If you or someone you know is artistic and good with wood, updating a plain bunk bed with what you want to do will not be hard! When our son was young, I found a photo of a truck bed that I wanted for my son. Without buying a pattern, my husband made the bed along with a couple of changes I wanted him to make. The original bed did not have storage drawers underneath the mattress but my husband put the drawers in and they worked perfectly! Everyone, including our son, loved that bed. Anyway, it can be done. Good luck!

Here are some links to Ikeahackers kids beds.

Kura Treehouse Bed

Kura Barnhouse bed

Kura Double Decker Playhouse

Kura Castle Bed

Mydal Loft Bed with play area

Flaxa Bunk Bed

Kura Bed/Climbing Wall

Kura gains height

Kura Kritter Trofast Toddler bed

Mydal Bunk Bed Upgrade

Easy Bunk Bed Stairs

Kura Castle with upper play deck

Bookshelf Bed

Kura Little Forest House Bed

Bed that looks like a Castle

Kura Treehouse Beds

Kwesterkamp, that's a good thought. I'm sure it will be a pain in the ass. But I just love this idea too much to worry about that :)

A comforter is an easy way to make a bunk bed.

I would have LOVED a custom castle bed as a little girl. Have fun!

This is adorable, and the stairs with what looks like storage underneath on the left are great; but I wonder if your room really has the space to do this without overwhelming the room? Also while I agree with auntthelma that a comforter is an easy way to make a bunk bed, you still have to deal with crawling in there to change the sheets.

But if you can make this work, I agree with auntthelma, it is a dream space for a child, and could possible even be converted to a cool space for a tween/teen as she grows.

Patricia, I also found a picture of what might work so I could avoid building the stairs myself. My husband doesn't have the time to help me with the build so that's something I need to factor. I could just buy this pre made bunk bed set up then add the MDF facade.

yeah, I was going to suggest something like that -- we have something like what Patricia posted, and it seems a much better starting base than the bed you posted first.

and as for scale, i can say that we have one of these storage bunk beds (with stairs, not ladder ) in my daughter's room, which is probably smaller than your space by a couple of feet in each direction. it's awesome!

Acm do you have a picture of your daughters room?

If you don't need the stop bunk for another kid I wouldn't get it. We just removed one from a room with very close dimensions and the room looks so much bigger, The ladder takes up a couple feet also. Also think about placement if you have a ceiling fan. Ours seamed like a great idea but it was just never used. Couldn't give it away and it was an expensive bed.

I just saw a start up Co that is selling tents that go on top of beds and my kids have shown interest in them. Could easily be replicated.

Wannabath, for some reason I just think the bunk bed would be great for when my daughter has sleepovers in the future. We don't have a 3rd bedroom so also if we decide to foster or adopt a second child in the future, the two children would need to share a room. I'm just trying to think of our needs in the future. But I understand it might feel crowded. Thats what I thought might happen to the room. That's why I'm asking advice to gain perspective. Thanks for your input! We also don't have a ceiling fan in there either.

Can you sew? If you did do the hard front with the beds enclosed, you could put a good quality fitted mattress pad on the mattresses and leave them on, then cut down some flat sheets and hem them all around so they fit exactly on the top of the mattress. A top sheet and blanket or comforter could go in folded and she could unfurl them when she climbs in to sleep.

For little sleepover guests who are still having issues with wetting, I recommend a pad like this under the bottom sheet. -click here- I am a caregiver of a severely disabled adult, and I have 3 layers of the pads with a bottom sheet, so that if he's wet at night I can just pull off a layer, toss him a fresh comforter and go back to bed.

Kathy a waterproof pad is definitely the way to go especially bc this bed is for small children. Accidents happen so I completely understand that aspect. My daughter is still in diapers so i imagine many night time accidents in our future.

Working with MDF is not a project you want to take on if you have no building experience. It is very heavy and gives off toxic fumes and toxic dust when you cut into it, so you need dust-removal equipment and a breathing mask. Your inspiration project was probably made with plywood with a frame of real wood. Even putting together a flat-pack bunk bed isn't going to be safe for just one person. You might hurt your back and, as I know from bitter experience, back injuries can last forever. If you can't get your husband (or anyone else) to help, Can you afford to hire a professional? Making drawers that fit but don't stick and doors that open isn't as easy as it looks. I've got a college certificate in cabinet-making, but I wouldn't tackle a project this size on my own. Also you would need to know how to make your project safe for children to climb on. Since your daughter is still in a crib, she may be a bit young for a bunk-bed. She could climb up to the top bunk and fall off of it. Maybe wait a year or two? (I broke my collarbone at age 3, falling off an ordinary single bed. I was bouncing! :-) )

I think a product such as Zipit or AVAroom would work in this setting great.

