Building Your Own Vs. Buying A Bunk Bed
There are a lot of good reasons why you might choose to build your own bed, instead of buying one ready made. The most commonly cited reason, which may or may not be relevant to you, is the price. Building a bed tends to be much cheaper then buying one ready made, although if you buy second hand you can get a good, rugged bunk bed for under $150. You might be able to get a new one at that price, as well, but I seriously doubt that any bed you buy that cheaply will be well made enough to be worth having. As you know, if you want quality, it will come at a price... Unless you buy it from someone else.
Alternatively, if you don't want to buy a bunk bed, you can always build one yourself. While it can be difficult to get a good bunk bed new at a low cost, bunk bed kits are much more readily available and you can usually put them together without much effort. You can even just buy the plans for a bed, and get the materials yourself. So let's have a look at some of the reasons you might want to build your own bunk or loft bed.
In the first place, as I've already mentioned, kits are easy to put together. Not completely effortless, but you don't have to be an expert woodworker to do it. All you need is a bit of basic knowledge, and some standard tools that you'll almost certainly have lying about anyway, such as a hammer or screwdriver. If you've bought a full kit, then all you need to do is start assembling it, otherwise you'll have to pick up the lumber first. Just stop off at your local home hardware store, and they'll have what you need.
And of course, constructing it yourself is the best way to ensure it meets your requirements. With something you buy, especially something wooden, you can never be entirely sure of the quality. However if you construct it yourself, you can test each part as you assemble it.
The second most popular reason, after the lower price, for building your own bed is that it's something fun for the whole family. A construction project, such as putting together a bunk bed, is an excellent activity to which both adults and children can contribute to. Of course, if you think your kids might not be interested, or you just don't want them involved, you can always build it yourself. Perhaps give it to them as a surprise gift. I know they'll be proud to be able to say to their friends, when asked where the bed came from, that "my dad built it for me". Or even more so, "I built it- with my dads help"!
Another reason, which I've already said something about, is that only when you build something yourself can you be sure it works as you intend it to. Whatever you're looking for in a bed, you know that when you put it together yourself you can make it exactly what you want it to be. When you buy it, you have no such guarantee. Be careful not to change the designs too much, though, as you could end up reducing the structural stability. This is really not something you want to do, especially where your children's safety is potentially concerned. On the other hand, even keeping to the plans for construction exactly, there is a lot more opportunity to alter the designs with the use of pain, stencils, stickers, or whatever else you want to use. This is especially useful if you need to match some other furniture, or just not clash with your carpets. Think about it.
There are a lot of plans available for you to choose from, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to find an appropriate one for you. The range available does not just cover the different types of bed itself, but also all sorts of accessories and alterations. For example, you could get one with some storage space, such as drawers underneath it, or in the case of a loft bed even a full closet! There are hundreds of variations, so just pick whichever you like the most, and then figure out what changes you want to make to it.
There are some cases where a low cost bunk bed could be the right solution. If you only need the bed for a short time, and aren't worried about long lasting quality, then this might be fore you. Likewise, if you need a bed in a hurry, although I might suggest not getting a bunk bed in that situation. As with anything else, you can have it cheap or fast or good, but never all three.
Building a bed, though, is not just about the cost. It's also about bringing you together as a family, and making a home that you can be proud of. It's about stamping your own personality and individuality as a family onto your furniture, so that you can look in your kids bedroom and think, I made that... no other child has a room quite like mine.
Author Patrick Oakley is a professional carpenter who specializes in creating furniture that makes efficient use of space. To this end, has recently begun providing bunk beds and loft beds over the internet.
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