Bunks

For three days near the end of February, I powered through the renovating of the little boys’ bedroom. It started because Miss Lady has been asking for me to move Cheeks out of her room, and because we were considering other living arrangements for the kids (who sleeps where). We decided the best bet would be to build bunks and move Cheeks in with his bigger brothers. This gives all of the older kids the privacy they need and the space for their growing interests.

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This was a rather fast project, and a bit of a whirlwind. To some, it may have seemed like this was a completely spontaneous project, but in truth, I had been thinking about it for over a month. Would the younger boys be okay with a toddler moving into the room? If we moved them in together, what would be the best arrangement? What supplies would I need for the job? I pretty much already had an answer to these questions, but it was a matter of making a final decision. It took about 3 days from start to finish, but actually took place over a course of 4 days.

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We started by cleaning out all of the room but one bedframe, swept, mopped, washed the walls, plastered any holes, and did all of the prep work for painting. We purchased all of the paint that same day, and I was able to get the ceiling painted and the walls and trim primed.

The next day I cracked away at the painting, doing the walls and trim, and then working on the floor in two sections. With a space heater in the room, we were able to prod along the drying time a little faster. By the end of the day, we had the bedframe moved and got the first coat of paint on the floor where that had been.

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Later that evening, Miss Lady and I went to pick up the lumber for building the bunk beds. It didn’t require a ton. I think we got two sheets of thin plywood, 10 or 12- 2x4s, and a few (3?) 1x6s and (5?) 1x10s to cover the frame of the bed.

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Tuesday was a day of non-stop work. I finished painting the floor, and I really only expected to get the bunks built, but the little boys were SO anxious for it to get done that I ended up finishing the room that day. They’d been sleeping in the living room, and they were anxious to get back into their own room.

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The bunk went together pretty quickly once I figured out exactly how I wanted to build it. The upper bed is mounted to the wall studs and supported by a 2×4 on two of the corners. The lower bed has a low frame of 2x4s to get the mattress just a little off the floor. The 1″ boards give extra stability and make the beds a little more enclosed.

I had also picked up a couple of small clamp-on lights for their beds so they can read after Cheeks goes to sleep, and I built a small wall-mount bookshelf for each of their beds so they have a place for their books.

The walls are white, the floor a light blue, and the bed is a light gray. I also painted the toy chest the same gray. We hung E’s wall-hanging above Cheeks’ bed, and we brought the glider into their room out of Miss Lady’s room. The three boys share one dresser, as we try to keep the amount of clothing the kids own down pretty low (otherwise we end up with a laundry nightmare).

We hung two paintings Miss Lady did for the boys on their wall, along with a picture of Jesus as a carpenter that somebody gave Doodles, and a picture of a race car that Peanut painted for his little brothers. I also hung a mirror in their room to help bring in any extra light we can get. (This is by far the darkest room in the house, which is why we went with all of the light colors. All of the paint is semi-gloss for easy scrubbing.)

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Cheeks moved out of the crib and into his new big boy bed the day before he turned 2! I can hardly believe he’s that big already. His first night in the room was a little rough, but he was feeling a little under the weather. Since then he’s mostly done pretty well. It’s a bit of an adjustment, but he likes being able to “beep” his brothers’ noses before going to sleep, and he likes that he can get up and play if he isn’t up for a nap.

Doodles and E have been thrilled with the new setup. They have been draping their flat sheets over the sides of the bed to create forts, and now looking at books is THE coolest thing to them. It’s been a couple of weeks, and the excitement still hasn’t worn off for them!

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It might not be the “cutest” kids room out there, but I feel so much better about this room now that it’s brighter and clean. The walls and floor had really been bothering me for awhile, and two little boys sure can stuff a lot of things into the cracks between the wall and their beds. Not so anymore. The mattresses are nice and snug against the wall and frame, and it’s keeping the room much cleaner. Their room finally doesn’t feel like a pit of despair!

I’m so happy we were able to do so much work upstairs this winter. The house feels healthier for it! I’ve still got plenty of winter/spring cleaning to do, but I am hoping to find the energy to do that soon. I’d like to feel good about the state of the house before I spend too much time outside this year!

What kind of winter projects did you do this year?

Love and Blessings~ Danielle