And So It Begins

My wife and I are expecting our third child, which means we are going to have to put our two boys in one (small) room. If we want them to be able to have any floor space whatsoever it also means that we need a bunk bed for them. For the past 5 months, we've been looking around at what's available and how much they  cost. Here's what we found: If they are cheap (less than $600) it is most likely built to minimum standards, has a low weight rating, and uses a ladder to get to the top bunk (not a option for us). If you spend closer to $1000  the bed is upgraded to have stairs instead of a ladder, use better wood and have a nicer stain, and a slightly better weight rating. $1000 is a lot to spend, especially for a family on our meager income. Considering how fussy I am about quality, it didn't seem right to us to spend so much money on a bed that might have been just sturdy enough, but not bombproof. Also, I'm Scottish AND a Winnipeger -if it's not tough as nails and a good deal, it's crap!

11 days ago my wife, agreed to let me build a bunk bed. Folly on her part? Perhaps.You see, I have a bad tendency to procrastinate, and a knack for making things more complicated than they may need to be. I also don't have a garage to store a bunch of big tools or a workroom set up. Okay, I've got a workroom, but it's dedicated to bicycles, it's tiny (11' x 10'), and almost completely full. I have enough room to work on a bike or at my work bench, but that's about it.

So, over the past week and a half I've been researching, planning, designing, redesigning, buying tools, and generally driving my wife insane by talking incessantly about my research, plans, designs, redesigns, and tools that I've been bought. Yesterday, with the help of a friend and his truck, I bought the lumber. I still have to buy the fasteners and stain, as well as some various bits and pieces that I intend to use to make it even more awesome, but today is the day that I get to really start making good, tangible progress.

This is what I designed (using Google's free Sketchup software), and intend to build, more or less (I stopped before adding the safety rails on the top bunk, I haven't decided on a style yet):

Stay tuned.