I was planning to DIY built-in bunk beds for my girls room long before we even moved into our new house. The bedroom is pretty tiny, 8.5 x 9.5 feet to be exact, so I wanted something minimal. The room also has a vaulted ceiling that runs pretty low along the wall we needed to put beds on. To remedy this, I built the bottom bunk to be floor level giving us more space for the top bunk. A floor level bottom bunk works great for our toddler as well.
Built-In Bunk Beds : The Structure
To begin, using 2 1/2 inch bolts I attach a 2×4 to the wall at 43 inches high and 76 1/2 inches long. I used a stud finder to be sure I screwed my bolts into the wall studs.
Then, using three 2×4’s I created an H with the horizontal support board matching the height from the floor as my wall piece, 43 inches. The vertical supports are each 52 inches tall and the horizontal is 76 1/2 inches long. To attach the horizontal support to the two vertical supports I used two 2 1/2 in bolts. I made sure to drill holes before screwing in the bolts so they could be wrenched tight without splitting the wood.
To connect the two horizontal support 2×4’s, I cut four pieces of 2×4 to 38″ and attached them from one support to the other with 2 1/2 inch screws. I spaced the supports evenly and laid two pieces of 3/4 inch plywood over them, attaching it with screws. If you didn’t want to use plywood, you could simply create more cross pieces to support the mattress. Also, we happened to have these two pieces already laying around, so if you were to use a new sheet, you would just cut one long piece to fit your space.
I also added a support along the floor of the lower bunk that will be against the wall. This will keep the vertical support in place. You wont need one on the other end of the bed because the face board will hold the vertical support in place. This board is 38 3/4 inches long and I screwed it into the wall and used and L bracket to secure it to the 2 x 4.
Built-In Bunk Beds : The Face Boards
The face boards for the bunk beds are 1 x 12 inch pine and I didn’t want to have any hardware on the outside of the bed. Each of the side pieces are 77 3/4 inches and the end pieces are 40 3/4 inches. I used screws to attach the longer 1 x 12’s to the vertical support boards from the inside of the bed. Using clamps here will keep the boards from separating when you drive the screw in, keeping the attachment tight.
I used my circular saw to cut a 45 degree angle at one end of each board where they would come together.
To attach the end 1 x 12’s, I used L brackets. You will need four in each corner. I attached a small board to the wall and made sure to screw it into a stud so that I would have a solid anchor for the L bracket to attach to on the wall side where there is no frame.
Built-In Bunk Beds : The Ladder
For the ladder, I cut a 2 x 4 to 52 inches. Then I cut two 2 x 4’s to 24 inches that will be the rungs for my ladder. I used the Kreg Jig to drill two holes on each end of the rungs and attached each wrung to the 2 x 4 side rail. Then I attached the ladder to the inside of the bed and screwed the loose end of the rungs into the vertical support 2 x 4 and the side rail into the face boards. The use of clamps to keep the joint from gaping is a good idea.
Built-In Bunk Beds : Finishing
To finish the beds, I stained the whole thing in Varathane’s Wheatherd Gray, and distressed the finish lightly.
For fun, I used black chalk paint to paint the bottom of the top bunk so we can customize it. I added a couple simple doodles for now that didn’t go unnoticed.
So far, we are loving this built-in bunk bed and it is sturdy enough for the boys to swing and jump all over. Enjoy!
