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This is the most ambitious build in the catalog: not one piece of furniture but a complete integrated loft system for a tiny house — a queen platform bed with deep drawers underneath, a storage wall with a hidden compartment and tilt-out shoe cubbies, a loft floor overhead, and a pipe ladder and railing to reach it. It's carpentry as much as woodworking, and it's fastened into the house's actual framing, so treat it accordingly.
The backbone is a 4x4-post wall system lag-screwed to the studs — everything else hangs off that, so it has to be plumb, square, and genuinely anchored into framing, not just skin. The bed uses 2x8 mattress framing specifically to create a tall enough cavity for real drawers; if you skip the drawers, lighter 2x4 or 2x6 framing is fine. The loft floor uses 2x6 tongue-and-groove because the span over the doorway is close to 36" — don't cheap out to 1x material there.
Two honesty notes carried straight from the builder. First, every drawer and shoe cubby is built to fit its real opening and slides, not to a drawing — the listed sizes assume a perfect world. Second, the black-pipe ladder and railing are quick and good-looking but are explicitly not code-approved as guardrails; if people (especially kids) will use this loft, build the railing to a real guardrail spec and height. This is a permanent, load-bearing, fall-risk structure — build it to that standard.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 4x4, 6 ftWall posts — the structural backbone. | 2 each |
| 2x4, 8 ftWall framing, bed supports, wall cleats, loft floor framing. | 14 each |
| 2x8, 8 ftBed mattress framing. | 1 each |
| 2x8, 10 ftBed mattress framing. | 2 each |
| 1x6, 8 ftDrawer boxes. | 3 each |
| 2x6 tongue-and-groove flooringLoft floor / ceiling above. | 40 sq ft |
| 1/4" plywoodDrawer bottoms and shoe-storage backs. | 1 sheet |
| Beadboard, paneling, or 1x6 T&GBack of the storage wall. | 1 sheet |
| 3/4" plywoodDrawer and door faces. | 1 sheet |
| 24" bottom-mount drawer slides | 3 pair |
| HingesAdd clasps/hasps if not self-closing. | 4 set |
| Knobs or handles | 6 each |
| Black pipe (ladder and railing)Build the railing to a real guardrail spec — pipe as shown is not code-approved. | 1 set |
| 5" lag screwsAnchoring the 4x4 posts to wall studs. | 8 each |
| Structural / pocket screws and nails2-1/2" pocket screws, 2-3/4" self-tapping wood screws, 1-1/4" nails. | 1 box |
| Wood glue | 16 oz |
| Finish | 1 kit |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wall posts4x4One at 52", one at 71" — cut to your ceiling and loft heights. | 2 | 3 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 52" |
| Wall studs2x4 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 53" |
| Ladder supports2x4Two at 13", one at 8". | 3 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 13" |
| Wall back panel1/4" plywood or paneling | 1 | 1/4" × 45 3/4" × 60" |
| Hidden storage door3/4" plywood | 1 | 3/4" × 12 3/4" × 52 3/4" |
| Bed long frame rails2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 80" |
| Bed cross supports2x4 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 16 1/2" |
| Bed mattress rail (long)2x8 | 1 | 1 1/2" × 7 1/4" × 80" |
| Bed mattress supports2x8 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 7 1/4" × 58 1/2" |
| Wall cleats2x476", 80", and length of room (e.g. 94-1/2") — measure your space. | 3 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 80" |
| Loft floor joists2x4 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 82" |
| Drawer sides / fronts / backs1x6Cut to fit your openings and slides — the given sizes assume perfect stock. | 12 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 24" |
| Drawer / door faces3/4" plywoodCut to fit; 1/8" gap all around. | 4 | 3/4" × 16 1/4" × 24 1/4" |
Buy 28 boards at 8 ft.
2 boards
5 boards
Build the main wall system around the 4x4 posts — the best way to attach into the posts is with a Kreg jig, hiding pocket holes on the underside. This wall is the structural backbone; it must go up plumb and be lag-screwed into the house's wall studs with the 5" lags. Everything else references this wall, so get it right first.
Build the 2x4 bed support frame with 2-3/4" self-tapping screws. Make this area very square — a racked bed frame throws off the drawers below it. Then attach the two frame pieces together.
Use a level to attach the wall cleats to the wall studs with 2-3/4" screws. These cleats carry the far edge of the bed and loft — level and stud-anchored, not into drywall.
Use 2x8s to support the mattress — they create a tall cavity for the under-bed drawers. (Plain 2x4 or 2x6 framing is fine if you skip the drawers.) If doing drawers, plan the framing around the drawer openings now.
Cover the back of the storage wall with your chosen material — leftover 1x6 tongue-and-groove, beadboard, paneling, or plywood all work. This finishes the compartment that sits behind the wall.
Lay 2x6 tongue-and-groove for the loft floor above. Because the span over the doorway is close to 36", don't drop to 1x material here — the 2x6 T&G carries the span safely.
Build the under-bed drawers to fit their real openings and the 24" slides — the listed sizes assume a perfect build. For the tilt-out shoe cubbies, box out an area with 1x3s and back it with scrap 1/4" plywood.
Install the drawer slides and hang the drawers, checking each for smooth, level travel before moving on.
Attach the drawer faces and doors, keeping an even 1/8" gap on all sides when installed correctly. Hang doors on the hinges; add clasps or hasps if the hinges aren't self-closing.
For the bed slats, use a full-length board (front edge painted) for the first, visible slat, then use up any 3/4" material for the rest, splicing joints over the 2x8 framing so every slat is supported.
Hinge the 3/4" plywood hidden-storage door over the front opening. Cut a circle in the middle to act as a finger pull, so there's no hardware breaking the clean face.
Black iron pipe makes an easy, good-looking ladder and railing. But as shown it is NOT code-approved as a guardrail. If anyone — especially children — will use this loft, build the railing to a real guardrail height and baluster spacing. A fall from a loft is a serious injury; this is not the place to cut corners.
Sand every reachable surface — this is a piece people climb into and touch daily — and finish to match your tiny-house interior. Confirm every structural connection is tight before you load it.
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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 →