Sweet Pea Bunk Bed

Attach the front vertical bed posts to the top horizontal brace with 2-1/2" pocket hole screws from the underside and glue, keeping the posts turned so their narrow edge faces the front. Attach the remaining two horizontal braces on the inside of the posts, wide face out — the middle brace 25-1/2" down from the top brace, the bottom brace 30-1/2" down from the middle, screwed and glued from the back so the boards sit flush with the front edge of the posts. Attach the two lower-opening vertical braces 26" in from each post's inside edge, leaving a 25" center opening. Check every board for level.

Attach the 2x2 bed rails to the inside of the frame's bottom and middle horizontal braces — the bottom rail flush with the bottom board's bottom edge, and the middle rail flush with the top of the middle board, for extra headroom in the lower bunk. Attach the front lower and upper trim pieces to the vertical posts, wide edge out, flush with the front face.

If you want arched windows, mark the arch locations on the upper panel piece and door opening per your own layout, using a large round object as a template for a clean, repeatable curve. Cut the first arch with a jigsaw, then use that cut piece as the pattern for every remaining arch on the same panel — freehanding each one separately almost never comes out identical.

Notch a 2-1/2" x 3/4" rectangle on center at each end of the lower and upper window sills, and dry-fit into the window openings — expect to do some fitting. Glue and nail the sills into place. Trim out each window's sides with 1x2 material, then the arched top trim, keeping edges flush and gluing and nailing throughout.

Attach all the lower and upper front panel boards, window edge panels, and center upper panel pieces to the frame. Fill nail holes, sand any rough edges, and touch up paint before moving on — the front panel is now complete.

Build the rear frame identically to the front frame — vertical posts, top brace, then the middle brace 25-1/2" down and the bottom brace 30-1/2" down from that, screwed and glued flush with the outside post edges. Attach the rear bed rails and the rear lower and upper trim the same way as the front.

Dry-fit the rear panel boards against the trimmed frame. For the upper section, either use solid boards or join painted scrap lengths at random with pocket screws to create a color-blocked panel — keep board width consistent within each row. Turn the assembled panel over, drill pocket holes along the top and bottom edges of each row roughly every 15", alternating placement row to row, then glue and screw the whole panel together before standing it up and screwing it to the frame.

Cut eight shelf brackets from 1x4 stock: mark 3-1/2" for the long side, cut a 45° angle, then trim 1/2" off the point with a straight 90° cut to leave a small ledge. Find the third board down from the top of the rear panel, mark 15" in from each end, and attach the first two brackets flush with that board's top edge using a nail gun and glue. Mark another 15" in from those and attach the remaining two. Glue the shelf boards to the panel and brackets and nail in place.

Assemble the frame pieces for each side panel, screwing rather than gluing the frame joints so the whole bed can still be disassembled and moved through a doorway later. Add the upper bunk opening's vertical and horizontal 2x4 pieces to one side panel only, positioned where the child will climb through to the top bunk.

Attach the upper and lower side panel trim flush against the outside edges of both side frames. Using glue and a nail gun, panel each side from the inside, working top to bottom — the upper sections use the narrower side-panel pieces near the bunk opening, and the lower sections alternate wide and narrow boards down to the bottom of the bed.

Attach the three shorter walls to the back wall with 2-1/4" screws and glue at the leg joints, then attach the front wall to the side walls. Check the whole assembly for square as you go.

Lay the mattress slats across the bed rails, spaced 8–10" apart and lined up along the rails. Screw down to secure. Fill any exposed fastener holes, sand every surface, and prime and paint the whole structure.