Loft Beds and Bunk Beds - Buying Ready Made Vs. Building Your Own

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.

On the other hand, if you would prefer not to buy a prebuilt bunk bed, it's not as hard as you might think it would be to build one for yourself. While you'll have trouble finding a cheap bunk bed new, it is easy to get hold of a bunk bed kit. Not only are they easy to find and cheap, but they are also easy to put together, and you can either buy the materials to make them yourself, or get a kit which comes with them.

First of all, as I've said, kits are not difficult to put together. Not completely without effort, of course, but you really don't need any woodworking experience, or even particular skill with tools. If you've bought a kit complete with materials, then you can just start putting it together, otherwise you'll need to go about and get some wood as well. Still, that shouldn't cause you any difficulty, as you can just use off the shelf lumber. Plus, the plans are always simple to follow.

Next, think about this- if you want a design that's even slightly personalized, this is impossible to do with a shop-bought bed. You'll get the same design that everyone else has, the same color, the same everything. If you want something even slightly different, then you either have to alter one you've bought (too much work!) or build your own. that seems like a pretty good reason to me.

After the cost, the next most often cited reason for building rather then buying is for pleasure. I'm sure you've noticed that building something can be fun, a lot more so then simply ordering it. More then that, you can expand it to a full family project and get your kids involved as well. If you don't want to have your kids involved in building the bed itself (maybe their too young, or just not very good with hammers), you could do it as a surprise gift. Children will love that you put so much effort into building something for you, and will be proud to announce to their friends that their parents built their nice new bunk bed for them.

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.

In the end, there are some situations where buying a bunk bed actually is the best solution. Obviously, if money is not an issue, then sure, go for it. On the other hand, it might be worth just buying a cheap bed as a short term solution, especially if you need it quickly, or will only be using it for a short time. A lower quality bed is not a good idea in the long run, as it will only break eventually, but for right now it could be worth it.

As you've seen, building a bunk bed has a number of advantages that go beyond mere cost efficiency. Putting together a bed can be a fun activity for the whole family, and serve to forge a deeper connection between parents and children. You can change the design of the bed as much as you wish, altering the color and design, and select for a huge variety of kits and plans available to start with.

Article Source: http://mylilpeanut.com

Patrick Oakley is a professional carpenter with expertise in designing furniture to make efficient use of space. To this end, has recently begun providing bunk beds and loft beds online.

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