I Love this loft bed from Pb. teen but...?

Question

I love this loft bed...

http://www.pbteen.com/products/p3045/index.cfm?pkey=gthmgrlcdl

but its sooo expensive is there any way i can make one just like it? 'cuz the other loft beds out there are just ugly to me. your help is apprecated!

http://www.pbteen.com/products/p3045/index.cfm?pkey=gthmgrlcdl

PS. my room will be green and pink, lots of non light candles and i want the steps to come out the back of the bed like where feet touch if possible i will choose best answer!

Answer 1

It's certainly possible... there isn't anything done there on the PB Teen loft bed that can't be done in a 'garage' shop.  The question is.. do you have the carpentry skills necessary (or know someone who does)?

At the minimum, you're going to want a circular saw with a good guide, for accurate, straight cuts.  A tablesaw would be a better choice, in my opinion.  A router would be nice to round over the sharp edges, but you could spend some time with a sander to achieve a similar result.  The holes for the lag bolts can be drilled with a hand drill, if you've got steady hands, hehehe... a drill press would make it easier.

From the looks of the bed, you've got the loft bed made with 4 posts.  A desk, hutch, and shelf, are modular accessories made to fit underneath.  Cork can be bought in a roll, or squares, to put on the end of the bookshelf.  The keyboard drawer can be bought right off the shelf (adjustable - from a computer supply store), or you can make a simple slide out tray for it.

Purchasing a loft bed from another store might be one way to accomplish this... and you can also find a desk, hutch, and bookshelf, most likely, at the same store, and probably end up spending less money than what PBTeen is asking for theirs.  I'd shy away from the Ikea loft bed though, if you look closely, the bed legs are not 'posts'... they're just flat boards.  I just don't think that's strong enough, I'd rather make mine with posts.  The Ikea bed could be braced, and made stronger...especially if you build your modular units into it.. that is, actually attach the shelf to the end legs, the desk to the back legs, and the hutch to the other end legs, and so on.

IF you really want to make it yourself, your first step is to size the bed... what size mattress are you going to use.  You need an actual measurement, not just "full", or "queen", hehehe.  Once you know how big the mattress is, you can build the bed frame to fit it.  Once the bed frame dimensions are known, you can design and build the rest of it.  Take your time... measure twice, cut once, is the old carpenter's saying, hehehe.  (This could be a good project for someone in a drafting class too)

There are many woodworking plans available online.. some are even free.  Here is a link to a yahoo search "free loft bed plans" - (note.. not all of them that popped up on the search are free, heheh) -

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0ge...

Feel free to email me, if you need more info.

Have Fun

Answer 2

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/catego...

ikea has lots of lofts fairly inexpensively, theyre basic frames, and you can then put whatever desk, bookshelves, et cetera under/next to it that you like. you could even repaint it if you can't get it in white, or whatever you like.

you probably can't make one JUST like that bed, unless you have a carpenter in your family or something- and getting one made would be at least as expensive!

if you can't get a bed that looks how you like, you can soften/hide parts that you don't like, for instance railings or something, by draping light fabric around it in your color scheme. that can help you make an "ugly" loft bed seem perfect!

and for where the ladder is, if you want it by your feet, just turn the bed around! or turn your body the toehr way in the bed! althoguh keep in mind if a ladder is out in the middle of the room it's more likely to be in the way, keeping it close to a wall makes it less obtrusive.  

Answer 3

Yeah, that bed is pretty cool but, I agree it's very expensive.. You can actually find/purchase loft bed plans online.  I would say- you can personalize a loft bed with wainscoting details.. It's a thin fancy veneer that you can glue onto the existing frame.. Get premade shelves/paint to match bed and attach to the frame as well..... My father made me/sister loft bunk/bed style bed when we were kids... It had a closet area at the foot and the beds were no stacked but, L formations so we also had room for a desk/reading area!  My sister's headboard area also contained a book shelf!   I would say- it would be better/cheaper to build/design your own...

Good luck