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House Loft Bed – Twin Size

Build a house loft bed with these plans.

DIY House Loft Bed

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This DIY loft bed was such a fun collaboration with my friend Adriana @texasdiymama over on Instagram. She got ahold of me a few months ago as she was planning a playroom makeover for her kids and we started brainstorming a sort of playhouse/bed situation to add to the room. Her son loves enclosed spaces and climbing, so we tossed some ideas around until we came up with this climbing wall and loft bed combo!

All credit goes to Adriana for tackling this big build – don’t forget to head over and check out her Instagram @texasdiymama for tons more great projects like this!

Enjoy the plans:

The lumber and cut lists for this DIY house loft bed are available for purchase. Your purchase also includes a downloadable PDF of the plans. If you prefer, the plans are available for free in the post below – you simply have to calculate the lumber and cut lists yourself.

notes

This design fits a TWIN mattress.

Since this is a large build, I recommend cutting the pieces to fit as you go. Small discrepancies in cuts can add up over the whole project.

It’s best to build this bed in sections and move it into the room for final assembly. If you’re placing this in a finished room, you may want to paint or stain it as you go as well.

Most of the pocket holes are hidden so you can disassemble the bed easily if necessary. However, if you don’t want to see the joints at all, feel free to fill them with wood plugs.

Good luck and happy building!

Step 1.

loft house bed step 1

Build the headboard frame. Use wood glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws to attach the rails to the legs. If the bed will be against a wall, place the pocket holes along the back of the headboard to hide them once the bed is in place.

Step 2.

loft house bed step 2

Build the footboard frame. Use wood glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws to attach the rails to the legs. Place the pocket holes along the inside of the frame to hide them once the bed is in place.

loft house bed step 2

You should end up with both the headboard and footboard as shown above.

Step 3.

loft house bed step 3

Join the headboard and footboard together with the bottom rail. Use 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws. Place pocket holes along the wall side to hide them (above is a view from the wall side of the bed). DO NOT use wood glue here in case you ever need to disassemble the bed.

Step 4.

loft house bed step 4

Attach the top rails along the wall side. Again, use 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws, but I recommend skipping the wood glue in case you need to disassemble the bed.

Step 5.

loft house bed step 5

Attach the top rail along the front side with 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws. Skip the wood glue in case you need to disassemble the bed.

Step 6.

loft house bed step 6

Attach the top rail along the front side with 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws. Skip the wood glue in case you need to disassemble the bed.

Use a small 2×2 to secure the top rail to the bottom rail. This will be further secured later. Attach the 2×2 to the rails with 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.

Step 7.

loft house bed step 7

Build the mattress frame. Attach the 2x6s with wood glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.

Step 8.

loft house bed step 8

Secure the mattress frame to the bed frame with eight 3 1/2″ carriage bolts, a flat washer, a locking washer, and cap nut. Use two per corner. Drill them between the pocket holes you used to build the mattress frame:

loft house bed step 8

Step 9.

loft house bed step 9

Attach the mattress side rails to the mattress frame. There should be a 2″ gap on either end so the rail doesn’t interfere with the carriage bolts. Drive 2 1/2″ screws through the rail into the 2×6 mattress frame every 6″-8″ to secure it.

Here’s a view from the inside so you can see both rails:

loft house bed step 9

Step 10.

loft house bed step 10

Attach the center support rail to the mattress support frame. You can either use 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws or joist hangers.

loft house bed step 10

Step 11.

loft house bed step 11

Attach the mattress rails to the side rails. I just drew eight for illustration purposes, but space them as often as you feel necessary for supporting the bed (Adriana said she used 12). Secure them with screws or brad nails.

Step 12.

loft house bed step 12

Begin building the first side of the house frame by attaching the top and bottom 1x2s to the headboard 2×6. Position the 1x2s flush with the outside edge of the 2×6. There should be a 1/4″ gap between the mattress frame and bottom 1×2 (you’ll fill this with the plywood in a few steps). Then attach the 2×2 frame board to the 1x2s and bed frame.

loft house bed step 12

Here’s a view from the inside to clarify.

