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This is one of the most involved projects in the catalog: a full-height loft bed whose sides are closed in with plywood and dressed as a little house, complete with trimmed windows that open on hinges, a front door, a gable vent, and an integrated dowel ladder. It's a lot of parts and a lot of fitting, and the source plan deliberately gives cut lengths step-by-step rather than as one list, because so much is cut-to-fit — so treat the cut list below as the structural skeleton and measure the trim off the real assembly as you go.
The structure is a 2x4 platform frame skinned in 1/2" plywood, stood up on 2x4 legs, with 3/4" plywood house panels trimmed in 1x2s and 1x4s. Get the platform frame perfectly square before skinning it — every panel and every window that follows references off it, and a racked frame throws all of them out. The false-front trim measurements in the plan are explicitly approximations; take exact measurements on your actual build.
Two child-safety notes carry real weight here. Leave generous gaps around the hinged window and door panels so little fingers can't get pinched. And the finished bed must be anchored: screw the assembled bed into wall studs with screws at least 3-1/2" long on the open side — a full-height loft bed that isn't fixed to the wall is a tip-over hazard. This is a build to take slowly, dry-fitting as you go.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 3/4" plywood, 4x8 sheetHouse panels. | 4 each |
| 1/2" plywood, 4x8 sheetMattress platform. | 1 each |
| 2x4 board, 8 ftFrame, legs, ladder rails. | 6 each |
| 2x6 board, 8 ft | 1 each |
| 1x2 board, 8 ftWindow and panel trim — a bundle. | 12 each |
| 1x4 board, 8 ft | 3 each |
| 1x6 board, 8 ftWindow doors. | 2 each |
| 1x12 board, 8 ftFront door. | 1 each |
| 1-1/2" dowel, 8 ftLadder rungs. | 2 each |
| HingesWindows and doors. | 6 set |
| Wood screws, 2", 3", and 3-1/2"3-1/2" for anchoring to studs. | 150 each |
| Finish nails and glue | 16 oz |
| Paint | 48 oz |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bed frame sides2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 75" |
| Bed frame studs2x4 | 6 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 36" |
| Mattress platform1/2" plywood | 1 | 1/2" × 39" × 75" |
| Corner uprights2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 51 1/2" |
| Top rail 2x42x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 48" |
| Top rail 2x62x6 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 48" |
| Side house panel3/4" plywoodAdditional house panels cut to fit per the step-by-step plan. | 1 | 3/4" × 39 3/4" × 72" |
| Ladder rails2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 52" |
| Window doors1x6Cut to your window opening. | 2 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 21" |
| Front door1x12Cut to your door opening. | 1 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 40" |
Buy 14 boards at 8 ft.
2 boards
8 boards
1 board
1 board
1 board
1 board
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 →
Build the bed frame from two 2x4 sides at 75" and six 2x4 studs at 36", screwed with 3" screws. Make it perfectly square — every panel and window downstream references off this frame.
Cut 1/2" plywood at 75" x 39" and attach it to the frame with 2" screws and glue, outside edges flush. Confirm the frame is perfectly square before fastening the plywood — the sheet locks in whatever shape the frame is holding.
Screw the 51-1/2" 2x4 corner uprights to the bed frame (bottoms flush with the plywood), then add the 48" 2x4 and 2x6 top rails, 2x4 first with bottom edges flush, then the 2x6 keeping the outside corner flush. This is a three-sided house; the open side gets screwed to the wall studs.
Skin the sides with 3/4" plywood and trim out the false front with 1x2s and 1x4s. The plan's dimensions here are approximations — take exact measurements off your build. Trim windows with 1x2s (sides first, then top and bottom), and add the gable vent, whose vertical pieces also help hold the two plywood sheets together.
Cut the window doors from 1x6s and the front door from 1x12s to your openings, and hang them on hinges — leaving a generous gap around each so little fingers can't get pinched. This gap is a safety requirement, not a cosmetic choice.
Build the ladder by boring 1-1/2" holes in the 2x4 ladder rails and gluing the dowels in. Finish the entire bed as desired. Then assemble: screw the legs on securely and screw the bed into wall studs on the open side with screws at least 3-1/2" long. A full-height loft bed must be anchored to the wall — do not skip it.
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