to the length of the 1x8s used in the panels.

- I had planned to make a slatted base out of 1x4s to support the mattress so I also placed 2 x 2x4s on edge lengthwise down the middle of the bed to support the slats. Those 2x4s are also supported on top of the 2x4s at the bottom of the head and foot boards. The inexpensive 1x4s here are very rough on the one side which I did not want touching the mattress or for the kids to get splinters from while playing under the bed. The nice ones were super expensive at around $18 for a 14' board. It turned out to be less expensive and much less work to buy a queen sized slatted bed base from the big Blue and Yellow inexpensive furniture store here and trim the ends of the boards to length with my mitre saw. n even bigger bonus is that the wood is already finished and didn't require anything further than screwing it down to the supports.

- I made the height of the area under the bed 45" (just tall enough for DD to stand under for now) and adjusted the length of the 4x4 posts accordingly.

- I assembled the bed into different large pieces before bringing it inside. The headboard and footboard are 2 solid sections that cannot be taken apart. The side pieces are made to be able to come off if we ever need to move the bed.

- I couldn't find any really good instructions anywhere on how to build a ladder or to change ladder plans to suit our needs so I built it after the bed was built. I found it easier to envision this way and to figure out the angles. I build the ladder out of 2x3s.

I have the Google Sketch-Up plans for the bed (minus the ladder) if anyone is interested, but as I said before, I am not an experienced builder so I do not think I should post them here. Maybe someone can use them as a base to create their own plan with though. I found Sketch-up to be a very valuable tool as I actually "built" the bed virtually before ever touching the wood. It helped me figure out what order to put things together in and also allowed me to perfect my design before making any cuts. It still took many trips to and discussions with people at my local Orange store to figure out what kind of fasteners to use and where to use each type. I brought printouts of my plans so that they would be able to help me better.

A couple of finishing touches that I did:

- I sewed some pretty curtains and hung them from aircraft cable and eye hooks under the bed.

- The back of her dresser was exposed under the bed and did not look very nice so I created a magnetic wall by screwing some inexpensive metal sheets meant for ducts to the back of it. I have temporarily covered all of the exposed edges with pink patterned duct tape but plan to trim it out at some point.

Hope you like it!

Built from Plan(s)
Farmhouse Bed (Full Size)
How to Build a Loft Bed
Estimated Cost
$500 - $600
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I sanded every piece of lumber starting with 50 grit sand paper down to 120 grit until each one was smooth. Then I filled in any large knots with wood filler, sanded and then primed. I sanded the primer down again to get rid of the brush marks and make it smooth. I did all of this before cutting the boards to length as I figured it was easier to work on fewer long boards than on more short boards. This prep work definitely took the majority of the project time.

After the bed was assembled, I put the first coat of paint on the back of the headboard (to test it out where no one will see), I found I didn't like how the paint was sitting in the gaps and seams so we went around the entire bed and used Dap Alex Paintable Caulk to fill them in. We didn't fill the gaps in entirely as we wanted to keep the texture, we just filled them in enough so that the paint would sit on top of the Dap instead of flowing right through in some places. Then I painted the entire bed. I left the side guardrails off and painted them separately before installing.

The paint used was Benjamin Moore's Advance in Pearl finish. The colour is a warmish white called Polar Bear. BM's Advance paint is a water-borne alkyd paint so (from what I was told) it acts like an oil paint but cleans up like a latex paint. I do not have any experience painting with oil-based paints. I originally tried to roll the paint on with a foam roller as advised at the paint store but I did not like how the finish looked. Again, it was just the first coat on the back of the headboard that no one will see. It left lots of tiny little bubbles in the paint. I eventually settled on rolling the paint on with a microfibre roller and then brushing it out with a natural bristle brush. You can see still the brush strokes, but they are fairly subtle and I actually like how they look. It only took two coats and I love how the finish looks. Painting with this paint probably took a little longer than if I had used another type of paint as you need at least 16 hours between coats and then 3-5 days for it to cure. Hopefully it turns out to be as durable as advertised and it was worth it. It was also quite pricey at $70/gallon here in Alberta but I only used just over half of the can so I will be able to use the rest for the next project.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Guest (not verified)

Tue, 02/21/2012 - 09:44

This is beautiful - and just what I was looking for to make my son :) Can I please jump on the bandwagon and ask for your plans? V M I _ U S N A (at) (chocolate drink) dot com

(sorry for the strange address typing - I'm worried about spambots harvesting my email. Remove spaces in the name. Chocolate drink is Yahoo)

thanks so much!

Jennifer

Guest (not verified)

Sun, 02/26/2012 - 06:43

This is just beautiful! I would love the plans as well, can you email them to me @ [email protected] - I would love to try and modify to a single bed. I love the height of this one - my daughter loves her loft bed but I am re-doing her room and her bed now is very industrial looking, and this farmhouse bed is exactly the feel I am going for!

Caity (not verified)

Sun, 02/26/2012 - 10:58

I love this bed, it is amazing!!! We are attempting to make my son a loft bed (I think I could modify this to a twin sized), would you mind emailing me the plans for this one? Thanks!!!

