experiences with loft beds? - Page 2

[CarrieMF]

We have these http://www.canwood.com/products/whistler/index.html. They're a Junior Loft bed so not as high. I'm 5ft 4 & when I stretch my arms straight out that's the height of the bed which makes it EASY to change the sheets. We don't have any of the accessories for them, just the bed.

My kids are 6, 7 & almost 10 & they love them. They have reading nooks under them, my oldest has an extra sleeping area under her bed.

They hold up to 600lbs I believe

Friends of ours have the same junior loft and a regular loft bed. She wishes the regular loft bed was a junior one becuase of the changing the sheets issues and in the summer her dd is really hot.

[Tofu the Geek]

Originally Posted by CarrieMF

We have these http://www.canwood.com/products/whistler/index.html. They're a Junior Loft bed so not as high. I'm 5ft 4 & when I stretch my arms straight out that's the height of the bed which makes it EASY to change the sheets. We don't have any of the accessories for them, just the bed.

Unfortunately Canwood went out of business. Their last day is tomorrow I believe. I called them yesterday to see if they still had any loft bed and they have 2, but they aren't willing to ship them. And I am nowhere near Vancouver.

[mom2ponygirl]

Originally Posted by bigeyes

http://www.universityloft.com/produc...incategoryid=1

I like this idea, with seating underneath, but the desk outside. I think they had a similar set-up at the college beds site also, except it wasn't L shaped.

I love the look of some of these but minimum orders of 5, 10, or 50 make it a little difficult to do! Anyone know where to get these by single units?

[bigeyes]

Originally Posted by mom2ponygirl

I love the look of some of these but minimum orders of 5, 10, or 50 make it a little difficult to do! Anyone know where to get these by single units?

I would do their idea using plans from here and build it if I had it to do again.

http://www.collegebedlofts.com/

[Kabes]

I love Flexa also. They have a double bed and 3 heights to choose from plus the option of setting it up on the ground like a 'regular' bed. They are more $ but the options you have if you can swing the price makes it worth it IMO. We have four beds!

I had a loft from university lofts(?) when I was in college. It was very sturdy but basically unfinished wood. If you live near a college you can often pic up a loft cheap at the end of the school year ($50). If she changed her mind you could probably cut the legs off if it was wood.

[Tofu the Geek]

After looking at most of the loft beds, I am REALLY disappointed in the style of them (and so is DD). They seem to be either the cheap, metal look or the bland, wood look or geared toward younger kids (princess, pirate ship, etc.). We really would like one with a stylish footboard and headboard but can't seem to find one. Even the Flexa ones, looks like your kid is sleeping in a corral (due to it just being straight wood board walls surrounding the sleeping area).

Anyone know of any that have some more pizazz to them?

[CarrieMF]

Originally Posted by TechnoGranola

Unfortunately Canwood went out of business. Their last day is tomorrow I believe. I called them yesterday to see if they still had any loft bed and they have 2, but they aren't willing to ship them. And I am nowhere near Vancouver.

yes I know, but you could find something similar & honestly they wouldn't be hard to get someone to make.

[Tofu the Geek]

Originally Posted by CarrieMF

yes I know, but you could find something similar & honestly they wouldn't be hard to get someone to make.

I guess my point was that I had actually been looking at Canwood because of their quality (our bed is a Canwood and we love it). As for getting someone to make one, DH or my dad could easily do it, they have the skills, just not the time right now. They are building our 2 walkways, 2 sets of stairs so we can out of our house, putting a roof over our back deck and developing our basement. So, ya, we're going to buy and not make this bed. I'd think of hiring someone to do it, but becuase of our housing boom, contractors and handymen are seriously booked up. We can't find anyone to do a $15,000 roof job let alone a small, bed job.

[CarrieMF]

Where do you live? Thankfully here things have slowed down. We had to call the 1 guy a couple of times but he came out & did ours in 3 hours(I recommend NOT being home,lol) We've had him come out twice since then, the first he replaced the valves that they thought would be okay & didn't replace when they did the roof. The 2nd time he just caulked 2 things which DH could have done if he had gone up. Neither cost us anything. He's gone as far as 1 1/2 hours away to do jobs.

Evestrough is another story, dh needs to get on them again. They were supposed to come out & do a quote but never showed up.

If you have any small towns around you they're often easier to get guys.

a year ago the problem was they only wanted the big jobs & wouldn't take time out to do small jobs(our roof was only $3000). Dh could have done the roof but I wanted it done in a day so I was willing to pay & this way I didn't have to clean anything up after either.lol

[LionessMom]

i had a loft bed until i graduated HS and moved out. DS has a loft bd as well. both were built by hand. mine by my dad and DS by his SD.
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...albumId=866246
i dont know if this link will work. if not you can go to my myspace in my saiggy and look at my open pics. i have 4 pics of the loft bed DH built for DS.

[AbundantLife]

I bought two of those metal Ikea loft beds for my boys but got rid of them after a year. They are too high (head on the ceiling problem), they seem rickety when they moved around on them, and the space underneath wasn't as useful as I thought it would be. Not only that, but they were extremely difficult to assemble.

[mom2ponygirl]

Hmm...just heard another concern about loft beds from a friend. She mentioned increase in fire danger, since smoke and heat rise. Anyone explored this issue? I'm still exploring our options though. Increased space versus miniscule amount of risk I think.

[bestjob]

DD's room is teeny tiny, so the only bed that would fit is an IKEA bed with a desk underneath. She hasm't been scarred for life, and I've heard a few metallic clunks and bangs as she's shifted around. Even her loudest clunks and clangs haven't lead anyone to wake up, just notice.

In our case, the choice of the loft bed was the only choice possible. So, maybe what I'm wondering is this.. are you maybe trying to make things perfect in an imperfect world? If your kids have to live in your house, what can you get that fits their room?

[LionessMom]

the loft bed my DH made (which is in the open pics of my myspace in my sig) is screwed to the studs in the wall. it doesnt move. very sturdy.

[bigeyes]

Originally Posted by bestjob

DD's room is teeny tiny, so the only bed that would fit is an IKEA bed with a desk underneath. She hasm't been scarred for life, and I've heard a few metallic clunks and bangs as she's shifted around. Even her loudest clunks and clangs haven't lead anyone to wake up, just notice.

In our case, the choice of the loft bed was the only choice possible. So, maybe what I'm wondering is this.. are you maybe trying to make things perfect in an imperfect world? If your kids have to live in your house, what can you get that fits their room?

???

What does that mean?

I think whether or not the clanging bothers a person depends on how light of a sleeper they are and how much their child moves around. My dsd barely moves at all, where ds clangs around so much his wall has marks and both dh and I are distracted and annoyed by the noise he makes banging his bed around as he settles in to sleep and even as he moves around in his sleep. He's an extremely active and noisy sleeper and the metal Ikea loft bed is very loud. He gets it honest, I've been known to wake up with my head at the foot of the bed, too, in my younger years.

I have fibromyalgia and difficulty sleeping. If my sleep is disrupted I get killer migraines, so anything that disturbs my sleep is a big deal.

Trying to make things perfect in an imperfect world? Hardly. Just trying to get a decent night of sleep, and giving an honest answer to the OP's question about my experience with loft beds, as asked. Why the snark?

If rattles and squeaks don't bug you, great, but for other people who could regret the decision to buy the same noisy bed, maybe it's helpful to know this information.