You Can Make This Loft Bed in a Weekend // With Build Plans

Beds are EXPENSIVE and we have made so many different types – check out this custom designed loft bed Bob and Josh made. You can make it (and others like it) with the build plans!

Josh spent a ton of time researching the best loft bed for his son and couldn’t find what he really wanted. Not to mention everywhere had quality loft beds for $1,000 and up. Instead of putting a car down payment on a bed, he hopped into Fusion 360 and designed a custom loft bed with a built in desk, shelving, and closet. 

1. Loft Bed Checklist
2. Loft Bed Build Plans
3. Loft Bed Desk
4. Put it Together

1.Loft Bed Checklist

When designing the bed, Josh had to keep in mind several things. First, maximizing the vertical space. He wanted both boys to have their own individual, custom spaces so that meant having to use the vertical space which lead to a loft bed style. Second, customizable. Not only did he want it custom for his son and bedroom, but he wanted to offer customizable options for build plans, too. Third, minimal tools. Working in a small bedroom or even in an apartment, there’s not a lot of space for large tools. Fourth, Easy to build. Beds are pretty simple construction!

2.Loft Bed Build Plans

After the design was completed, Josh used the build plans and took the cut list to the hardware store for them to cut. They were able to cut the plywood down to the exact dimensions needed – for free. Basically, if you don’t have a table saw or a circular saw, you can have huge sheets of plywood cut down for you at the hardware store. 

Using the plans, Josh knew which pieces needed pocket holes – spoiler: it was a billion pocket holes. We used two different type of pocket hole jigs for the bed – both of which can be purchased at local hardware stores. The plans also showed where edge banding was needed. Since most pieces were cut at the store, it didn’t take long to get the pocket holes and edge banding completed. To cut the closet door handle and the ladder to get to the loft bed, Josh used a jigsaw. At this point, we have used minimal tools to get this bed prepped to be put together. 

3.Loft Bed Desk

For this version of the loft bed, Josh used a huge slab of wood he got off Facebook Marketplace. For the desk, you can easily use pre-made butcher block counter tops and you can have those cut down to the size needed for the desk. Josh used the CNC to carve out the desk pieces and milled it down to size. There were a few places that needed to be filled with epoxy. Using a bright blue hue, he mixed some Total Boat expose and filled the gaps. 

4.Put it Together

Once the bed was painted and the epoxy dried, it was time to put the bed together. The plans Josh and Forby created allowed us to know step by step what to do to get the bed put together in the small space. To finish up the closet door, Josh used a Kreg hinge jig to make the perfect size for the hinges. Tons of pocket hole screws later, we had a completed bed. Finally, Bob added remote controlled puck lights to the undersize of the bed over the desk for additional light. 

Above all, this loft bed looks amazing and Josh’s son loves it. This was also just one of the 3 loft bed designs that are included in the build plans. The best part of the build plans is the included QR code to see the bed as an AR model in your space. You can do this before you even buy the plans to see how it will fit in your room.  

In conclusion, if you make this bed or others included in the plans, be sure to tag us!