How I Built a DIY Built-In Bunk Bed in a Tiny NYC Bedroom (Using Two Old Beds)
B E F O R E
A F T E R
New York City bedrooms are small. With two kids, one shared bedroom, two beds, and the aspiration for two desks; I had serious constraints to work with and the problem I'd been thinking through for longer than I'd like to admit.
Custom built-in bunk beds were the right answer. They were also well outside the budget. So I did what I always do when the right answer is too expensive: I figured out how to get there another way.
What follows is the complete build — how I repurposed the two beds we already owned into a DIY built-in bunk bed, added Ikea storage, salvaged an old dresser, and painted the entire piece to create a custom, built-in unit. It took longer than I anticipated but it is the project I'm most proud of.
The Problem
The kids’ room was approximately _ x _ feet. When we first moved in, the kids were quite young and I was worried that a traditional bunk bed would be too high for my older one. I settled on a “low loft” bed so there would be space underneath for storage and play. (In the BEFORE photo you can see I had cube storage beneath which was handy for corralling all the toys.) We did try a side by side configuration initially but the path in between the two beds was too narrow so we settled on the
L-shaped configuration. When homework became party of the daily routine for my youngest, I realized that it was time both kids had their own dedicated workspace. But 2 desks were never going to fit in the room with the L-shaped configuration so the only solution was to do bunk beds. Now, it would have been easier to buy a bunk bed retail and install it and call it a day. However, something I’ve realized about city living with kids where you’re space-constrained is that you need to get really creative with storage needs and fortunately or unfortunately, custom is the only way to ensure you’re maximizing every inch of space you have to work with. The beds we had were from Max & Lily (low loft bed) and a metal platform bed from Amazon. (The beds we used for the built-in “hack” were the Max & Lily low loft and the Ikea Brimnes (we swapped the Ikea daybed in our guest room with the metal bed). They were perfectly good beds. The problem wasn't the beds. The problem was the floor space they occupied and the vertical space they were leaving completely unused.
The Decision to DIY
Custom built-in bunks typically run $$$$ in New York. Maybe if we were living in our “forever house” or if I knew that this was something we would have forever, maybe. But given that this was the kids’ shared bedroom and we didn’t even anticipate them sharing forever, I wanted something that was functional and beautiful but not a lifetime commitment. The DIY path was the only way in my mind and to make this project more interesting, I wanted to try to repurpose the beds we already had. (I really hate throwing things away and I haven’t quite mastered how to sell on Facebook Marketplace in Brooklyn.) The design goal was simple: make it look like it was always there. Secure the two pieces together and to the studs. Trim, paint, and add built-ins to maximize storage.
Safety First — How I Secured the Structure
The first thing I had to figure out was how exactly I was going to “bunk” these two beds that were never intended to be bunked. I got there with simple box braces built from 2×4s. (The trick is that the “top bunk” isn’t even sitting on the bottom. It’s actually just lifted above it by the box braces.) Once I had the basic structure down, I focused on securing everything to the studs on both walls.
A bunk bed that moves is a bunk bed that fails. Before anything else — before the trim, before the paint — I secured this structure into the studs on two walls. Every corner and every edge is reinforced with mending plates and corner braces. Studs were located using a simple magnetic stud finder. It is probably more reinforcement than necessary (we’re talking hundreds of screws, literally). That was intentional. This bunk is never moving.
If you're building your own version: do not skip this step. Find the studs, use the right hardware, and build in redundancy. Especially if you’re building for kids. The last thing my kids are thinking as they are climbing all over this is, “I should be careful, as I climb up or jump down or hang off the side.” You need to make sure the structure can withstand daily abuse.
The Build, Step by Step
Framing [Describe the 2x4 framing process — how you determined height, how you built the frame, the twisted-stud issue you flagged in the video and how to avoid/solve it.]
Raising and securing the beds [How the existing beds were raised, what hardware was used, how they were integrated into the frame.]
The dresser conversion One of my favorite parts of this build: an old dresser that was already in the room became built-in storage drawers beneath the lower bunk. [Describe how — was it modified, just slid into place, faced with trim?] It's the kind of move that makes a DIY look intentional rather than improvised.
Ikea Sektion cabinets as bookshelves [Describe how the Sektion cabinets were used, where they sit in the structure, any modifications made.] If you've worked with Sektion before, the assembly is straightforward. The integration into a built-in structure takes more planning — [share what you had to figure out].
Custom cubbies [Describe the cubbies — dimensions, placement, what they're used for, how they were built.]
The Finishing Details
The difference between a DIY that looks like a DIY and one that looks built-in is almost always in the finishing details. This is where the project shifted from a functional build to something I actually wanted to live with.
Fluted trim — [Describe where it was used, how it was cut and applied, where to source it.]
MDF and trim to fill gaps — Every gap in a build like this is an opportunity for trim. [Describe your approach — how you identified the gaps, what materials you used, any challenges.]
The ladder — The ladder from our previous bunk bed was repurposed here. [Describe how it was integrated, any modifications.]
Paint — The entire structure is painted Sherwin Williams Debonair. [Describe why you chose this color, how many coats, whether you primed (you mentioned this in Part 4 — yes), any tips on painting a structure this large and complex.] It is a blue that reads as a near-neutral in certain light and deeply saturated in others. It was exactly right for this room.
The Result
Bunk Bed in Front of a Window?
While it may not seem like the most likely placement, it was the best placement based on the “traffic pattern” in the room. Bonus from my son, he gets a nightly view of the Freedom Tower all lit up.