Replies

1. 
   BG | Aug 29, 2003 08:10pm | #1

   Jagwah,

   We were not allowed to modify a whole lot from the plans Purdue sent us for my kids.  However, I did manage a shelf up above his head for the radio and mini fan...as well as a book shelf just on the underside of the mattress.  I put a nice office chair and puter table under there so he could focus on school work...sigh...why is it when you go to college you want the least amount of value you can get for your money...

1. 
   jagwah | Aug 29, 2003 08:19pm | #3

   why is it when you go to college you want the least amount of value you can get for your money...

   You got money left?

   Actually my daughter got maximum value, high skilled labor and a fast and clean work crew for free.

   I figured it out, that, that loft bed will cost me about $5500.00 after scholarships yearly to maintain. 8(

   Maybe in a couple of years I can recoup some cost on E-Bay!

2. 
   DavidxDoud | Aug 30, 2003 11:10pm | #11

   congrats on your kids at Purdue - I've got two there at the moment - are you connected with the university other than your children? - -

   not to hijack so here's a pict of the loft in my daughters room - - it was inherited and has been around in different incarnations for 8 years - daughter is in an older dorm and this room has 9' ceilings -

   
1. 
   BG | Aug 31, 2003 12:18am | #13

   David,

   My kids graduated in 98(boy) and 99(girl) and I've got my last at UMASS starting her sophmore year.  I'm not affilitated with Purdue..just respect it a whole lot.  UMASS has been very good to my little one also.

   My gaughter stuck around W. Lafayette and is teaching school, married, and has a nice ash table with turned legs....can you imagine what'll be like when the grandkids come along.:-)

1. 
   DavidxDoud | Aug 31, 2003 02:03am | #14

   indeed,  congrats again - - It's hard to think that it was 30 years ago that I was at Purdue - - it was impressive then,  but ever more so now - the degree has always served me well - pleased and proud my girls have chosen to go there - they weren't required to - - our junior is thriving on the opportunities,  study abroad,  research - - and I'm confident our freshman will have all the support necessary for success - the only furniture I have done for them is a roll around,  drop leaf cart that holds the tv/etc,  microwave,  and refridge - and the printer shelf -

   best regards,  DOUD

1. 
   BG | Aug 31, 2003 02:43am | #15

   David,

   It just amazes me that a state that could produce a school like Purdue could also produce IU...oh well, there was cain and able ...sigh.  Let the games begin...lol

2. 
   DavidxDoud | Aug 31, 2003 03:06am | #16

   well,  Hoagy Carmichael - - Ernie Powell - - I give IU credit - My g-grandparents used to close up the farm after harvest and move to bloomington and board students for the winter - have to agree that it's taken a dive in recent history - - here's a pict of grandma (right) out of an album -

   
3. 
   DavidxDoud | Aug 31, 2003 03:12am | #17

   actually,  here's one I like better - thanks for the excuse to look at the old picts -

   
4. 
   DavidxDoud | Aug 31, 2003 03:30am | #18

   here's one more,  I hope I don't bore - anyone else major in 'campustry'?

   (title) "bad state of affairs.  Too late for reform - all credits lost except in campustry - at in(?) his 15 hour course." 6-18-11

   
5. 
   BG | Aug 31, 2003 03:50am | #19

   David,

   Thanks for sharing...great pics....the Chicks are lovely..I think I have a crush on the one in white....lol

2. 
   milanuk | Aug 29, 2003 08:11pm | #2

   Check out http://www.oploftbed.com for what seems to be a fairly popular design. I'm seriously considering it for one of our boys here at home. He ended up w/ the smallest room, and I mean *tiny* once all his stuff is thrown in (literally, sometimes ;p ).

   HTH,

   Monte

1. 
   jagwah | Aug 29, 2003 08:21pm | #4

   Very interesting. Bet he'll like it.

2. 
   tkleff | Mar 14, 2006 08:02am | #20

   Hi,

   Sorry for the rambling first message.  I do want to try this project -- but I'm worried I'm simplpy biting off more than I can chew. 

   Essentially, I'm moving into much smaller living accomodations.  I've had several loft beds in the past -- I've loved them (in Boston and New York).  Typically, I paid someone else to build them -- I didn't have the inclination or tools to make it happen. 

   But, now -- I am considering building the op loft bed.  see, http://www.oploftbed.com/index.php. 

   I'm moderately proficient with power tools.  I've built simple shelves; I constructed a loft bed (pre-fabricated) a decade ago.  But the idea of buying plans and putting it all together is a bit scary to me.  Not so much the assembly, but creating 45% angles with a saw; 90% angles with a drill (without a drill press), etc. 

