Elevated Loft Bed Frame
A full-size loft bed built like furniture — four 6×6 actual-dimension posts, paired 1×6/1×5 side rails, eight knee braces, a 1×4 slat deck at 47", and a detachable hook-on companion ladder.
Plan for rough-cut lumber, with actual dimensions.
Actual lumber: a 2×4 is 2 in × 4 in — found at a local private sawmill. Nominal: a 2×4 is 1.5 in × 3.5 in — found at most chain hardware/lumber stores.
A full-size loft bed that’s built like a piece of outdoor furniture — stiff for everyday climbing, with a desk-height under-bed bay and continuous guardrails on all four sides.
Four 6×6 actual-dimension corner posts carry everything. Each long side uses a paired 1×6 outer + 1×5 inner bed rail (the inner board is the slat ledger). 2×6 head- and foot-end rails and a mid-span 2×5 center rail close the box. Eleven 1×4 slats finish the deck at exactly 47 inches off the floor.
The racking resistance comes from 8 mitered 2×4 knee braces: two per corner (one in each plane). Every brace is flush on both ends — both mitered faces contact a board, nothing floating in open air.
Access is a detachable hook-on companion ladder (4×4 stringers + six 2×4 rungs + metal hooks) intended for an older teenager or adult. Hang it on the ladder-side long rail to climb, maintain three points of contact, and step over the top guardrail; unhook and stow when not in use. It is not intended for young children. Continuous 2×4 guard rails at two heights protect the sleeper on all four sides (maximum mattress thickness 8”).
At 47 inches, you get a genuine 41” of usable under-bed clearance — enough for a full-height dresser, a desk, or a couch.
You get: a step-by-step build guide with cut lists, a sawmill stick-length supply matrix (8′–16′), and framing sequence — plus optional STL scale model and source files if you want to resize or modify it.