Lumber for Slumber, Part 3

Over the weekend many of you inquired about the status of my loft bed. Well it's been completed since Thanksgiving, but the room was a total wreck and I was too lazy to clean it up for the photos. Plus it took me longer than expected to install the handrail. So here it is (and please excuse the mess).

Building the stairs took quite a bit of research and planning in determining the length and amount of steps. They needed to be strong enough and wide enough to support adults in case my mom needs to get up there to administer first aid – that's why a ladder would not have worked. The angles could get quite complicated if you wanted a proper descent, but seeing that I don't have the space for a long stairwell, I just stuck to a simple 45 degree cuts. Cutting the stair stringers were surprisingly easy once you get the hang of it. A portable sliding compound miter saw was all that I needed to go through the 2x12 beams (Thanks Larry!). Without that saw, it can get quite tricky. In fact, I could have built 90% of the entire loft with just that one saw! Other tools I used was a table saw and a router. The tools that could have made my life easier were an impact driver, a jig saw, and a dado blade insert for my table saw – all on my future wish list.

Whoops, excuse me, I didn't mean to disturb you two... Fact: The loft bed they built for their daughter was the inspiration for me to attempt this project. I figure if they could do it, I can do it too. Plus I wanted all of their leftover lumber :) The carpet remnant is leftover from my office when I installed the laminate flooring.

Hey, no girls allowed! Now you know what moms really do when us men are at work.

Grace is thinking: "Wow, had Myron built us one of these love-nest hideaways, I can totally see ourselves with nine kids!"

Being seven feet up, adult supervision is paramount when young children are up here. As you can see, Snow White and the dolls were all jumping overboard under the watchful eyes of this responsible family.

After the busting Patty and Glenn up there alone as well as the Snow White incident, I had to install a gate and impose some basic house rules.

The view from above. I originally was planning to build a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, but instead I found a used Ikea Pax wardrobe at a garage sale around the corner. I also raised Colby's bed 4 inches so that I could squeeze his dresser under the bed to save space. Now I can't wait until the boys move out so I can convert this loft into my man-cave. A wall-mounted tv and a mini fridge is all I need!

On Black Friday Home Depot had 50-ct LED Christmas lights for $1.98 – I should have bought more!

Now whenever anyone comes over, they always want to check out the loft! During the cold weather, it's especially quite cozy and warm up there. We hope to enjoy the loft for years to come. Who knows, now that I know what to do, I may even attempt another one in the other room...

Lumber for Slumber, Part 2

Since I've been talking about woodworking for the bedroom, I'll tell about the franken-bed I built at the beginning of this year. Yes you, my blog reader, get a sneak peak into our master bedroom… Oooooo!

Now last year, had you peaked into our bedroom, you would've witnessed me tossing and turning in the middle of the night, unable to sleep because my mind is focused on too many things. Things like: how to better discipline my kids, how to be the best husband ever, and what to blog about next… all while trying not to disturb my wife. What you'll also witness is my wife finally bouncing in at 1:30 a.m. after catching up on six hours of television, waking me up... What you won't see is us snuggled together with my arm under her neck because I'll get a cramp and frankly I don't like anyone touching me when I sleep. I NEED my own twin space and I've long outgrown the 14-year queen we shared. Problem is, I would never buy a king size bed because it's too expensive and she's we're both too picky. What to do?

So with the scrap wood in my garage, I decided to build a king bed that fits two twin mattresses. The total dimensions of two twins is 78x75, which means it's a little wider and shorter than a standard king (76x80). Wider is always good. And since both of us are under six feet, 75 inches is just fine.

Construction of the bed was super simple. The four sides of the bed are actually rails from two disassembled Ikea twin beds (Robin and Brekke) that I bought as scrap in Ikea's scratch and dent section for a few bucks. Together they form a square. The corners are screwed into a 2x6 post. To eliminate any possible squeak and provide the ultimate solid foundation, I laid not one, but three 4x4 support beam. Because who knows, maybe someday Chris, Greg and Wayland will want to do a sleepover here. This acoustic trio may rattle the nightstands, but this bed WILL NOT be shaken.

