I like the idea of loft beds. A loft bed is like a bunk bed except the lower portion of a loft bed is not a bed, it is something else. It can be a desk, storage, a sofa or anything else. It can be an efficient use of space, since for many things we do not use about half the vertical space of a room. When we sit at a desk we use less than 6 feet of vertical space and the desk and related furniture often also do not.

See Mattress Sizes - Better Sleep Council | Start every day with a good night’s sleep; a standard Twin mattress is 38" x 75".

I also like the idea of metal. Many say that metal is much more expensive than wood but the following are economical loft beds made of metal. They are just examples, I am not interested in something that economical.

• YourZone Metal Loft Bed, Twin Size, Multiple Colors - Walmart.com
• TUFFING Loft bed frame - dark gray - IKEA

I am interested in building a loft bed myself but I am not sure how to build such a thing myself. I considered use of many existing items, such as using two shelving units with a bed frame between them somehow. Then I found:

• Make: magazine article Building a Loft Bed from Scaffolding
• Loft bed diy construction drawings and examples how to make high beds
• Pipe Loft Bed: 7 Steps (with Pictures)

And I thought, yes! That sounds good.

The Make: magazine article looks good. The main 4 components are:

• 2 of 60" X 60" Standard Frame | Metaltech
• 1 of GALVANIZED CROSS BRACE | Metaltech
• 1 of ALUMINUM PLATFORM WITH 5/8" PLYWOOD DECK | Metaltech

Note that the frames are available (made by Metaltech) galvanized.

The following are the Home Depot items.

• ($66) MetalTecMetalTech 5 ft. x 5 ft. Blue Standard Mason Scaffold Frame-M-MF6060PS-A
• ($29) MetalTech Saferstack 7 ft. x 4 ft. Scaffold Cross Brace-M-MC4884
• ($126) MetalTech 7 ft. x 19 in. Aluminum Scaffold Platform with Plywood Deck-M-MPP719

Since the platform is relatively expensive and requires customization I think it is better to create something else. So we might need to provide additional horizontal stabilization. I think we can create a platform for a commonly-available bed frame and it can be done more easilly and economically than the customization in the video. So I was thinking maybe two I-Beams, as in I-Beam, on their side would work, with a hook at each end to hold onto the scaffolding frame much like the scaffold platform. But a U-Beam would be better if there is such a thing and apparently they are called channels, as in Channel. The main thing I do not know how to design is the materrial required to satisfy the required strength; in other words, what thickness to use.

Also MetalTech makes Guard Rails but they seem unreasonably expensive so that is something else that would be better to create from scratch. One feature I do not see anywhere in pre-built loft beds is the ability to move the guard panel(s) / guard rail(s) out of the way to make it easier to make the bed.

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