A bunk bed for three kids?

[KristenR]

Okay- I posted before about how we are looking to make a big move here within the next few months to a year. We'll be heading out into the country. We've been eyeballing one house in particular and it fits a lot of what we are looking for. However- it's a tad bit small. The house itself is large but the bedrooms (there are only 3) are smaller than where we live now. Obviously the master bedroom will go to me and my hubby. Then we have two rooms but one needs to stay a guest room because my MIL stays with us off and on throughout the year.

 

That leaves one room for three young girls. How do you utilize a small bedroom? (They do currently share a room in our house but they have more space here.) I'm trying to figure out how I can conveniently stick three sleeping arrangements into a tighter fit. I would love some sort of three-way bunk bed. My hubby doesn't think the ceiling is high enough to accommodate that. Anyone have anything that works for them? Pictures???

 

Thanks!

[texasmama]

With girls this young it would be easy to buy a bunkbed with a twin on top and a double bed on the bottom. Use a long pillow to separate the sleeping space and put the two youngest in the bottom bunk together.

 

When we needed to move my youngest child out of our bed (she was two), my boys had one of these bunkbeds, and we put our two year old in the bottom bunk with her youngest brother. This worked well for about two years until we were able to move her into her own room.

[busymama7]

My husband is not super handy but he easily built a trundle box on casters to push under our current bunk. Works perfectly!

[Starr]

We have friends in this situation. They have a bunk and a twin and very little else in the room.

[blakereese]

With girls this young it would be easy to buy a bunkbed with a twin on top and a double bed on the bottom. Use a long pillow to separate the sleeping space and put the two youngest in the bottom bunk together.

 

When we needed to move my youngest child out of our bed (she was two), my boys had one of these bunkbeds, and we put our two year old in the bottom bunk with her youngest brother. This worked well for about two years until we were able to move her into her own room.

 

This is what I was going to suggest. My friends have this set up in their kids' bedroom, and the 2 youngest sleep together on the bottom and the oldest sleeps on top. It is just a bit bigger than a regular twin bunk set, so it should fit in the bedroom (even if little else fits). You can use some under the bed storage.

 

ETA: Look at IKEA, they have a lot of these kinds of beds, perfect for small spaces.

[Juniper]

Just wanted you to know I am in a similar boat. Right now I have been trying out two of the kids on a double and it is not working. ;( So, we are back to looking for 3 actual bunks.

[myfatherslily]

My FIL built a 3-tier bunk for my nephews. They have normal 8' ceilings. The bottom bunk is very close to the floor. The space between the beds is smaller than normal. *I* couldn't sleep in it as I don't like tight spaces, but it works for them.

[KungFuPanda]

I'd give them the master BR.

[Sherri in MI]

http://www.artvan.com/Furniture/Store/Product_Triple-Loft-Bed_10051_10052_-1_200042372_20002_20000

 

I saw it in an Art Van Store display & it looked really nice. They had a small dresser or desk & a comfy chair under the loft.

 

It's not real clear in the picture, but the top is 2 twins, one right above the bottom bunk, then a 90 degree turn & there's the other twin. You'd put it in a corner

[TheReader]

We have a bunk that is a regular bunk with a trundle underneath (it is not a pop-up trundle, just a bed, in a box on casters, slides out very easily). If you don't mind sliding the bed in & out every day, and ours is really easy, you could do that, no problem.

 

Takes up no more footprint than a single twin bed.

[Moxie]

No way would I give up the master, but I'm pretty selfish :tongue_smilie:.

Could you give the spare room to one of the girls with the understanding that she is one her sister's floor when Grandma comes?

[*Michelle*]

We have a bunk that is a regular bunk with a trundle underneath (it is not a pop-up trundle, just a bed, in a box on casters, slides out very easily). If you don't mind sliding the bed in & out every day, and ours is really easy, you could do that, no problem.

 

Takes up no more footprint than a single twin bed.

 

:iagree:

 

Our boys' room doubles as the guest room, so we put two twin beds with trundles in there. When family comes, the room sleeps four easily. Other than the beds, the only other thing in the room is a bookcase. We used hanging storage shelves in the closet for clothes.

[Petrichor]

http://www.ikeahackers.net/2012/09/space-saving-kids-triple-bunk-beds.html

[merry gardens]

Bunk beds come with double bed and/or trundles. We have a twin bunked over a double, with a trundle under that.

 

 

Here's a double over twin with built in storage http://www.wayfair.com/Berg-Furniture-Sierra-Full-Over-Twin-Captains-Bed-for-Two-with-Stairs-22-909-XX-FX1022.html (That sight has lots of bunk options to give you ideas of what's out there. It's expensive. You might find them elsewhere cheaper. If not, well, useful furniture is still cheaper than adding another room.)

