Triple Bunk Bed DIY (Link With Plans)

Josh and I had 3 days without kids to accomplish the task of making a triple bunk bed for the boys.

We also happened to have Journey rehearsal, open mic date night, rehearsal dinner, wedding and a gig to play together during those 3 days so we needed to do it right because first of all, we were actually purchasing lumber (when we usually just pull things together from scraps in the shed to create something) and secondly, we wanted to be done with the beds before the kids came home.

So we came home and worked on finding the perfect plans, which turned out to be way more difficult that we had anticipated.  I had an idea of what I wanted and some pictures I found to match it, but because we didn't want to have to run to Lowe's every hour and a half to get pieces and hardware we forgot, or didn't know we needed, we wanted to find plans.  I also knew I wanted the triple bunk bed to be stacked and not angled in different directions (because the purpose of making the beds was to give the 3 boys more room to play in their room), and those were the ONLY plans I was coming across

Until we found THESE PLANS and decided that we could make them work.  We were originally trying to find FREE plans but quickly realized that $9.95 wasn't too shabby for someone else's step-by-step idea on how to put them together.  I did't like all the busyness of the layout so we adapted it to make it look a little more simple.

Josh put together all of the measurements and a list of things we needed while I scoured the internet for coupons and deals.

Then we took our date over to Lowe's and shopped for lumber and hardware, because that's a super sexy thing to do on a hot date. (Really, I LOVE this kind of stuff!)

The next morning I played a gig with Josh but you better believe I got sanding as soon as I unpacked my gear.  I sanded for 5 hours straight until I had to pack back up and head to Journey for rehearsal.  I finished sanding as soon as rehearsal was over.

The next morning I began painting, which took the entire morning, afternoon, and all the way up until we had to get ready for a rehearsal dinner we were playing for.

Saturday was pretty much a blur of sawdust, drying boards and piecing together this massive bed.

We got a pretty good system down.  Josh would measure out where the holes needed to go, I would drill holes and then he would have them ready to fit together.  The kids would be home later that night and we still had some finishing touches to complete (like painting the boards that hold their mattresses) but in between showers and getting ready for the wedding we raced around cleaning up the house, finishing up last minute touches and making sure the beds were made.

You can see the two boards in the middle level we had to add for support.
We will eventually add 1 more on either end of each level.

So, I would say these plans were GREAT! And we love the finished product, but there was one oversight...the boards needed some extra support so Josh toenailed in a couple of boards for each layer and it works great.  I also think we would have given the bottom and middle levels an extra 1" but we were already second-guessing a triple bunk with our 8' ceilings.  Josh and I can fit on every level AND I'm pretty sure it can withstand any natural disaster that comes our way, ha!

We spent right at $200 out of pocket for the entire bed (plans included).

A secret window for Cai to climb in

We are going to use Jude's toddler bed mattress as long as we can, but he doesn't mind because
he gets an extra playing area on his level:)