 

If you're like me, still defending your space on an outgrown queen bed, here are a few reasons why two twins are the way to go. Forget getting a king mattress set:

• I toss and turn, I don't wake her. And vice versa.
• A clear division of space. She stays on hers and I stay on mine.
• My wife likes a thick plush mattress. I like firm. We both get our wish. 
• She can upgrade her mattress every seven years, I can upgrade in 20.
• When we upgrade, we simply pass down old mattresses to kids. No kid wants a king, and dumping a king set is no easy task.
• Twin sheets are cheaper and easier to wash – although trying to find a second Pokémon fitted sheet to match your existing one may be challenging.
• No box spring means plenty of room below for storage and hiding. Seriously, is there anything more useless than a box spring??
• If ever we go through marital difficulties, I can install a partition between the two mattresses.
• King bedspread covers everything and no one knows (except you) that I have Pokemon sheets on a franken-bed. 

This bed is awesome! Needless to say, I've been sleeping a lot better this year. I only wish I had done this ten years ago. Just think what kind of person I could've become with a good night's rest every night… 

If you're interested in building franken furniture with Ikea parts, I get a lot of inspiration from Ikea Hacker. If you were to build this bed from scratch, it would only cost $100 in lumber. And with the additional money you save not buying a king mattress set, you'll have enough to take me out to dinner several times!

Later this month, Part 3, when I hopefully will have the loft bed done.

Lumber for Slumber, Part 1

Last weekend was the one weekend I look forward to every year: Family Camp weekend. Our church has family camp every year with attendance around 450. There are lots of fun activities for children and adults and great food and exceptional teaching and everyone comes back having a blast. But we never go.

Instead, I view it as the one Sunday a year I get to sleep in. Man, living the life of an atheist is pretty relaxing! No yelling at the kids, no stress selecting their clothes (and yelling), no rushing to get them breakfast (and yelling)… Just peace and quiet. My kids even discovered there's actually cartoons on tv on Sunday mornings too! And did I mention east coast NFL games?? Ahh, such a tempting lifestyle as we sample the path toward delinquency.

So what to do on this totally free (and stormy) weekend?

This was the weekend I decided to embark on my most ambitious woodworking project thus far: a loft bed. Or rather a loft with a bed. So instead of building kid furniture, I'm going to attempt to build a structure for the very first time!

After inheriting scrap lumber from numerous friends throughout the year, my garage was getting full. I needed to build something, anything. And with the boys growing older, they'll eventually outgrow the room they share and need more separation of personal space. I had been combing craigslist for months trying to find the perfect loft bed/bunkbed, but none worked the way I wanted it to work. So with the stockpile of lumber and machinery in my garage coupled with inspiration from a friend's recent loft bed project, I decided it's best to do it my way. Yep, I am the master designer!

The bedroom is an unusual shape with a pitched ceiling going up over 13 feet. What's even weirder is that there's a 16" ledge on top with electrical and cable tv outlets (like anyone would want to crane their neck upward to watch at such an awkward angle). I saw this as premium usable space. I wanted a loft that not only fit a twin mattress, but also have a little area to sit and play games.

The whole project is a like a plan-as-you-go kind of thing. I was figuring out how to do things as I progressed. Even my wife was a little skeptical wondering if I knew what I was doing. I had to gently reassure her with some kind words, "Don't doubt me woman!" The main objective was to avoid having a center support beam in the middle of the room.

Once the platform was secured, the kids couldn't wait to get up there! Just like magic, we instantly gained over 50 sq. ft.! They treat it like a little clubhouse and are already demanding I add more "features" to it. I need to work on the ladder asap because Dustin is dying to sleep (and play) up there. The ladder will be another plan-as-you-go thing as I've never built one before. Stay tuned.

Next week, part 2, when I let you venture into my most private space. Ooooooh.