[sigshane]

Hey guys. I have a project in mind, but one little part is nagging me a little, and could use some advice.

I have twin 9-year old girls, and they want loft beds which are not attached to the wall - kid of like bunk beds, without the lower bunk, and the mattress height at a level right about midway between a traditional upper and lower bunk.

They also have frequent sleepovers, and I wanted to go one step further with the beds, and give each bed a removable handrail that would swing out and attach to the other bed, and along with a couple more rails that would bridge the gap between beds, would support a third twin mattress that would make it one BIG bed that would sleep my two girls plus 1 or 2 more.

I can visualize the construction of the beds, but I need to consider support for the middle mattress. I will most likely have a thin plywood sheet attached to support rails for the main beds, but I really don't want to fool with the same for the middle, that will require a bunch of parts - mattress, plywood sheet, support rails - to be stored when the middle is not used.

Is there such a thing as a twin mattress that has a support structure built into it? With that, I could use just the movable side rails of the main beds and a couple other rails, and just put the mattress tight on top.

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions.

 

[cabinetman]

I have a few questions...

Since you don't want the 2 beds attached to the wall(s), how do you want them supported...legs?

When set up as 2 beds will they be in a straight line or "L" shape.

Can the 3rd mattress be stored somewhere when not in use?

.

 

[sigshane]

Yes cabinetman, the beds will have legs, most likely 2x4s or a 2x4 and a 2x6 in an "L" shaped leg. The beds will be parallel to each other, and I want them to be spaced about 1 twin bed width apart, for the third mattress to fit snugly between the other two, and yeah, I can store the third mattress when it is not used.

My major conundrum is supporting the third mattress when it is in place, without having to use the plywood base.

 

[sigshane]

I have attached a rough sketch of what I want to do. Hopefully everything explains itself, but if no, do ask!

 

[rrbrown]

I suggest you do a simple sketch and post it.

Include dimensions etc. in notes. I would like to see where your going before i give advice. I see potential problems that you may or maynot be aware of.

Pictures always help get better answers.

 

[rrbrown]

Check the file format.

 

[sigshane]

I was able to see it when I opened in a new tab. It is a .jpg - will that not show?

 

[cabinetman]

Here's an idea. Under the platform for the two beds, you have a full piece of ¾" plywood the same size. You make a track on the ends to carry the ends of the plywood, and an under guide for the long edges. When you want to add the middle mattress, you pull out both sections from the outer beds, and they meet in the middle. Half of the plywood is still supported under the two outer beds. The long guide on the long edges will carry the length. Where they meet, the two could be fastened (I'm workin' on that).

.

 

[sigshane]

Hadn't thought about storing the plywood under the two main beds...

This middle 'bed' will have to support at most 60-70 pounds, the typical 9-10 year old girl.

 

[sigshane]

Great!

This is a rough sketch, for sure. I only have the mattress dimensions, just wanted to see if this is a do-able project, before I invest a whole lot of time into design.

 

[sigshane]

Here's an idea. Under the platform for the two beds, you have a full piece of ¾" plywood the same size.

With plywood underneath, I could actually opt for a roll-up mattress that would be MUCH easier to stow away when not in use, too.

 

[Bastien]

Hadn't thought about storing the plywood under the two main beds...

This middle 'bed' will have to support at most 60-70 pounds, the typical 9-10 year old girl.

I'm thinking it needs to hold 400 pounds or so. Four 70 pound kids jumping in the middle!

I was thinking the center panel hinged to one bed, with a channel iron or hooks and pockets connecting to the other bed. When not in use, disconnect them and it swings under and stores underneath. The safety rails could sink into the pockets.