NotchLoading plan…
Loading plan…
Use your browser's Print (Ctrl/Cmd + P) and choose Save as PDF. This page works offline once you've opened it with a signal.
A twin loft bed built as an enclosed fire-truck cab — plywood walls on three sides, a ladder side, a windshield side, and a bolt-together frame so it can come apart for moving.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L | Material | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front wall panel | 1 | 3/4" × 48" × 80" | Plywood | ☐ |
| Front wall legs | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 64 1/2" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Front wall top rails | 3 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 80" | 1x4 | ☐ |
| Ladder decorative rungs Both ends cut at 30° off square, ends parallel to each other. | 6 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 19 1/16" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Truck wheel Cut a 24" circle and trim off the bottom ~6" so it reads as a wheel behind the cab. | 1 | 3/4" × 24" × 24" | Plywood or round tabletop blank | ☐ |
| Windshield side panel | 1 | 3/4" × 48" × 37 1/2" | Plywood | ☐ |
| Windshield side legs | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 64 1/2" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Windshield window sill | 1 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 37 1/2" | 1x6 | ☐ |
| Window mullions | 5 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 16" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Ladder side panel | 1 | 3/4" × 48" × 37 1/2" | Plywood | ☐ |
| Ladder side legs | 3 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 64 1/2" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Ladder rails | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 48" | 2x2 | ☐ |
| Ladder rungs (working) | 5 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 15 3/4" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Back wall legs | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 64 1/2" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Back wall top rails | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 80" | 1x4 | ☐ |
| Back wall sill | 1 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 80" | 1x6 | ☐ |
| Mattress support cleats | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 75" | 2x2 | ☐ |
| Bucket sides | 2 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 16" | 1x10 | ☐ |
| Bucket legs | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 14 1/4" | 2x2 | ☐ |
| Bucket bottom | 1 | 3/4" × 23 1/2" × 16" | Plywood | ☐ |
| Item | Qty | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| 3/4" plywood or MDF, 4x8 sheet The four wall panels — front, back, and both sides. | 2 each | ☐ |
| 1x2 board, 8 ft (Pine) | 4 each | ☐ |
| 1x3 board, 8 ft (Pine) Wall trim, ladder rungs, and framing — the bulk of the parts count. | 16 each | ☐ |
| 1x4 board, 8 ft (Pine) | 8 each | ☐ |
| 1x6 board, 8 ft (Pine) | 2 each | ☐ |
| 2x2 board, 4 ft (Pine) One for the ladder rails, two more for mattress-support cleats. | 3 each | ☐ |
| 1x10 board, 6 ft (Pine) | 1 each | ☐ |
| Carriage bolts, 3" with nuts and washers Bolts the four wall panels together — keep this removable for moving the bed later. | 16 each | ☐ |
| Finish nails, 1-1/4" | 200 each | ☐ |
| Wood glue | 8 oz | ☐ |
| Exterior/interior paint, fire-truck red and accent colors | 2 quart | ☐ |
Overall cost: $$$$. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Circular Saw, Jigsaw. Materials: 3/4" plywood or MDF, 4x8 sheet, 1x3 board, 8 ft, 1x4 board, 8 ft
Cut the front plywood panel to size and lay out the window and door openings before cutting them with a jigsaw — paint it now if you're painting, while it's flat on sawhorses. Attach the leg trim to the outside edges (nail from the back to hide holes), keeping bottom and outside edges flush, then add the top rails.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Jigsaw. Materials: 3/4" plywood or MDF, 4x8 sheet, 1x3 board, 8 ft
Trim out the window and door openings, then attach the decorative angled 1x3 rungs across the front to read as a ladder, and the cut plywood wheel below them. These pieces are decorative but also tie the front railings together structurally, so don't skip fastening them well.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Circular Saw, Jigsaw. Materials: 3/4" plywood or MDF, 4x8 sheet, 1x2 board, 8 ft, 1x3 board, 8 ft, 1x6 board, 8 ft
Cut the windshield-side plywood panel and its angled windshield opening. Attach the leg trim (inset 3/4" from the panel edge — a scrap 1x makes a quick spacer gauge) and top rails, then the window sill and mullions.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Circular Saw, Jigsaw, Speed Square. Materials: 3/4" plywood or MDF, 4x8 sheet, 1x3 board, 8 ft, 1x6 board, 8 ft
Cut the ladder-side panel and its window opening, attach legs inset the same 3/4" as the other side, and check the ladder support framing is square all the way up before you fasten the ladder rails on. A racked ladder opening is obvious and annoying to fix after the fact.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Drill / Driver. Materials: 1x2 board, 8 ft, 1x3 board, 8 ft, 1x4 board, 8 ft, 1x6 board, 8 ft, 2x2 board, 4 ft, Carriage bolts, 3" with nuts and washers
Build the actual climbing ladder from the two rails and rungs and bolt it to the ladder-side trim. Then build the open back wall — legs, top rails, and sill, with no plywood panel, since this is where the mattress loads in.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Level. Materials: Carriage bolts, 3" with nuts and washers
Stand the four wall panels up and bolt them together at the corners with the 3" carriage bolts, washers, and nuts — this is best done in the room the bed will live in, since it's much easier than moving an assembled loft bed through a doorway. Check the whole structure is level and square before tightening every bolt fully.
For heavier loads or a taller loft height, add an extra center leg under the back wall.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Random Orbit Sander. Materials: 3/4" plywood or MDF, 4x8 sheet, 2x2 board, 4 ft, 1x10 board, 6 ft
Screw the mattress-support cleats to the inside faces of the side walls (2x2 cleats give more meat to screw slats into than 1x), then rest slats or a bunkie board across them.
Build the bucket last — by this point it's a straightforward small box from the 1x10 sides, 2x2 legs, and plywood bottom. Sand every edge on the whole bed before moving a mattress in.