Use 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws to attach the 1x2s to the 2×6 headboard leg. Then attach the 1x2s to the 2×2 house frame board with 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws. Secure the 2×4 rails to the 2×2 with 2 1/2″ screws as well. Position the 2×2 so the bottom is flush with the bottom of the mattress frame 2×6.

loft house bed step 12

Step 13.

loft house bed step 13

Add the 2×2 house frame board to the other side of the bed frame. Attach it to the side rails and mattress frame 2×6 with 2 1/2″ screws.

Step 14.

loft house bed step 14

Slide the plywood wall & window into that 1/4″ gap between the mattress frame 2×6 and the 1×2. Secure it to the top and bottom 1x2s with 3/4″ screws.

Step 15.

loft house bed step 15

Cut half laps in the vertical and horizontal center window frame 1x2s.

Once you’ve cut the half laps, sandwich the boards together to form the center of the window frame.

loft house bed step 15

Attach the center of the window frame to the top and bottom with wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws.

Step 16.

loft house bed step 16

Secure the window frame to the plywood wall with wood glue and brad nails.

loft house bed step 16

View from the bottom to see how that 1/4″ plywood fits in to fill the gap between the 1×2 and mattress support frame:

loft house bed step 16

Step 17.

loft house bed step 17

Attach the roof truss 2x2s to the headboard and side frames. Use wood glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws. Place pocket holes along the back of the boards to best hide them.

Step 18.

loft house bed step 18

Tie the bottom of the trusses together with the truss end board on the near side of the bed. Use wood glue and 2 1/2″ pocket holes. Place pocket holes on the top. The roofing 1x8s will cover them.

Step 19.

loft house bed step 19

Tie the tops of the trusses together with the 2×2 ridge board. Position the ridge board on the near side of the top truss joint so you don’t drive screws through that center joint. This will also give the roofing a place to attach. Use wood glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.

Step 20.

loft house bed step 20

Finish the house off with the 1×8 roofing. Attach the 1x8s to the trusses with 1 1/4″ screws. Countersink the screws for a more finished look.

Align the 1x8s flush with the top of the trusses and leave 1/4″ overhang beyond the truss end board.

The first and last roof boards should overhang the trusses about 1/2″ to get the spacing correct. Don’t make it too complicated – just space them so it looks nice.

loft house bed step 20

Step 21.

loft house bed step 21

Assemble the ladder. Use wood glue and two 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws per side to attach the rungs to the rails.

Step 22.

loft house bed step 22

Attach the ladder to the bed frame with 2 1/2″ screws. Drive screws from the inside of the footboard rails into the ladder to secure it.

Add a small 2×2 block to fill the gap between the short ladder rail and mattress support frame. Secure the ladder to the mattress support frame.

loft house bed iso

Adriana mentioned that she added a small handle at the top left next to the ladder to give the kids something to grab onto when they’re climbing up. You can see it here:

DIY House Loft Bed

It’s a great idea if your kiddos need a little extra boost!

We’d love to see your take on this DIY house loft bed! Tag me and Adriana over on Instagram @bitterrootdiy and @texasdiymama or shoot me an email at bitterroot.diy {at} gmail.com if you build it.

Please let me know if you have any questions and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

Bitterroot DIY

Don’t forget to pin it for later!

DIY House Loft Bed

Disclaimer

This bed and design has not been weight tested.

Bitterroot DIY is meant for entertainment and general purposes only. Although we do our best to keep information up to date and accurate, we make no warranties, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, or suitability with respect to the website, or information and products on the website. Any use of the information from this website is to be used at your own risk. In no event will Tylynn Sattler or Bitterroot DIY be held liable for any loss or damage (including, but not limited to, indirect or consequetial loss, damage, personal injury, or death) from using or with connection to the use of this website. Please follow all manufacturer’s safety instructions and consult a professional before attempting a project you are unsure about.

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