   This bed doesn't have to be pretty -- just functional.  With a life span of probably 2-3 years -- max. 

   QUESTION 1:

   I know a store like home depot will cut wood -- but I think they limit it to two cuts per board. . . virtually no exceptions.  Are there other wood stores (dare I say a woodworker) -- that I could pay to make all of the cuts and holes?  If so, any idea what the cost would be?  (I mean I have no idea whether it would be $50 or $5,000. . . ). 

   QUESTION 2:

   I assume building a loft bed of this type would cost a small fortune to pay someone else to do.  If it were $500 I'd be tempted just to hire someone else to build it for me -- and I'd assemble it on site at the new abode. . . indeed, I think I'm going to paint it some funky colors too. 

   CONFESSION

   The truth is, I really do want to build this bed.  I just don't want to screw it up and waste my money. . .

   Help!

   -Craig.

   [email protected]

1. 
   PeteBradley | Mar 15, 2006 01:03am | #22

   Part of the appeal/mystique of college lofts is building them yourself. Based on what I saw in college, no matter what you build there will be worse ones out there, and better ones too. Get yourself a cheap circular saw and pick your own 2X4s from the big box store. Total cost of materials for something that will support a single matress is very reasonable.Diagonal corner bracing is critical. If the architecture of the room allows it to be wedged between two walls, that's extremely stable. Even setting up in a corner helps. My senior year loft was 8X8. I had a bed and a bureau up there, with stairs leading up. I had the advantage of an old room with 15' ceilings.One cool feature that's worth learning to make if you have room for it is a good stair. One method is to use 2X8 or 2X10 as stringers and use your circular saw to slice notches for the stairs about 1/2" deep. When you put it together, it looks great. Cheesy laddres work fine too though.Pete

3. 
   MarkC | Aug 29, 2003 09:02pm | #5

   My roommate and I built one that lasted for two years.  Frame stood over his bed with my mattress on the top level, bunk-style, and a desk built off the end.  We suspended a stereo cabinet from the bunk so that either of us could reach it w/o getting out of the bed.  The whole rig worked pretty well.  I never fell out but did crack my head on the ceiling a couple of times.

4. 
   domermatt | Aug 30, 2003 05:36am | #6

   Man that room looks big compared to mine. I built a loft for a room that i think was 10' by 16'. Two beds were parallel above the desks and a  recliner. Neither of us ever fell out of bed. Sure was some cramped living. The beds really made it feel like a cave, but the flourescent lights brightened the place nicely ;-P

   
1. 
   jagwah | Aug 30, 2003 06:59am | #7

   This dorm room is 14'-6"X10' with the wall behind me two closets. Yes small as yours. Hey great looking photo.

1. 
   10fingers | Aug 30, 2003 07:34am | #8

   Hello,

   Twenty five years ago when I was a Navy Corpsman attatched to the Marine Corps in Okinawa, we had four people in the size of your room.   It was unairconditioned.    We got by.   I think that our troops in Iraq may have more room, but I didn't get shot at.

   Chuck

1. 
   milanuk | Aug 30, 2003 08:10am | #9

   I hear ya! I was in the Navy not so long ago ('91-97) and the barracks on the sub base in Groton CT were about that size, maybe a little more. 2, 3, or 4 to a room, depending on rank. But it beat living on the boat!

   Monte

1. 
   EdHarrison | Aug 30, 2003 01:22pm | #10

   I once had an electric guitar with velcroe (hook and pile) all over the back of it. The way I stored it in my cramped qtrs. onboard USS Ranger (CV-61) in the mid-80's was simply velcroed to the bulkhead. It was so beat up, ugly and unique, no one dared to steal it. Amazing what all you can do with velcroe. I was in a three man officer stateroom which you probably think was the lap of luxury but it was pretty darned cramped. My hats off to submariners.

   Ed

   "Tractors are for work, not play." Mississippi State University Extensions Service

5. 
   wop | Aug 30, 2003 11:52pm | #12

          I went to Clemson University starting in 1979 that loft you built looks almost Identical to te one me and my roommate used for four years (both of us are now registered architects). By far the best thing you can do in a dorm room. Good job,your girl is lucky to have some one to do it for her. (Even if she will probably not realize how lucky she is for another 10 years).

                                                                        Philip

6. 
   JMadson | Mar 14, 2006 04:40pm | #21

   Here's my loft design from college. It's just 4x4's and 2x8's. This design assumes that the bed frames that came with the room can be attached to the wooden framework. If there's a set of bunk beds, chances are each bed frame is one solid piece and the headboard and footboards can just be unbolted and then rebolted to the 2x8's. The sketch attached is a view from the top down.
   Joe