Bunk Beds and Loft Beds; Making Children's Rooms Bigger
Nowadays, a lot of people have difficulty in find space in their children's rooms for all of their toys. This is the result of our overly materialistic culture, which offers so many things for children to buy that they can quickly build up a huge number of toys. Unfortunately, our storage abilities have not kept pace with toy development, and it can still be difficult to find somewhere to put everything. Despite the fact that families now are smaller, and houses larger, then they have ever been before, we simply can't keep pace. So clearly, the only thing to do is to find a more efficient storage method. It's all very well telling your kids that their room is a mess, but how can they clean it up if they don't have somewhere to put everything? It's our job, as the adults who bought them all the toys in the first place, to find a better way to keep them.
The answer is to find unconventional or under-used places to put things. Bunk beds, loft beds and trundle beds can offer a great deal of relief to this crowding. These furnishings are not a new concept, yet they are certainly more efficient than conventional beds. They are an old solution to a modern problem. Bunk beds and their kin, like bookcases, offer ways to convert horizontal space to vertical and free up huge amounts of floor space.
If stacking your children up in their sleeping arrangement is bothering you, please consider that modern bunk beds and loft beds are far safer than their predecessors. Most countries have adopted standards to make them safe for children ages five and up. Beds sold in the US have to meet federal CPSC guidelines for safety or face huge fines and liability. If that is not enough to convince you, I have six children and they all have slept in, or do sleep in bunk beds. We have never had an accident that is a result of sleeping in a bunk bed or loft bed.
Back to the topic of storage space. Without having to switch to a bunk bed, you can find extra storage space under even a standard bed. The majority of currently popular children's beds have a good 20 cubic feet of space underneath them. That's as much space as you'll find in a large chest of drawers, or even a small closet. If you need a quick and simple storage solution, then just take some measurements of the space available to you, then go to your local Wal-Mart and buy as many plastic boxes as you'll be able to fit in there. For best convenience, try and get long boxes, that will reach from one side of the bed to the other. I would also advise you to remove the lids, as you really don't need them, and they make it much harder to access the boxes. If you have a little more time, then take a look at http://www.bunkbedsunlimited.com/ where you will find some good suggestions as to how you can best make use of this space, for example through oversized storage drawers or a trundle bed.
If you need more space then this, then you might want to think about a loft bed. Loft beds offer a lot more space then bunk beds, as they have a much larger gap underneath and so allow you to fit a lot more in there. For example, you could fit a dresser, or a desk, a chest of drawers, or even a sofa. A loft bed can be a great help in an especially crowded room.
Let's take a typical kids room with two twin beds, two chests and toys everywhere. With a bunk bed you can put both beds in the footprint now occupied by one twin bed and neatly tuck away 20 cubic feet of toys in storage drawers beneath the lower bunk. The toys are not out of reach. If your storage boxes have wheels, the kids can pull them out easily and they now have a place for their things.
In addition to the above reasons, there is another point you might want to consider. Kids love bunk beds! Every child loves to climb, and the thought of sleeping above the ground makes their bed just plain exciting. Sleeping can become an adventure.
If you are think you might want to upgrade to a bunk bed, I would suggest that you not try to find the cheapest deal available. If you buy something extremely cheaply, it won't be the best quality, and may not stand up to the rough play that children enjoy. If you are worried about the cost though, you could always buy a kit and put it together as a family project. Have a look at http://www.bunkbedsunlimited.com/. They have a great selection of designs you could try, with simple plans that produce a very sturdy and reliable bed. You can also just look for interesting ideas, of course, like their easy to build triple bunk bed kit.
In conclusion, when approaching the problem of space in kids' rooms, arm yourself with the knowledge of what is available and then do some patient planning. You might need to just stand there and imagine awhile. Provide children with a place for everything and then you can reasonably expect them to put everything where it goes. Consider bunk beds, loft beds and trundle beds when you are making your plan and don't forget the space under the existing or new beds either. If you provide lots of space for all of their belongings and they still won't fit, you may need to get rid of some stuff. But that's another article.
Patrick Oakley is a professional carpenter who specializes in designing furniture to make efficient use of space. To this end, has recently begun providing bunk beds and loft beds over the internet.
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