[StephanieZ]

I'd do one regular twin bunkbed and a second twin loft bed with drawers'desk/play area underneath. I'd give the oldest girl the loft bed, and have the youngest girl on the bottom bunk. I'd install wall lamps by each bed (with compact flourescent bulbs to minimize fire risk) and some sort of wall shelf by the bed so they can stash a few books/misc personal items right there in their personal space.

[KathyBC]

One more thought: my sister bought closet organizers for their smaller bedrooms and was able to eliminate dressers.

[Susan C.]

No way would I give up the master, but I'm pretty selfish :tongue_smilie:.

Could you give the spare room to one of the girls with the understanding that she is one her sister's floor when Grandma comes?

 

That is what I would do, and get an air mattress for her to use when company comes.

[MollyAnn]

I don't arrange my house to accommodate people who don't live there.

My parents visit a few times a year, my parents get the kids beds and the kids sleep on air mattresses.

 

Your MIL doesn't live there, why make your girls live on top of each other while a room sits empty most of the time?

 

If you are determined that MIL has her own room, give the girls the master.

[Canadianmumof5]

Yes! It is possible to do this!

DH just built our 3 boys a custom bunk since they are all sharing a room. The room isn't huge at 12x12 but it looks bigger to me. I love the space under the loft bed - the boys play there and it gives the illusion of more space.

 

Here are some pics. We were inspired by the white custom bunks that come up when you search for bunk beds on http://www.houzz.com

 

It took DH approx. 40 hours to complete them, including the stain/varnish. But so worth it. Total cost was approx. $500 in materials.

 

We are still waiting for two pieces of furniture but it is pretty much done.

[Canadianmumof5]

Sorry, here is pic #2 of 3.

Not sure why they're coming up sideways :confused:

[Canadianmumof5]

Last one :001_smile:

[thewaka]

In this situation, I would use all three bedrooms or give the master bedroom to the children. If neither of those would work, the trundle bed sounds like a great way to go.

[~*Beatrix*~]

Both bedrooms should be for your girls, not for grandma. When she comes, just move one girl in with the other two temporarily. A twin over full bunk would be perfect for this.

[*Michelle*]

Last one :001_smile:

 

Those are great! Love the color.

[Tammi K]

In one house we had to have three girls in an 8x9ish foot room. We did one bunk and one loft bed. Under the loft we put a desk and dresser and another dresser sat at the foot of the loft. It was 'cozy'

 

In Hawaii we had to fit 8 people in a 1,700ft 3-bedroom house so we had 4 girls in one room. DH built double bunks (Full size matteresses on top and bottom.) We found plans on the internet. It was sturdy and easy to construct. We made sure the bottom bunk was high enough off the floor to allow plastic crates to slide under. They stored their possessions here. We put the 2 dressers in the closet to free up floor space. They shared that room for 3 years until people started moving out.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I'd love a triple bunk. I like the IKEA hack, but we're not allowed to have a mattress on the floor so I'd need it at least a mattress thickness higher. Another fostermom I knew many years ago used only loft beds so she'd always have floor room.

[Wheres Toto]

Could you give the spare room to one of the girls with the understanding that she is one her sister's floor when Grandma comes?

 

I don't arrange my house to accommodate people who don't live there.

My parents visit a few times a year, my parents get the kids beds and the kids sleep on air mattresses.

 

Your MIL doesn't live there, why make your girls live on top of each other while a room sits empty most of the time?

 

If you are determined that MIL has her own room, give the girls the master.

 

:iagree:

 

Unless grandma was there more than 50% of the time, I wouldn't keep a room just for her visits. I would put one girl in that room or put the three girls in one room and use the other as a playroom , with a futon or twin bed, so that they have more room to play.

[wendybird]

We built a triple bunk in one of our bedrooms and are getting ready to build a second one in the next room. I liked the Ikea bunk that has the bottom bunk nearly floor level so we did that( it is high enough to slide the vacuum hose under and get the dust bunnies), and the top bunk is not really much higher than a regular bunk.

[KristenR]

Thanks everyone for the ideas, pics, and links!! I got some great ideas. I love your pics CanadianMum and will be sharing them with my hubby! At this point I think something like that or the trundle are our best options.

 

Taking two rooms is not an option at this point. MIL is with us more than half the year at 2 or 3 month intervals each time. She helps us out so much when she is down I really want her to have her own kid-free dedicated space.

 

And the master bedroom isn't that much bigger than the other two bedrooms. It would only give them direct access with the bathroom which I could actually see as posing a potential problem.

 

Also, my girls did tell me they prefer staying in the same room. I'm sure this will eventually change as they get older but for now my oldest was horrified when we mentioned it and said "I'd get lonely in my own room." Again, I'm sure that'll change soon enough but for now I like that they like being together.

