/diy/ - Do It Yourself

Depends on how expensive plywood is in your area and how many tools you have access too. Without a bandsaw it'd be a pain to make.

you can build anything with 2x4's

clearly it is not buildable. I mean you have evidence that it is not buildable in your own photo.

now fuck of back to /hm/ like a proper homofag and leave carpentry to the real alpha males

i could knock one up for you as a special commission but you would have to pay top dollar and go through a chain of homos taking their slice in exclusive galleries, etc, making it unaffordable.

I don't have access to a band saw of my own, but places around here like ACE Hardware or Lowe's or whatever will usually cut the wood for you for free if you buy a certain dollar's amount worth. They also offer to do it for a fee if you bring your own wood, or buy under that dollar amount, and it's usually reasonable. I've done that before to replace shelves on a bookcase that I didn't want to throw out.

I'm just unsure on pretty much this whole project, haha. But it would help me have more space in my room, and give me the study area I want without taking up floor/wall space, so I'm willing to save the money and do it. I have a drill and access to a Dremel, plus all the other normal tools [pliers, wire cutters, hammers, hand saws, bolt cutters, etc.] I inherited from my dad.

>>306875
Stop shitting up this board, fuckhead.

>>306869
this, you can build anything with them

>band saw
no... just no.

learn some simple carpentry and just throw some 2x4s or 2x3s. try instructables for ideas. just remember, keep it square and level.

girl in a bunk-cage

>>306869
>>306907
Is there a structural advantage using 2x4s vs 4x4s? Or is it just more cost effective?

>>306935
It depends what you're doing with them. Bear in mind that most woods are about 500kg/cubic meter, and an eye estimate of the volume of the walls on top of that frame is around .4 or .5 of a cubic meter, so if you do want to use 2x4s don't build anything like what's in the OP.

tools needed
-tape measure
-square
-chalk line
-pencil
-circular saw
-hammer
-level
-possibly jigsaw

materials needed
-2x4s
-1/2" or 7/16" plywood
-16d common nails
-8d common nails
-sandpaper
-paint

build walls to your preference, plywood the walls, sand and paint.
if i did this for myself it'd probably be around $100 in material... if i did it for someone else i'd probably charge something like $250. three hour build(probably less), not including drying time of paint.

>>306941
>>306941
ie, it wouldn't hold all the weight? Granted, I know nothing about any of this, but what if I built the bottom entirely solid, and used PVC or piping to make rails, or only built two walls on? I only weigh about 120, and all I would have up there would be a lightweight desk and chair, wall mounted lamp, and some misc. books and school supplies.

not sure why 2x4s would not be enough to build a loft over a bed?
would easily hold up if designed/built properly. also good idea to attach the whole thing to the wall - attach to two walls even better if in a corner as in OP's pic.
making a simple sketch now - will post in a bit...

>>307108
Thanks! :) Yeah, I planned on putting it in a corner, and I know anchoring is a definite must.

OK... version 1 sketch showing structure.
not 100% complete or anything just a start of an idea on how this *might* be built (using mostly 2x4s) not including the bed or the book shelves next to the bed.

What is the top part of the frame for anyway?

Some kind of "wanking nook"?

>>307095
Just weight can be an issue, you need to make it hollow and keep an eye on how much wood is being used. There's no reason to actively avoid using plywood, unlike what >>306907
seems to be saying, it would certainly beat finding a reasonably priced rip saw and making boards and/or planing down innumerable 2x4s. I would anchor it to the wall since you can and it'll be a little top heavy whatever you do. You are presumably sleeping under it after all, and it doesn't take long to do.

>>307141
Wary of that very long piece on the leg, it'll be a pain to correct if it warps. If you're standing on it, some of the load supporting members look a little weird and/or thin. I'm talking mostly about the bottom 2x4 of the wall that seems to be taking all the load from the slats. You might want to make it so it isn't taking stress under torsion, wood is generally crap under torsion.

>>307149
it's obviously a fort. gosh, did you not have a proper childhood?

>>306935
4x4's are overkill

>>307141
Thanks for this! I'll definitely save it for later reference.

>>307149
It's just an area where I would keep my school or other academic/smart crap. This would prevent me from having to take up floor space with a traditional desk, as I don't have a lot of it.. Could also double as my DIY area.

>>307160
I actually planned on having it be a top half, and a bottom half. I don't know for sure, but it looks like there is a seam where the two meet in the photo. When I started planning this, it didn't seem to me that it would be different than building any other loft bed, except that I would be doing a lot more finishing work, and have to make sure the top was sturdy enough to hold at least double my weight, maybe a little more. Was that an incorrect assumption? haha.

>>307163
Haha, exactly! :)

>>307160
I was thinking the long piece might help make the wall/rail on the upper part stronger.
if the whole thing is wrapped in plywood and painted prolly don't need to worry about warpage due to moisture getting into the wood.
the legs could have some doubled up 2x4s or even go with a 4x4 to beef them up a bit but I know that two 2x4s attached to each other in an "L" shape is very strong - used that method to hold up my front porch roof for more then a year - outdoors in the weather (rain and snow) no problems what so ever until finally got around to rebuilding the whole porch and put in proper columns etc.

