smte that is a great idea for space. Sleep overs still an issue but a blow up mattress would solve that problem and in the long run give more space than the trundle. Whose making this bed up daily from day to night sleep? I don't know a child who would sustain that.

An eleven year old can make his bed in the morning. I don't see a problem from neat bed during day, to sleeping. There's a sheet, a comforter and a pillow.

With bunk beds, I found it better to have my boys fold their duvet in two on the bed. Trying to make the bed normally with the wall there, and on a bunk was a non-starter.

I am just not sure if this setup will last through the teen years. I don’t want to have to buy another bed in 3 years.

Boys can grow a LOT, and rapidly lol. I like the idea of the loft bed arrangement with desk underneath, but I'd go with a full-size bed rather than twin-size. Something like this,

https://www.pbteen.com/products/girls-sleep-and-study-loft/?pkey=cbunks-loft&isx=0.0.528

(I'm not sure why the link uses "girls", the beds can be used by any gender)

Well lofts are pretty much a thing in college...so......

For bunk and loft beds, I've found the European approach to bed-making -- no top sheet, just a regularly laundered duvet cover -- works best.

I bought my son a daybed when he was ..16 I guess? And he saw it as a huge upgrade and said "oh wow it's so grown up!" I must say though that my son is easy to please, in many instances.

It's twin btw

He's a thin boy, medium height, now he's 19, and it's good enough for both him and girllfriend when they come for a break from college. The girlfriend is slightly taller than him)

(just to add -not that you need that info-that first time her visiting, it was a guest room for a young lady..then the request was put in..then I said she should clear it up with her parents..ok you get the picture-the bed is big and comfortable enough))

With daybed you control the mattress same as with regular bed, which is cool, 'cause frankly I'm very glad I got ours on huge sale, they wanted 1200$ or so for the bed that I with lots of patient waiting was able to buy for 400$-and let me tell you, 400$ reflects its quality more..Or so I think. But it looks good, and holds the mattress, Ours is from West Elm.

It doesn't have the trundle so it's normal height

We have another daybed with a trundle in a guest room, that one is higher. It's somehow very cool to fall asleep on, (unless one is elderly and it's too high and then I use a trundle if needed) but I wouldn't say it prompts one to use it more like a sofa. While lower daybed does.

As for making the bed-all my childhood I would strip the bedding off in the morning, make the sofa bed look like a sofa, and pretty one too (my Grandma had a whole system I had to follow) , then put all the bedding back at night. Both me and my brother's bed . And on school breaks, I had to do the same for rest of sleeping spaces in the house.. We didn't have dedicated bedrooms with beds that looked like beds, so there you go. Matter of minutes, really.

I agree that with bunk beds, it's harder. Well to me it's harder-I'm a small woman who doesn't like to climb anymore))

I have two sons, ages 19 and 20, and the older one has been tall and broad for about five years now and the other is like april's son, medium height and slim.

It’s only an 8’ ceiling so I am not sure he would like sleeping on a bunk bed.

I would not consider a bunk bed in a small room. They can overwhelm the space. I own a trundle bed and only use it for overflow guests. Mine only has a bunkie board instead of a box spring. As your son ages, there might not be enough support. A twin or a twin XL will offer more comfort. You can add a headboard to dress up the bed a bit more. Skip the footboard in case your DS grows tall. Blow up mattresses can handle the overflow and much cheaper in the long run.