It’s contagious, y’all. The building bug, I mean. Once you see just how easy, affordable, and gratifying it is to build your own furniture,
you.
just.
won’t.
stop.
Take for instance, my new neighbor, Kristle. When I learned she enjoys refinishing furniture as a hobby, I knew we’d get along like two peas in a pod. This was the first time she’s ever built something from scratch, with her own two hands. But it was only a matter of time, really, because her husband builds houses. No big deal.
As much as we move around, it’s unbelievable that we’ve always gotten awesome neighbors (knock on wood… heh. See what I did there?). Sure, it’s one thing to ask your neighbor to keep an eye on your house while you’re out of town, but it’s a whole ‘nother thing to have neighbors that you genuinely like and enjoy spending time with. What a blessing.
So when Kristle asked me to introduce her to the world of furniture-building, picture me, maniacally rubbing my hands together, cackling, “I’ll get you yet, my pretty.”
Okay, that was weird. I apologize. But seriously, now I have a DIY partner-in-crime and our husbands have no idea what they’re in for. Before they know it, they’ll be all ‘Daddy Daycare’ in the kitchen, while their wives are all ‘Tim Taylor’s Tool Time’ in the garage. We might even hire a Pamela Anderson look-alike to hand us tools while we work and we’ll be all like, “Boys! Get in the kitchen and bake us a pie!”
Anyone else find this role reversal amusing?
Well, that was quite a tangent. Okay, moving on. So here’s our first project: a ‘big boy’ bed for their almost-4-year-old son:
This was Kristle’s first build, y’all. So stinkin’ gorgeous, right? See what I’m saying? You just won’t believe how do-able it is to build something and you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. And with Ana White’s free plans, it’s so easy, even Pamela Anderson could do it (I’m assuming… since she already knows her way around wood, I mean). Oh! Snap!
We used the plans for the Kentwood Twin Bed. Here are our cut pieces:
And because this bed is for her little boy, Kristle chose to use Purebond Plywood because it’s non-toxic,formaldehyde-free, and made from sustainable wood. Just another bonus to DIYing: we love that we’re able to use the safest materials for our families.
Here we are, happily hammering along. It took us no time at all to get this bed built… maybe a few hours or so.
So much easier and more fun to build with a friend!
I love the slats on the head and footboard. It’s perfect for a little boy!
And we attached the 2×4 legs. Who knew 2x4s could look so good?
These are the side rails. We chose to fasten the support cleats flush to the bottom edge to allow room for the box spring and the mattress.
Then we toted the pieces across the street to Kristle’s house, where she sanded, stained, and sealed it. And by ‘we toted it’ I mean, ‘Adam loaded it up in his truck, drove over to her house, and unloaded everything.’ Same difference.
Here it is, all done! I’m so excited it turned out so well! Kristle says I’ve created a monster and I tell her it’s only the beginning… the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Budget Breakdown:
Lumber: $35
Purebond Birch Hardwood Plywood: $46.97
Stain (Early American) & sealer: already owned
Total cost: $81.97
This is awesome! Thank you for such a detailed post! We are going to build this for our soon-to-be big boy when he’s out of the crib. Quick question: Is there a box spring on that bed or does the mattress rest on top of the frame?
Thanks, Renee! Yes, there’s a box spring under the mattress. I’d love to see pics when you’re done! Good luck!
Good to know, thanks! I will share pics when we are done! It’s totally an epidemic, we want to build beds for everyone now!
Amazing! Fantastic bed for an incredible price! How wonderful to have a neighbor to build with. 🙂
Great job!
Haha! You crack me up, Jen. Love that the string of good neighbors just keeps going for you guys. We haven’t quite filled the Henderson hole here. 🙁 No one has offered to make me furniture, anyways.
The bed looks great. And I’m totally picturing Adam and unnamed-neighbor-husband rolling their eyes. Perfect.
you’re so funny! this bed is amazing, nice work!
I’ve been lurking here for awhile…and I’m just going to come out and say it: you’re such an inspiration! I am so inspired by all of your projects. Seriously. Proving it: I just bought a compound miter saw and my husband was like….”whaaat???” haha. I MUST build something. So, just a question (or two) – what other tools do you suggest for a beginner? I’m guessing a kreg jig. Anything else? And second, do you use a palm sander when sanding, or do it by hand? Thanks so much for sharing your projects….they really are motivating!! Janna
Thanks for the kind words, Janna! You can do it! And yay for the miter saw… so exciting. I definitely recommend the Kreg Jig – I can hardly build without it. A good drill, measuring tape, and carpenter’s square, and you’ll be good to go to start building something! Of course, safety gear (safety glasses, hearing protection), and when you’re building on your knees on the garage floor, a pair of knee pads will save your life! I usually use a palm sander… makes sanding so much easier and faster! Good luck!
Thank you Jen!!
Be my neighbor, please! I have the interest, but I need a buddy who has the tools I need and the knowledge to help me gain some skills and confidence.
I can’t believe how simple and classy those head/foot-boards look! We are boardless and are in dire need of a DIY headboard and footboard!! Keep up the great work.
Hello! I just have a quick question to ask you. For the plywood, was it one board that you used to make the head board and footboar? I’m making two beds, and needed to know how many pieces of plywood I would need. Thanks so much for your help!!
We used 1 sheet of 4×8 plywood for 1 bed. We had some left over, but I’m not sure if it was enough to build another bed. Good luck!
Thanks!! Going to pick up my pure bond plywood now!! Since its pretty pricey, I wanted to make sure I got exactly what I needed.
How did you fasten the head and foot board to the 2×4 legs?
Hi Jonathan,
I attached the head/foot boards to the legs with pocket hole screws. See step 4 of the plans. Hope that helps!
How far off the floor is the bed? We currently have our 3 year old & 18 month old in 1 toddler bed (their choice – there is another toddler bed in their room). And a twin would give them a bit more space. At some point I’d like to add a trundle under the twin, so that’s why I’m asking about the height (basically from the floor to the bottom of the side rails.
Thanks!
Hi Devin, I don’t think we made the bed high enough off the ground to accommodate a trundle, but that’s the beauty of DIY! You can modify your project to fit your needs! You can place the side rails at whatever height you’d like it to be so that you can fit a trundle underneath. What a great idea and good luck!
First of all I would like to say great blog!
I had a quick question that I’d like to ask if you don’t mind.
I was curious to know how you center yourself and clear
your head before writing. I’ve had a difficult time clearing my mind
in getting my thoughts out. I truly do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be wasted just trying to figure out how to begin.
Any suggestions or hints? Kudos!
Hi there fantastic website! Does running a blog such as
this take a great deal of work? I’ve virtually no expertise in coding but I was hoping to start my own blog in the near future.
Anyways, should you have any ideas or techniques for new blog
owners please share. I know this is off subject nevertheless I just
had to ask. Many thanks!
I see that you used plywood for this project but what was the rest of the wood used? Thanks!
We used whitewood/pine.
The lumber stores in my area don’t have pine in these sizes….am not sure but they might only have 2x4s and so the only lumber they have is douglas fir (DFC). They quoted the lumber as $428 with tax!!! Is that the going rate in my neck of the woods (SF Bay Area)? Am sad because I would love to make this.
Also, what stain did you use?