Guest (not verified)

Fri, 03/02/2012 - 21:13

I have been looking a long time for something like this. This will be my first attempt to build anything. If you can send me a copy of your plans? That will be so greatly appreciated! [email protected]

Guest (not verified)

Sun, 03/11/2012 - 06:44

I came across this article today...your farmhouse loft bed looks amazing! I would love a copy of these plans as well. My email is jwc148us at yahoo dot com.

bridybo

Thu, 03/15/2012 - 17:23

Hello, thank you so much for sending me the plans. We are going to be starting it soon, but I do have a few questions that I cant figure out from the plans or pictures. Your original email to me was accidentally deleted. Could you please email me again so I could ask you some questions. Sorry for the hassle. Email address is [email protected]

Thanks
Brandi

gina10151

Wed, 05/20/2015 - 00:24

Hello, Could you send me a copy of the google sketch plans for the farmhouse loft. The original poster is no longer answering and I am dying to build this bed.

geezbees75 (not verified)

Fri, 03/16/2012 - 19:21

Soooo many people are in love with this bed, you ought to just post the plans. In the meantime, I'd love if you could send them to me as well.

geezbees75 @ gmail . com

geezbees75 (not verified)

Fri, 03/16/2012 - 19:34

I thought I clicked save... Anyhow so many folks want your plans, I think you ought to post them. :) In the meantime, I would love it if you would send me the plans too, thanks. geezbees75 @ gmail . com

redhead_61

Thu, 03/22/2012 - 17:23

This turned out really awesome. I love some of the modifications you made to the structure of the bed. I will probably be incorporating those into my future beds. THANKS

Russell Holton (not verified)

Mon, 03/26/2012 - 15:10

Hello,

I love the bed you have designed, there is nothing available as nice as what you have made, could you please email the plans to me too? My email is [email protected]

Thank you!

Kelly T (not verified)

Thu, 04/19/2012 - 07:17

Since I am like the millionth person to ask can you please send me your plans? I love this!!! I am going to use the top of yours and then put the book shelves and desk at the bottom!

jjanchor (not verified)

Sat, 04/21/2012 - 14:46

We love your farmhouse loft bed! We plan to build it for our younger son (very quickly, as baby arrives in a few months and needs the nursery!) above our other son's current full size bed. Could we please get those Google Sketch plans from you so we can have all the details necessary?
Thanks!
[email protected]

judo98 (not verified)

Mon, 04/30/2012 - 20:40

I love this loft bed. You did such a wonderful job...now you've inspired me to make one for my son. Could you please send me a copy of your plans? I would appreciate it.

My email: [email protected]

Christie (not verified)

Tue, 05/29/2012 - 12:00

My daughter has a full size bed and we didn't want to lose that, but a tall full size bed would require removing her ceiling fan (NOT an option in La).
We LOVE this! Could you PLEASE email me your plans! They would be much appreciated! THANKS IN ADVANCE!

[email protected]

Bstscrapbkr (not verified)

Sun, 06/10/2012 - 05:16

Congratulations on a terrific bed! I love the looks of it and appreciate all the hard work that you put into it. It definitely shows in the end project. My daughter is moving into a house with 3 other girls and has a very small bedroom. As she will be in her 3rd year in a nursing program, it is imperative that she have a quiet space to study. We believe that can still be accomplished if we build a loft bed so a couch or other furniture could reside underneath. Would it be possible to look at your plans? My email address is: [email protected]. Thank you so much!

Can I get a co… (not verified)

Mon, 06/18/2012 - 09:38

Any chance you have time to send me a copy of the Google Sketchup plan? I love the bed and would like to build one for the kids. You can send it to:
[email protected]

Thanks!!!

-Steve

klborschel

Mon, 06/25/2012 - 13:16

I'd love these plans. It's exactly what I need for my home and would work perfectly. I've got 10ft ceilings and I think this bed would work great...I may even be able to make it taller??? Thank you! ( [email protected] )

Emily0926 (not verified)

Mon, 07/02/2012 - 15:10

My 5YO daughter wants bunkbeds, but she is an only child and probably will remain that way! I've started to look at lofts, and I love your design.

The fact that you've never built anything before helps me, too. Can you please send me your plans, too.

Thanks!

[email protected]

Karla (not verified)

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 17:45

We are expecting a new grandson in Aug & his nursery is awesome. It has motivated my husband & i to want to help fix-up my 5 year old granddaughter's room. This is exactly what we were looking for. Her space is limited & she already has a full matress set. You did a great job & we would love to do this for her. Please send us your plans.
Thank you.

kristine (not verified)

Wed, 08/08/2012 - 18:53

This bed is just what we are looking for. Can you send us the plans at [email protected]
thanks
Kristine

kristine (not verified)

Wed, 08/08/2012 - 18:53

This bed is just what we are looking for. Can you send us the plans at [email protected]
thanks
Kristine

Ed (not verified)

Wed, 07/11/2012 - 19:07

Most impressive, especially for a first timer. Most professionals couldn't do as well.I know you've had a mountain of requests for your design, but I would very much appreciate if you could send me a copy too edkoch @ nycmail.com

Thank you

Carrie Guidry (not verified)

Tue, 07/31/2012 - 15:13

I love the look. you did a great job. would you email me your plans? I would greatly appreciate it. thank you :) Carrie
[email protected]

Chad (not verified)

Thu, 08/02/2012 - 19:50

This is what I have in mind!

This looks great! My son already has a queen size mattress on the floor but we are ready to increase his play area and get it in the air.

Could you please send me the plans? [email protected]

Thanks!