I remember with fondness the battles over “space” and the closeness of late night chats with my siblings as I grew up sharing a room. I hope to give our kids the gift of comrade by through shared space. With our recent adoption, space is at a premium.
We were thrilled to discover this tutorial by Handmade Dress where they had a triple stacked bunk! It would work great for the girls bedroom… BUT it screws into the wall. We wanted a more adaptable version, in case the kids decided to switch rooms, we have to move, or if they wanted to change the layout of the bunks. With the help of the friendly lumber assistants at Lowes, we were able to create our own freestanding triple bunks. Click any of the photos on this page to be directed to more detailed plans.
Supplies Needed:
- 18 carriage bolts and nuts.
- 2×6 boards
- 2×4 boards
- 2×3 boards
- 3 sheets of plywood – all cut to be 39 3/4″ x 75 inches.
- Box of wood screws 3″ long.
- Gel Stain
- Rub-on Polyurethane
Tools to use or borrow:
- Table Saw
- Router
- Drill
- Power Hand Sander – otherwise you’ll spend hours sanding!
We were able to borrow a router, if not we would have rented one – we used it to mold the edges so they were slightly curved. It really added a polished look to the finished product! We do have a circular saw, but we barely used it as the staff at Lowes cut the wood for us. Saved us work and helped us fit the pieces into our van. Thanks Lowes!!
Sizes to Cut the wood:
2×6 Boards. 6 boards 80″ long; 6 boards 40″ long {These will make the bed “box”}
2×4 Boards. 6 boards 66″ long; 2 boards 43 3/8″ long {Those will make the uprights for the top bunk}; 2 boards 40″ long; 2 boards 25 inches long {These will support the middle bunk}; 4 boards 20″ long {the steps of the ladders}; 16 boards 7 1/4″ long {These are the supports between steps in the ladder}.
2×3 Boards: 2 boards 60″ long {Top Bunk’s guard rail}; 15 boards roughly 40″ long {NOTE: These are the supports for the bed platforms. If your wood is slightly bowed as ours was you may need to measure these after you get your bed box created and cut to fit}
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We have happy kiddos – they love the New Year with their new beds!! I love the floor space in what was before a crowded bedroom! Thanks Lowes and the Creative Ideas Network for our new bedroom. If you are looking for other weekend projects, check out their website and facebook page – they have tons of inspiring ideas. For more details, click on any image on this page and you can see the PDF of “plans” that we put together.
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Are your kids in bunk beds? What age did you move your children into bunk beds?
About Rachel
Are these for twin-sized mattresses?
Yes, they are 6-inch deep IKEA “roll-up” mattresses, standard Twin size.
How long is the whole set up? My husband thinks you would need a really big room to get twin size beds end to end like this.
They are really not end to end though. The middle one is inserted between the top and bottom.
These are AMAZING!
Our boys have bunkbeds already. It has a full size bottom and a twin top. We also have a custom made toddler bed in the room too. So all 3 boys have thier own beds but share a room. I like having a spare room for all the toys. But we are thinking of adding to our family. These would open up so much room in the “boys room”. I’m now working up an estimate to give to my husband. LOL! He’s an awesome craftsman so I know this can be done quickly.
Thanks for sharing this Rachel!! I am sharing it as one of “My Friday Fave Pins” tomorrow, Jan 25. I hope you stop by for a visit!! Love your blog!!
WOW!!! Fantastic!!! My husband is so making this!!!!
The only alteration we will make, will be the colors!! Totally colorful – each bunkbed in different color
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I notice the upper bed doesn’t have a rail. I’m guessing attaching another 2×4 w/an additional support would suffice for that.
I really like this plan, but the pieces of wood sticking out look hazardous? Especially for rambunctious boys. The top bunk definitely needs a railing also. I suppose adding more wood would solve these problems.
This is exactly what we need! We have 3 boys – 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 and I think they need to move up from their toddler beds, but twins take up so much room! We knew we’d end up with bunk beds, but I love the triple as it takes up less room than a twin and bunk beds would! Thanks for making the plans available!!
how much did all the supplies cost? I am wondering if it is cheaper than buying a used set on craigslist.
I am looking into making this, but to save some “play space” I am mounting the “D” bed with drawer slides, and adding heavy duty casters on its legs so I can slide the bed closed when not in use!
Can you tell me how you plan on making the d bed slide in thanks
The measurements for this are WRONG!!!!! The design seems sound though. I am in the middle of building this right now, and decided to check the measurements. Close call, measure twice and cut once.
Which measurements are wrong? I’m getting ready to tear into this project soon. I’m sure I would be able to figure it out, but some help would save some time.
Which measurement were wrong? We are building these today. I don’t want to make a mistake and have to buy lumber again.
Awesome. Gonna make next weekend. Thanks for sharing. Only thing that would be more helpful is a total board count without having to add it all up myself.
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