DLTK's Crafts for Kids
D, L, T & K Build a Bunk Bed!

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The History of Our Family's Bunk Bed Project:

My daughters Tasha and Kaitlyn started sneaking into each others rooms and sleeping together early this summer.  Darren and I would come upstairs each night to discover Kaitlyn sleeping on the floor like a puppy next to her big sister's bed.  Each night we'd move Kaitlyn back to her room (and many mornings we'd wake up to discover her in her curled up puppy position once again).

We talked to Tasha and discovered she was just tickled to share a room with her little sister each night.  She liked the company.  

At the same time, we were pondering what to do for quiet reading and homework time.  Up until then, we'd been doing it in the kitchen or living room, but we often found that Tasha's homework projects would take a couple of days and more than once we'd have to give up the kitchen table for a night or two in order to let something or other dry.

So, we decided to buy a bunk bed and turn the other room into a "study" for the girls.

Off we went to the local furniture stores.  We were aghast to discover that rather flimsy bunk beds cost upwards of $1,000 -- a price we just couldn't afford.  

Kaitlyn's favorite bunk beds were the L shaped ones.  When she tested them out she felt less enclosed... if she was having a "scary night" she could sleep backwards on her bed and see her big sister -- much like her puppy dog pose, but in a bed instead of on the floor.

Looking at the L shaped ones, I remembered an article for building a loft bed I had seen in the family fun magazine.  Now, a loft bed is a bed up high in the air with play area underneath.  It's different than a bunk bed, because it doesn't have a bottom bunk.

Hmmm,  could we build the loft bed and just shove one of our existing beds underneath?  You bet!!

Have we ever built anything before?  Er, no...