To think building this bed ourselves is impossible

[Justalittlelemondrizzle]

My youngest daughter is the the box room which also has a stair bulkhead box which is stopping us putting the bed in a place that will give dd so much more room. We've had a few quotes froom people to build a special bed that will go over the stair box but it is so expensive and we just can't afford it.
Dh has said he can build a bed. But I want it to look right and he says I have no faith in him. He's never built anything other than flat pack before but is pretty handy and has helped install a basic kitchen with his dad before.
I've suggested buying a basic mid sleeper bed and cutting the legs down to the correct size so that one end of the bed sits on the box and the other side is held up with the original legs then buying some drawers to go underneath. He doesn't think this is a good idea and wants to make it from scratch.

Where the hell do we start?
I'm seeking advise from all you wise mumsnetters!
We have been promising her this bed for ages and we ideally want it done before Christmas.
Help!

We live in a tiny old cottage and DS's high sleeper only gave him about a foot of headroom because of our stupidly low ceilings.

Ten minutes with a pipe cutter later, and the bed is now a mid sleeper and totally unaffected by its unceremonious amputation. It sounds like it would be an ideal option for your DD's room

Have a look at Ikea Hacks: www.ikeahackers.net/category/hacks/children/beds-children

Thanks guys. I definately think it would be the quickest and easiest way. He says he doesn't want to spent £100 on a bed to chop it up. Arrgghh. This is why it hasn't been done yet...

actually Pinterest has even better hacks:

uk.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=ike%20bed%20hacks&rs=typed&term_meta[]=ike%7Ctyped&term_meta[]=bed%7Ctyped&term_meta[]=hacks%7Ctyped

How much would the materials cost to build a bed from scratch? Do you have all the right tools already or would you need to buy a saw/sander anything else? It might be cheaper to buy a bed and customize it.

Watch stepbrothers with your DH as to why it's a bad idea to build a bed with no experience!

I like your idea.

Posted too soon.

It'll probably end up being more expensive to make one from scratch. Like trying to wallpaper for he first time. You nearly always end up wasting loads of rolls before learning how to do it properly. False economy I reckon.

We have done exactly this in our house OP. I bought a mid-sleeper cabin bed for DS who has the same problem with stair bulkhead in his room. We cut down one leg of the bed (against the back wall) and then screwed the bed to the wall with really powerful nuts and bolts.
I would say unless your DH is very handy this would need intervention as it involved (huge) holes in the wall, holes in bed post, accurate shaping of cut down bed-leg, and knowledge of which wall bolts to buy!
We used BIL who is a carpenter.

Another option would be to buy a cheap pine single bed and then just replace the 4 leg pieces with timber cut to size ... at least then your DH wouldn't have to build the whole frame, slats, head and foot?

let him do it if he wants to :) he maybe wants the challenge - and if he can help fit kitchens a couple of bits of wood nailed together shouldn't be too difficult - it is not a complex concept to build a bed, and the weight of your daughter probably won't stress the end result too much...

Of course! that's it. Basic single bed and we will change the legs to fit! We can also add two more legs near the box for extra support so the bed isn't actually resting on the box. I can then add cube storage underneath to make it look proper! You clever clever people!

Justalittle we did this' with a single pine bed we got through Free cycle. Screwed the frame to the wall and the bulkhead, and used a very sturdy bookcase under the other end. It's really sturdy, even 18 stone DH has slept in it no problem.

I'm actually quite excited by this! There is still the small matter of having the radiator moved but we can actually afford to do it now we don't have to pay ridiculous amounts to a carpenter.

There is a reason a chippy is going to charge so much to make the bed from scratch - it will cost a lot in materials and is a skilled job!

Definitely 'hack' another bed to make it work. It will be so much easier.