For young children, sleeping in a bed that is higher off the ground than usual can make bed time more exciting! Overall, this extra space can be used for just about anything, there really are no limitations.
When starting your loft project, what you can do is to stick the plans on the wall of your work area. Of course, if you only downloaded the plans, you still need to print them before you stick them. This can save you the hassle of having to bring your computer or laptop in the middle of your work area and end up having to fix the devices (just in case you accidentally trip on them or hammer them out of frustration). Furthermore, with a printed copy, you can easily put notes onto it. You can also add some revisions to it like putting some carvings on the sides or extra designs.
Building a ladder for the bed is the most important part of the project. The ladder should be pieced together with sturdy thick hard wood and the rungs should be spaced evenly. The height of the ladder should of course be measured after the loft is in place so the correct quantity of ladder rungs are used and the two upright pieces of wood match up to the bottom of the bed. Depending on the type of loft bed you are building the ladder can also act as extra support to the loft bed. As a general rule of thumb the rungs should be spaced about 8 inches apart but that can vary. As long as the rungs are evenly spaced, then the ladder will be considered safe.
Loft beds are often designed and built with kids in mind. However keep in mind that federal guidelines recommend that the upper bunk or a loft bed only be used for children age six or older. Consider a nightlight close to the ladder in case the child needs to get up in the middle of night and of course it is important to teach the child not to climb up or down from the bed by any means other than the ladder.
With detailed drawings and step by step instructions in hand, make sure to read and look over it in their entirety and study the plans before beginning. By doing so, it will be easier to make any necessary modifications to fit your needs; especially if you are working with a small bedroom because that is when utilizing every square foot of space becomes a necessity.
In order to choose the best bed plans for your home, you should think about who will be occupying the room. If you are using the woodworking plans to build a bed for a small child’s room, you may want to consider a design that’s raised 3-4 feet from the floor. This will still provide plenty of room to create a study or play area under the bed.
A loft bed is a type of bunk bed with only the top bunk. Underneath it is an open space where you can put drawers, chests or a work area. Although it is still a type of bunk bed, there are loft beds that cost more than bunk beds because of their additional features like built in storage capacity and more. With the wide range of prices for beds, depending on the materials used (such as softwood or metal frames along with spring or metal wire suspensions for the mattresses), most people would just consider purchasing bunk bed plans and building their own beds. This is actually good practice because, in a way, you are teaching your kids how to be practical and how hard work can deliver great results.
Owing to the fact that beds of this type are raised from the ground, you are advised to think carefully about safety features of every bed model before you decide on actually going for one. This means that beds like these should always have a safety guard rail if they are intended to be used by children, for instance. Aside from this, you will also be better off with bed plans that include bed stairs, instead of leaving you to find your own way up to the elevated bed. When it comes to the actual plans, it is a rule that the best ones are always the simplest ones. You are advised to stay away from bed plans that seem too complicated, because they will often prove that they really are too complicated.
Regardless of the fact of how simple the loft bed plans you choose might be, you always have to make sure to invest your money wisely by buying high quality materials for the job. There are many things in life that will give you a chance to save some money on, and a thing like building a loft bed is definitely not one of them. Therefore, when shopping for materials and tools needed for your loft bed to be finished, try to go for quality instead of cost-efficiency. The timber you use should be of the highest quality possible, and so should all the other materials required for the project. Apart from this, considering that the person who will be sleeping in this bed will be elevated from the floor by 5 or 6 feet, you should always ask for professional advice if in doubt about any step of the building process.
Do not skimp on materials, always use the best you can afford and certainly never use inferior or poorer quality wood or screws than what is stated in your plans. Children will always be tempted to use a loft bed as an extended climbing frame and so it is imperative that your plan allows for this safely.
