This post is all about the DIY twin loft bed we just made for our daughter.  I’m very proud of it because it turned out just like the vision I had in my head.  The best thing is how much both of my kids LOVE it and  how much it has improved the storage and organization in her room.  My hope is that my loft building experiment will show you how easy it would be to DIY your platform or loft bed for extra storage that doesn’t break the bank.

Storage Needed!

My daughter’s room was a mess!  If I’m truly being honest then I should say that both my kids rooms were pretty bad.  My son’s room is just a little better organized with his oodles of toys hidden away in the closet at the moment.  My daughter’s mess, on the other hand, was overflowing to the floor and on every open surface.  They both have too many things without enough space and storage to accommodate it all.  I researched different off the shelf options and really liked the loft beds I saw on amazon below.

 

Of course I was not excited about the cost, and then the option was taken out of my hands because Amazon does not ship the beds I wanted here.  Unfortunately, large furniture items do NOT ship to Hawaii.  Which is understandable because I’m sure the cost of shipping furniture for free to Hawaii with Prime would bankrupt them.

DIY Option

Then I did research on Google and I saw several wonderful Pinterest posts that inspired me to try and make my own platform bed creation.  The most important reason that I chose to DIY is that I felt like I could make something that would fit EXACTLY what we needed and wanted with lots of STORAGE.

Next Stop Shopping

I went to City Mill, which is the closest home improvement/hardware store, and they were very helpful in helping me realize my dream once I explained what I was trying to do.  They even cut all the wood to my exact desired lengths.  I actually started by finding the open shelving unit that was the length of a standard twin mattress. The full dimensions were 31 x 12 x 71 inches.

The idea was to put the bookcase on its side to form the shelves for the front of the bed.

I bought the very last shelf and got 10% off because I bought the floor model for $125.98 before tax.  Score, because that meant that I didn’t have to put the shelf together myself.

Then I bought 2 drawer organizers from closet maid $42.99 each.  Stacking 2 of them together equaled the height of my shelving unit.  Total cost for 2 units before tax $85.98.

Platform Build

That left a rectangle portion in the top left side of the bed that we built the smaller platform to support.  This area is also for additional storage and a play area that is accessible through an opening in the book shelf.

Materials for the center platform:

• Four  2×4’s 30 inches long for the legs
• Two 2×4’s 60 inches and two 2×4’s 26 inches long to form the top rectangle
• Four 1×12″ planks that were 26 inches wide for the slats

Price for all the wood came out t0 $63.45 before tax.

My husband put the platform together using 8×2″ screws after drilling a placement hole first.  Each connection had at least 2 screws.  Final dimensions of the platform were 26W x 63L x 32H inches.  After building the platform we just added the shelving unit to the front, the drawers to the bottom, and the mattress back on top and viola!  We will also be attaching the 3 pieces of furniture together with metal brackets for more stability.

Final Product

Total cost $275.41 before tax.

We left the very center bottom rectangle open to allow access to the additional storage area that also serves as a little play area.  I actually can fit easily into the space, my husband cannot.  The two shelves on the top right are also open for now to serve as a ladder until we can purchase a ladder or a stepping stool.  The best part is that all the junk you see in loft construction picture is completely gone.  All her stuff is now organized on shelves or out of sight.  We plan on repeating the exact process as above for our son’s bed to organize his room completely as well.  Maybe eventually I’ll also get to a DIY storage bed for our master bedroom as well.  I’ll keep you posted.

Please comment below if you try this at home or if you have any personal experience in making a bed yourself.

I have posted affiliate links within this post for your convenience and may make a small commission if you buy.  The furniture below is for the lucky people NOT in Hawaii who can have these furniture products delivered to your door by Amazon for a much cheaper price than I paid for them.

 

 

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