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This is the bunk bed your grandparents' cabin had, built the way that cabin bed was built: four flat sections (two ends, a back, a front with the ladder built in), each assembled and finished on the floor, then BOLTED together — four 3" bolts per leg. The bolts are the design: bunk beds outlive bedrooms, and a bolted bed disassembles into flat panels that walk down a staircase. Screws are offered as an alternative only if you never plan to move it; plan to move it.
The legs are built up from 1x3s with trim pieces filling between the rails — measure and cut those trim fillers to their actual openings (the source's tip), because they're fitted parts, not precut parts. Fastener doctrine, straight from the source and correct: SCREWS at every structural joint, because bunk beds live under continuous kid-motion and nailed joints work loose; nails are for trim only.
The squaring lecture in step 2 matters more here than anywhere: each wall section must be a rectangle, because four parallelograms bolt together into a bed that leans. Match the diagonals on every section before the glue sets.
Two safety items that aren't in the source but belong to every bunk bed: the upper mattress must sit low enough that the rails stand at least 5" proud of it (check your mattress depth against the rail height BEFORE building), and slats get screwed down — a slat that shifts under a bouncing kid is a trapdoor. If the loads will be heavy, take the source's own advice and buy metal slat-support braces instead of the 2x2s.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x4, 10 ftRails. | 11 each |
| 2x2, 8 ftSlat supports. Metal braces are the heavy-duty upgrade — the source's own recommendation for rowdy sleepers. | 4 each |
| 1x3, 8 ftLegs, trim, and ladder — slats NOT included in this count. | 9 each |
| 1x3, 8 ft (bed slats)34 slats at 39" — follow your mattress maker's slat-spacing spec. | 14 each |
| Bolts, 3", with washers and nutsFour per leg. The knock-down system. | 16 each |
| Self-tapping wood screws, 2" | 50 each |
| Self-tapping wood screws, 1-1/4" | 100 each |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4" | 100 each |
| Wood glue | 8 oz |
| Wood filler and finish | 1 qt |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| End rails1x4 | 12 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 37 1/2" |
| Legs1x3 | 8 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 63" |
| Back and front rails1x4 | 8 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 80 1/2" |
| Front rails, short1x4Stop short for the ladder opening. | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 64" |
| Rail trim fillers1x3Measure each opening and cut to fit — fitted parts. | 12 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 3" |
| Trim fillers, long1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 22" |
| Bottom trim1x3 | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 8" |
| Slat supports2x2 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 75" |
| Ladder side1x3 | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 55" |
| Ladder rungs1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 19" |
| Ladder front trim1x3 | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 13" |
| Ladder trim1x3 | 6 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 10" |
| Front leg trim1x3 | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 35" |
| Bed slats1x3Spacing per your mattress maker's recommendation. Screwed down, never loose-laid. | 34 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 39" |
Buy 46 boards at 8 ft.
4 boards
16 boards
Assemble each end: rails between leg pairs, pocket screws from the inside faces (or countersunk 2" screws from outside). Screws, not nails, at every rail — the source is blunt about why: bunk beds take years of motion and nailed structure works itself apart.
Square each end by diagonals before setting it aside.
Mark the rail positions on two 63" legs, then glue and screw the long rails to the legs with 1-1/4" screws. Now the drill-sergeant moment the source insists on: measure BOTH diagonals, and if they disagree, push the long corners together until they match. Four square sections bolt into a square bed; anything else bolts into a lean.
Cut the 1x3 filler pieces to their ACTUAL openings between rails — don't pre-cut from the list; the fit is the look — and attach with 1-1/4" brads and glue. Trim is the one place nails are welcome here.
Glue and screw the 2x2 slat supports to the inside of the back rails, bottom edges flush, with 2" screws and — capital letters in the source — WOOD GLUE. For heavy kids or enthusiastic ones (all of them), substitute metal slat braces screwed to the rails.
Mark the front legs and the ladder side, then glue and screw the top-bunk rails, short lower rails, and ladder rungs — 1-1/4" screws. The ladder is built INTO the front wall, which is why it never wobbles the way strap-on ladders do.
Trim the front's openings to fit, same as the back.
Finish all four sections flat (fill, sand, paint or stain — flat panels finish in a quarter of the time), carry them to the bedroom, and bolt the corners: four 3" bolts with washers and nuts per leg. Snug them hard; re-snug after the first month of use.
Check the top rail height against your actual mattress — rails should stand 5" or more above the mattress top. Too-thick mattress? Thinner mattress, not shorter rails.
Cut and lay the 1x3 slats per your mattress manufacturer's spacing and screw every slat to the supports with 1-1/4" screws. Loose-laid slats shift; on a top bunk a shifted slat is a trapdoor. Screw them all.
Mattresses on, kids in, negotiations over who gets the top bunk begin immediately and never end.
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26 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →