Building Our Master Bed: FAQs

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments about our bedroom and bed. I am still absolutely loving it, and if you are considering building a bed- go for it! It’s worth it! Here are a few FAQ’s that I’ve received about the bed and building process. If you have more, please don’t hesitate to ask! I’d love to help in anyway possible. You can also email me with questions too! [davidandcarolineparker AT gmail DOT com]

Did you sand/stain/varnish before or after you built?

-We finished the piece after we completely built it, but before we assembled it.

I’ve seen that desk/table somewhere -is it from pier 1?

-Yes, it is! We bought it on sale at Pier 1 about three years ago.

Where in the world did you get the energy to do ALL of this??????

-I had a lot of help! I didn’t do any of the painting (I just don’t have the energy, and I’ve been having a lot of back pain.) And the husband did most of the heaving lifting, and building. I helped where I could: designing, modifying the plans, measuring, and some drilling and sanding. I’m no super-woman: I spent a lot of time on the heating pad!

Where did you get the stencil!?

-www.sunnyspaints.com  (I absolutely love this site! I highly recommend them!)

Do you have any under bed storage? Can you fit standard tupperwear containers under it?

-We have not gotten any under the bed storage yet, however, this is one of the things that we considered when building the bed. There is PLENTY of room for storage under there, and we know in the future it will be very helpful! {There is a good chance that we will have to downsize when we leave Athens, so we try to take this into consideration when building/buying furniture...}

How does the mattress not slide around?

-Although the mattress sits on a platform, there is a “lip” on the bed frame. There is no sliding around; and trust me, we like to jump on the bed too! Since Dmitri sleeps in our bed, safety and security was a big priority!

Did you have a table that you put stuff on before cutting it?

-I wish we did! That would have made it easier. But no, we were able to set the saw up on the floor, or when necessary, we stacked up scrap wood to lift the piece we were cutting off of the floor.

Do you mind saying how much it cost all included? And whether you had to buy a jig rig thingamabob?

-The total cost, including buying a jig saw was $200. (So, the wood was about $170 and the saw about $30)

Did you rent those tools or did you buy them?

-We originally planned to rent a jig saw, but we found one for $30 and decided to buy it! It might  not be the nicest one, but it got the job done! We already owned a miter saw, which has definitely been worth the investment.

Did you use the plans for Anna White Exactly?

-No. We followed the directions pretty closely, however, we modified a lot of the measurements so that we could build a King size. Her plans are for a Queen size.

Will you be posting the measurements?

Yes! The measurements are posted HERE!

To see our most recent photos of our bedroom, click here!

For details on how we modified the bed from a Queen to a King, and other building details, click here!

For Ana White's original plans, click here!

Happy building!