[Jennay]

You can get the plans for these for free:

http://thehandmadedress.blogspot.com/2012/03/new-triple-bunks.html

[LMA]

We have three boys in one small room by choice. We have bunkbeds that are double/full on both levels and that seems to work for them.

[indigomama]

I showed this photo to a friend and he was able to make them for us

 

We love them!

[T'smom]

One thing to think about is how you are going to grow into this house. Sure, it's not a big deal to have 3 littles sharing a room, but they won't always be little...how is this going to work when they're teens? Are you sure you will want to/ be able to move again (this coming from someone who spent more than a year trying to sell a house!)

[KristenR]

I appreciate what you're saying. This will actually be our 4th move in 5 years so I get ya! We're currently renting and it seems to be our lot to always get landlords who don't pay their mortgage.

 

 

That's why we're finally ready to settle down and buy a home. My hubby has dreamed of living in the country for awhile now and this house (if it ends up going through) is on ten acres and our plan is to build and extend out within the next 10 years. The house has lots of land and lots of possibilities and plenty of room to grow. There is a separate 4 car detached garage. Above it is a perfect space to make a "mini" apartment for when the girls are older and need some freedom. It would be a perfect place for a mother-in-law apartment if only it didn't require stairs to get to. But for growing teens I think it would be pretty darn cool. And big. In the meantime, my hubby is harboring dreams of a man-cave.

 

If we allow ourselves to dream loftily then we imagine building a guest cabin for when family and friends come to visit. But that would probably be way, way in the future.

 

As it is, we will need to be realistic about what we can afford and when our plans will actually come into fruition.

 

 

One thing to think about is how you are going to grow into this house. Sure' date=' it's not a big deal to have 3 littles sharing a room, but they won't always be little...how is this going to work when they're teens? Are you sure you will want to/ be able to move again (this coming from someone who spent more than a year trying to sell a house!)[/quote']

[Danestress]

To rent, I would shove the beds in - bunk, trundle, whatever, and just deal with it for a few years.

 

I would think twice about buying a house that is already too small for you when your kids are this age. I'm actually attracted to the idea of small house living. But you insist on MIL having a dedicated room, so essentially you are buying for three adults and three kids. I would think three small rooms is just not going to remain comfortable when your girls are older. Teenagers do sort of need space.

Edited October 27, 2012 by Danestress

[Unicorn.]

I'd give them the master BR.

 

So would I.

 

:iagree: If you are going to make 3 people share a room, then they should get the master.

[RebeccaS]

Kinda late with my link, but this is the set we got for our girls. You can adjust where to put the platform, so we have one on the lowest setting which puts it almost on the floor. The second one it set to the top setting and crosses over the bottom bunk in an L-shape. The top bunk sets atop the ground level bunk. We really like them-they're very sturdy and I don't feel uncomfortable getting into them.

[T'smom]

I appreciate what you're saying. This will actually be our 4th move in 5 years so I get ya! We're currently renting and it seems to be our lot to always get landlords who don't pay their mortgage.

 

 

That's why we're finally ready to settle down and buy a home. My hubby has dreamed of living in the country for awhile now and this house (if it ends up going through) is on ten acres and our plan is to build and extend out within the next 10 years. The house has lots of land and lots of possibilities and plenty of room to grow. There is a separate 4 car detached garage. Above it is a perfect space to make a "mini" apartment for when the girls are older and need some freedom. It would be a perfect place for a mother-in-law apartment if only it didn't require stairs to get to. But for growing teens I think it would be pretty darn cool. And big. In the meantime, my hubby is harboring dreams of a man-cave.

 

If we allow ourselves to dream loftily then we imagine building a guest cabin for when family and friends come to visit. But that would probably be way, way in the future.

 

As it is, we will need to be realistic about what we can afford and when our plans will actually come into fruition.

 

 

That sounds like a lot of fun! As long as you have plans for how the house will grow with you, I don't think it's s big deal to put three littles together. A trundle would be an option that wouldn't take any extra space!

[LucyStoner]

I don't arrange my house to accommodate people who don't live there.

My parents visit a few times a year, my parents get the kids beds and the kids sleep on air mattresses.

 

Your MIL doesn't live there, why make your girls live on top of each other while a room sits empty most of the time?

 

If you are determined that MIL has her own room, give the girls the master.

 

:iagree:

[songsparrow]

If two twin beds will fit in the room, consider one traditional double-bunk and one loft. That will give you space under the loft for other stuff - bookshelves, dresser, desk, bean bag chairs, whatever you need the space for.

 

ETA: If you want to keep a guest bedroom for your MIL, also consider if at least some of the girls' stuff can be kept in there and they can use the space when your MIL is not there.

[melissad2]

I would get bunk beds with a trundle for the two youngest in one room and give the other room to the oldest with a regular bed. When mil visits the oldest sleeps with the younger two on the trundle.