Single Wide Makeover - Toddler Loft Beds For The Boys

My family and I live in a single wide with 3 boys and one little one on the way. Space is a hot commodity in here. My 2 youngest boys are 5 and 2 and share that teeny tiny 2nd bedroom that every single wide has. If I had put a twin bed in there it would have taken up the entire room. The toddler beds fit relatively well in there. What I really wanted were bunk beds that would fit a toddler mattress. Of course that doesn't exist because of "safety regulations." So I had to venture out on my own.

About a year ago I came across this blog www.thedesignconfidential.com. They have TONS of simple plans for building all sorts of things. That's where I found these loft beds. http://www.thedesignconfidential.com/2012/03/free-woodworking-plans-build-toddler-sized-low-loft-bunk

The plans are crazy simple. I didn't like the idea of the ladder sticking out so I altered the plans for what I needed. Originally I was going to make bunk beds but then I realized the kids would have more play space if I made 2 loft beds. That way they had all the floor space and I could make them little forts. 

The best part about these is that they are really short. Instead of the measurements they used for the height, I took a 10 ft board and cut it in half. That way they had more room underneath. Also, it was fairly impossible for me to find untreated 4x4s for the posts so I got 2x4s and screwed them together. Its lighter and cheaper that way.

This is a pic of the boy's room with their regular toddler beds. I even left the mess for complete reality. 

Here's a pic mid construction:

And here's the finished product in the boy's room. It looks a little ostentatious but it really does free up a ton of room. All their toys that were in the living room are now in their room. (YAY!!!!!) And the kiddos LOVE the forts under each bed. Next I'm going to put some Christmas lights up on the underside in the forts since its so dark in there. 

The entire height of the beds is 5 ft. and the bed is dropped down 18 in. so really its not very high for little kids. I think the clearance for the forts is 37 in. 

It would be incredibly easy to convert this to a bunk bed if you wanted to. I would probably raise the top bunk a little though. 

As you can tell, my boys absolutely love their new beds!

Total cost for each bed was less than $100. I would say around $75 but I'm not positive.