Look! Geekdad's IKEA Hack

BEFORE: IKEA's Tromso bunk bed frame.

Geekdad (of Wired Magazine's online blog network) needed to create a unique space for his two boys to share. Working with a limited budget, the end product needed to be space-saving and fun.

If we were to buy new beds for them, most of the budget would be gone right away, so we decided to do our best to recycle what we had.

See AFTER pics below the jump...

Once we started taking the sturdy, metal-framed bed apart, we realized it was quite hackable. In fact, we literally hacked it - with a hacksaw! What is excellent about this bed is that the frames that the mattresses rest on are simple rectangular pallets, separate from the structure that makes it a bunk-bed. To save space in the room, we decided to make both bunks into top-bunks by building wood structures around the bed-frames, and elevating them 5 feet off the floor with a combination of 4"x6" ledgers bolted into the studs of the walls, and 3" galvanized and threaded steel pipe legs, screwed into the wood floor with the appropriate flanges. This allowed us to put desk and closet units underneath the beds, maximizing space.

The hacking part came in when we cut through the bunk-bed frame (nice, easy-to-hacksaw aluminum), and re-used both side-railings of the upper bunk, and three of the end-railings for safety.

The project took 2-4 adults two weekends to complete. Great re-use of furniture and smart way to *create* additional square footage. See more pics here.

(via IKEA Hacker)

I look at that and think, The chore of changing the sheets just got 100x harder.

And how do you read to them in bed?

posted by Julianna on June 22nd 2007 at 7:19am
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Agreed, Geekdad clearly doesn't change the sheets in his house. Also, the view from below is pretty awful. And as those boys get bigger and longer, that solution will lose its utility.

OTOH, it's pretty creative and cheap, and when you're short on space loft beds can really save the day.

posted by debtex on June 22nd 2007 at 8:41am
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Creative and I'm sure the kids love it, but bunk beds save more than enough room for any small space in my opinion. Bunk beds were the small space solution to having two beds weren't they?

posted by DubTriptych on June 22nd 2007 at 9:08am
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