Sylvia, the people that built this bed did use MDF but they painted it with some sort of masking paint to limit off gassing which I'm still Leary of when using MDF. I asked a local person about building me the staircase so that I could just buy a regular bunk bed and affix it to the custom staircase. Drawers are definitely not something I have the skill in making myself. So do you think plywood would be ok to use for a project like this instead of MDF. I hate the idea of using a product with so many toxins like that in my daughters room.

This is the link with how they built it. But it doesn't have any structural plans, just a general overview. http://thismodernlife.co.uk/blogs/news/15060105-sammuel-and-dixies-new-room-part-1-the-house-bed

When you cut plywood, the edges are raw so you would have to finish the edges. It is not clear what your experience is with woodworking but this does not look like a project for your average DIYer. Perhaps you could do something similar with a heavy duck canvas stapled to a frame or hanging from the ceiling. That would be considerably less costly, complicated, and permanent.

MDF IS very heavy and plywood will do the job as well. You'll have to sand the edges to remove any splintering edges. Store bought trim can be added easily to cover exposed areas. It can be applied with Titebond wood glue and held in place with masking tape until the glue sets. Read some guidelines on bunkbed builds to insure safety. Gaps between walls and mattress can trap a small child, just as too large a space can let them fall out. I agree with the other post recommending the stairs not be by the window. I went through a window as a child and still have the scars to prove it. Better to be safe than sorry. Building this will be hard, but you'll learn so much and be warned !! Once you discover that you can do this, you'll start looking at other things you want with the knowledge that you can build them .... and the addiction begins !! LOL. Here's the bed I built for a friend.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/84507

I wish I could remember the name of the product (sorry!) but I saw bedding for a child's twin size bed that is all one piece. It does omit a top sheet but I am not a fan of those anyway. When making the bed all you do is zip it up the side. I suppose it is basically like a sleeping bag that fits over the mattress. There are pillow covers to match. Thought it was ingenious! Product made by a couple of moms, of course! Maybe you could search for that and check it out. You could still use a water proof mattress cover under it. Your idea is so cute!

Found it!! Not sure I can name the brand here though??? I just googled "children's zippered bedding". What I am loving is not on a major retailer's website. It's a website dedicated to just the zippered bedding by this one company. Really cute. Not inexpensive. Might give you a good idea of how to make the bedding issue easier though.

ohh i agree with Lisa up there! the canvas would be awesome!! wouldnt be as heavy in a small space and COULD look just as cool! i would just make a simple frame for the house and staple a canvas on to it, wrap it around of course though to cover the edges and make it look finished! love to see pics when completed!!

Cute, but NOT DIY. Find something at IKEA.

Sorry I missed your question. I haven't been online for a bit! You can finish cut plywood edges by sanding, smoothing them with wood filler and painting, or buy rolls of iron-on edging. The first idea is cheap but very time-consuming. The second is more expensive. You can even get real wood veneer in the iron-on edging, but it's even more expensive. I like the idea of using canvas to make a facade for a store-bought bunk bed. The custom built projects look wonderful, but kids outgrow a themed room so fast that it hardly seems worth the expense. Also, what if you have to move? Anyway, good luck with the project!

As a diyer, I would say a newbie should not try to work with MDF on this large scale. It is HEAVY! The idea of canvas is great, but seems unsafe to me. A kid could press up against it and fall through if the fabric or staples rip out. I also agree with the comments about the stairs being near the window. Unless you baby proof the window, place the stairs on the other side.

However, this project is completely doable for a new diyer, if you use plywood and scale it back a bit. Trying to make this look built in could be beyond your skill set. So start smaller and only attach it to the bed, like a facade.

Two sheets of plywood (have them cut to size by store), a jigsaw, sander, paint, wood putty, screw gun and screws are all you would need. If the line between the plywood sheets bothers you, wood putty it, then sand it down.

The only thing that really bothers me about this picture is that the top piece of plywood seems precarious to me. It should either be lowered or braced so that a child can't lean against it (which you know they're going to want to peek over the top) and have it crack under them. To fix this, you'll need to add two bracing pieces from 2x4's.

Temporary braces are used all the time in construction. I personally find them the fastest way to make shelves that can take a lot of weight and are cheap and quick to build. Of course their not called a brace when used for shelves, their called a bracket and are turned larger side out.

I suggest you turn them like the bottom picture. Adding one brace at each end of the bed should provide the extra support the structure needs at the top.

Look for formaldehyde free plywood, these materials off gas..

Tirachy, thanks for your input. Since I have posted I have modified my design scheme. I don't think I will be doing the stairs. I can save space with a ladder. I would ultimately like to buy a bunk bed set up, cut off the legs to make it as low to the ground as possible then build a facade from plywood similar to your picture but like the ones I have pictured below.

Angela, the roofs on your new pictures would definitely increase the stability. These designs look very doable. They'd also be very cute with the right paint. If you plan on cutting and altering the bunk beds, you should keep an eye out on Craigslist or shop the used furniture stores and find used ones. Cheaper and hubby won't be shaking his head at you 'destroying' new furniture =)