A guide to creating a DIY Kids House Bed with Storage Drawers. This article features comprehensive project plans, a step-by-step picture tutorial, and a video!
You could say I enjoy making charming beds for children. I made this cabin bed for my son, this sliding barn door loft bed for my daughter, and this triple bunk bed for our triplet neighbors. Now, there’s another one to add to the collection! This time, I created this DIY Kids House Bed with Storage Drawers for the triplets’ big sister! Isn’t it precious? And don’t worry, if building and fitting drawer slides seems intimidating, keep reading to discover my smart workaround!
How to create a DIY Kids House Bed with Storage
Get the plans here.
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Visit HGTV.com for the step-by-step guide to this DIY kids house bed! My video includes several useful hints and techniques, and I’d be thrilled if you subscribed to my YouTube channel!
Construct the platform
We’ll begin by making the platform section. This is the area where the storage drawers will be placed. Since the bed would sit against a wall, we made only three drawers, although there is room for six. You can never have too much storage!
For projects like this, hardwood plywood is one of my favorite materials – the maple grain looks gorgeous, and the boards need very little sanding. Perfect! For most of this build, we’ll use 3/4-inch pocket holes and 1 1/4-inch pocket screws. Also, don’t be concerned if the frame feels unstable at first – we’ll add extra reinforcement as we go, and the glue will make it sturdier while it dries.
Make the drawers
I’m attaching the platform to the base with a brad nailer and wood glue. With the platform finished, it’s time to build the drawers! I assembled the drawer boxes using brad nails and wood glue. However, before attaching the bottoms, I placed them in the openings to confirm that they fit. I generally use screws for drawer construction, but this time I chose nails. This saved considerable time, and with enough glue, the drawer boxes should be sturdy enough for this project.
Do you remember my workaround for fitting drawer slides? You’re going to appreciate this. Rather than struggling with drawer slides, I installed rolling casters! I normally use 1/4-inch plywood for drawer bottoms, but here I selected 3/4-inch plywood so the casters would have a sturdier surface to screw into.
I selected casters instead of drawer slides for several reasons: 1) they cost less, 2) they’re simpler to fit, 3) they’re more forgiving when the project isn’t perfectly square, and 4) they provide movable storage. My neighbor’s daughter can keep her toys and treasures inside the drawers, pull them into her room during playtime, and roll them back afterward for quick cleanup! Drawer slides wouldn’t have provided this portable storage option. Genius!
Construct the headboard and footboard
Next, we’ll install the house-shaped panels – the headboard and footboard are not identical, so follow the plan carefully during construction. After taking my measurements, I used a circular saw fitted with a plywood blade to cut the house profiles. This type of blade produces a much smoother plywood cut, so I strongly suggest replacing your general-purpose blade with one whenever cutting or ripping plywood. The basic rule is: the greater the number of teeth on a blade, the smoother the cut. This plywood blade helps reduce tear-out and jagged edges.
I decided to paint the headboard in this cheerful shade. Behr calls it “Bubble Turquoise.”
In the image below, you can see me using a brad nailer to temporarily secure these 2×2 pieces to the headboard. This is an excellent method for keeping boards steady when clamps aren’t available. I then turned the entire assembly over and inserted screws from the opposite side. I’m fairly certain this is excessive, but why build when you canoverbuild?
For the charming lattice accent, I cut a few scraps to use as spacers. This allowed me to position the slats evenly without measuring every one. #worksmarter This time, I used a pin nailer to secure the lattice pieces because a brad nailer or finish nailer would have been too forceful for these fragile strips.
I kept the footboard unfinished and attached an attractive board-and-batten design. As you’ll notice in the video, I rushed ahead and neglected to frame the window first, so I had to return and correct the error. Learn from my mistake. Frame the window before installing the board and batten.
Put it together
Once each component had been built separately, we brought everything into her room to assemble it. To learn more about this DIY Kids House Bed with Storage Drawers, visit the step-by-step tutorial I created for HGTV.com, and you can also view the video on my YouTube channel! Be sure to download the plans too – and if you make this project, I’d be delighted to see it! Tag me @jenwoodhouse on social media for an opportunity to be featured!
