In some places, rent keeps getting higher and your living options keep getting tinier. You might find that your options consist of small studios that hardly have room for a nightstand, let alone a mattress.
Luckily, though, the murphy bed is an option that has saved people space for decades. We’re going to take a look at how you can build a murphy bed on a budget and save yourself a good deal of space and money.
Hopefully, the information we look at today gives you a solution to your issue and opens up your options a little bit. Let’s get started.
How to Build a Murphy Bed
To start, let’s examine what a murphy bed is. This is a type of wall bed that gets folded up against the wall when it’s not in use.
They provide a significant amount of space for people who don’t have much room to work with. That said, there’s an idea that murphy beds are uncomfortable, inconvenient, and hard to build.
These things don’t have to be true. Just because your aunt has an old, creaky murphy bed in her spare room doesn’t mean that yours is going to look or feel like it.
You can do your own thing, and it can be as comfortable as you’d like it to be. In fact, comfort is where you should start in the process.
Choose Your Bed
Take some consideration of space, but note that your bed can be as big as the wall you’re going to fold it up against. Most walls are two or three times the size of a bed, so there’s a chance you’ll be able to fit a queen-size mattress into the space without sacrificing too much room.
One thing to consider, though, is the fact that some mattresses run very deep. As it lays on the floor, try to find the most comfortable option that sits as low as possible.
This will save you some space when the bed is up horizontally. Further, you’ll need less wood and support for beds that are lighter and thinner. That said, sleep is important, so do your best to find a mattress that supports you.
Create a Cut List
The next thing to think about is the wood that you’ll use.
A cut list is just the series of boards that you’ll use to create the structure of the bed. Those measurements have to be specific to the space you’re placing the bed and the bed itself, however.
There’s not a good one-size-fits-all solution. That said, there are a few essential pieces that you’ll need to find.
You will need side rails, a foot rail, a headrail, face panel, headboard, vertical struts, headrails, mattress support board, and frame struts. You will also need a general frame for the mattress to fold up into as well as a hinge for the bed to rotate on when it’s being opened or closed.
Don’t Have Cutting Tools?
If you don’t have your own cutting tools, note that you can have specific pieces of wood made at most lumber yards or large hardware stores. If that’s the case, though, you have to be specific with the measurements before you make the order.
You don’t want to buy a load of wood and find that you don’t have the right pieces. You’d have to go back in to have the wood re-worked, and that gets costly.
When you’re not at liberty to adjust wood on the fly, we recommend following a set of specifications for a wall bed. You’ll get an exact product, although it might not be perfectly suited to your space.
If you do have tools, however, start by measuring out the perimeter of your mattress. Get those measurements, and work outward. Once you create the specifications for the size of the frame, you can get the measurements for support struts.
You can also establish the size of the wall perimeter that will house the. bed when it’s loaded upward. Further, you can establish the hinge mechanism and other aesthetic factors after that point.
The Essential Safety Factors
It might seem like building a murphy bed to save money is a dangerous or difficult thing to do. It’s true that it might be a slight challenge to make these beds on your own, but it’s not as dangerous or complex as you might think.
The key thing to ensure is that the hinge doesn’t fall down and drop the bed from the wall. Similarly, you have to make sure that the wall frame doesn’t fall from the wall.
Those two things are the essential points. Everything else is very rudimentary. You need a minimal frame for your bed that lifts it off of the ground to some small degree. You can do that with ten to twenty pieces of wood.
Take some time and do some research into the particulars of your hinge mechanism, though. Reinforce it with straps on the bottom side of the bed to latch when it is upward and stored.
It might be a good idea to ask for professional help when mounting the bed to the wall, though. Drywall can be weak in different areas, and the last thing you’d want to do is have the entire thing rip from your bedroom wall.
Further, it might take the wall down with it if you’ve got a mattress that’s heavy enough. These are things that do warrant professional insight.
Beyond that, though, you’ll find that the process is easier than you would have thought. You can do it yourself if you have a little time, some wood, and a mattress.
Need Help Building a Wall Bed?
Figuring out how to build a murphy bed might still sound a little tough to you. There’s a lot more we can say to help you get through the process. We’re here to help.
Explore our site for more insight into DIY murphy bed designs, building a wall bed, and more.