>>307167
I think the seam is just a design element as are the circles in the legs... probably cut into/carved out of the "skin" of the loft.

maybe easier to use the upper loft area as the bed/sleep area and desk etc under...
does OP have the required high ceiling as in the OP pic? 8 ft. ceiling isn't gonna cut it for this type design.

>>307167
All sounds good, but if you don't install in-ceiling speakers in the bottom of it i'll be vastly unhappy... vastly

>>307181
Ha! yeah, imagine that rock climbing wall with a 9 foot ceiling!

is that a midget bed in the op pic? might want to take that into account if that drawing has dimensions...

Every fucking post this stupid system apparently thinks is spam

OK... version 2...
- added detail (dimension) to some of the upper wall pieces that didn't have it before.
- added top view detail for the legs.

time for sleep now........

>>307194
Your corner pieces shouldn't go to the ceiling, that's pointless. They support no weight that way.

>>307195
they don't... in the OP pic it appears that there is a few foot gap between the top of the loft "walls" and the ceiling... I'm assuming the loft walls are roughly 3 or 4 feet tall (or whatever is needed to not allow someone to fall over the side).
OP pic room does have high ceiling - guessing more then 9 feet. so the whole loft structure looks to be at minimum 8 feet tall maybe 9 feet? but at any rate it does not go all the way to the ceiling.

>>307195
they don't... in the OP pic it appears that there is a few foot gap between the top of the loft "walls" and the ceiling... I'm assuming the loft walls are roughly 3 or 4 feet tall (or whatever is needed to not allow someone to fall over the side).
OP pic room does have high ceiling - guessing more then 9 feet. so the whole loft structure looks to be at minimum 8 feet tall maybe 9 feet? but at any rate it does not go all the way to the ceiling.

-or-
if you mean the one out of 2 or 3 pieces that make up the leg that goes to the top of the loft wall - the one long board helps the upper wall strength at the corner and the other 1 or 2 pieces support the loft floor.

>>307201
>the one long board helps the upper wall strength at the corner

Who the fuck gives a shit about the upper wall strength? It's not load bearing. What IS load bearing is the corner there and you've taken the main structural support out of it.

>>307195
they are adding lateral (sideways) strength to the loft walls.
i.e. to resist someone leaning against them.
so no, they don't support weight pressing down on them but do support sideways weight from pushing over the loft wall.

>>307205
if someone is sitting on the loft floor with back again the loft wall it DOES need to have some strength so it doesn't just snap off at the floor line.

the other 2 pieces of wood NEXT TO the long board are supporting the loft floor from under. they are supporting the loft floor structure... it a combo unit - supports both the floor AND the wall at the same time in one unit... geeez is it so hard to see that?

>>307194
fixed

>>307208
>>307206
you've got a single upright 2x4 in the corner providing the majority of the load bearing strength. For the walls on the upper half I'd just have support beams going all the way to the ceiling at the edges.

>>307209
yes, there you go. Except I'd also make the back left and front right legs also only go to the platform base instead of all the way up.

>>307208
>>307201
maybe this helps illustrate it...

>>307216
I understand your reasoning. I just think it's wrong. The potential lateral force is so much less than the GUARANTEED vertical force that corner is going to see.

>>307181
I don't like sleeping up high like that. Otherwise, I'd just buy a regular loft bed from IKEA or whatever and build an enclosure around the bottom.

I'm pretty sure I have the ceiling height. We have vaulted ceilings. Also, I could make the bottom part shorter, if need be. Or the entire thing. It really doesn't matter. I'm under five feet tall, and I don't plan to be standing on my bed or on the top part either. :P Just sitting or sleeping.

>>307209
if you notice on the top view of the floor structure there is a doubled up beam at both ends. the one behind does the supporting to the corner long board - the one in front is mostly cosmetic so the edge of the floor structure is flush faced withe the corner post.

your fix weakens the lateral (sideways) strength of the loft wall - that's the whole point of having at least one board go the full height.

I would think any post going all the way to the ceiling would just get in the way - but yes it would be an option that would work to make sure the loft wall was strong laterally.

didn't draw the back corner leg figured it was assumed. or, if the loft floor is well bolted to the two walls (in the corner of a room) you really wouldn't need that 4th leg in the corner.

>>307219
there are two 2x4s doubled up in the corner holding up the corner of the loft floor - how is that not strong enough? then the long board is attached to the 2 doubled up 2x4s for a total of 3 2x4s making up the corner post unit...

>>307224
sketch to illustrate corner post design that will support the loft floor as well as the loft wall at the same time.

>>307216
i know what you're saying. but im pretty sure you could get some beefy brackets that you can use on the interior of the 2x4's that will be covered by plywood

>>307227
oh i see it now. youre good to go then.

>>307228
true, brackets like that would also work.
just thinking maybe my idea is an easier solution vs. having angled re-enforcement brackets all over the place.
also thinking brackets like that could be used under the floor attaching it to the legs if one felt more "connection" was needed there. at least there they would be hidden.

>>307227
continuation of this sketch...
show how loft floor would interlock with post...
of course brackets could be added underneath for "extra safety" if wanted.

>>307272
>>307273
rough-n-tumble solution however OP doesn't want bed on upper level.