I am very satisfied with this bed. It looks good enough for childrens' bedrooms, and it is simple to construct, and is extremely sturdy. BY FAR the sturdiest bunk bed I have every found, even sturdier than metal tubing beds found in college dorms or in the military. However, mind that once constructed inside the room it will not fit through a 36' door. This furniture needs to be constructed in-situ and if it is removed it will need to be unscrewed. It is a thoughtful design, very safe, and has a certain utilitarian elegance. It should be made of Southern Yellow Pine; it is the only framing lumber that is hard enough and handsome enough for the job. My only criticisms are the following: 1) the directions are a bit confusing. 2) the directions to measure out drill holes and pre-drill I thankfully ignored. There is no way that precise enough holes can be made anyway besides fitting the piece to where it goes and then drilling the holes in-situ. 3) The hole sizes recommended are greatly oversized for the recommended hardware. I found much better engagement using 1/4 rather than 9/32nd bits for the lag screws. The wood screws used need no pre-drilling in pine. 4) THERE IS A LOT OF SANDING. Sanding is about 80% of the time you will spend building these beds. Where I live Southern Yellow Pine, which is the best wood for the job, is only sold in 2x8x8' or larger sizes, so you must re-saw to do this job, and the only way that is happening with any accuracy is on a table saw with a good sharp ripping blade. A belt sander and a table saw are essential tools in my opinion. A drum sander would save a lot of time, too. 5) The finishing recommendations are to be ignored in my opinion. Putting a water based anything on freshly sanded pine is going to raise the grain and look terrible. My recommendation: a base coat of 1 part terpentine to 2 parts boiled linseed oil (use raw if you are concerned about chemicals) then two or three more coats of straight boiled linseed oil on top. Oil finishes are not very durable, but they look nice, and DO NOT NEED to be sanded down to bare wood to add finish. Just add another coat in the future if the bed starts to look worn. The yellowness of linseed oil enhances the appearance of SYP more than just about any other wood. 6) The shipped hardware is of no better quality or lower price than what is available at Home Depot. It is just cabinetry grade (not carpentry grade) fasteners (like GRK or Spax). The brown lag screws look goofy with pine. I almost considered buying the gold-colored lag screws at my local Home Depot instead. 7) An inexpensive Swanson Speed square or similar tool will greatly improve the accuracy of cross-cuts if a circular saw is used, and it is very handy for making things square. Remember that when you make the ends of the bed (the ladders). The diagonal measurements from corner to corner should be within an eighth of an inch if you want it to sit squarely on the floor.

My husband and I built these and put them in our lake house. We completed 2 sets of bunk beds in one day. It was difficult to get both done, but look great. The plan doesn't give you a step by step for the later stages so it was a little confusing. Once we studied it we moved along quickly. I would recommend this to anyone! I think they will be there for many years. The service was wonderful and download of plan very easy!

Thank you so much. I am looking forward to beginning this project! Your service is wonderful.