Small House, Small Bedroom. Bunk Beds vs Two Twin Beds

What about a trundle bed? We have a couple of them. They are twin sized and can make a nice looking day bed. At night, pull the bottom trundle out and use it.

It might not be the best solution long term but it could help with saving space.

I know bunk beds are a hassle, my brother had them growing up. Also, with the cramped space, I would not put dressers in the hallway because it just does not seem safe to me in the event of an emergency. Waling sideways down the hall will get old real fast as well.

What about twins but no box spring and instead the mattress sits on one of those wood frames that has drawers? You could look for biggest drawers possible and then maybe not need dressers. Or one small and thin but tall one in hallway to supplement. I also would build drawers or shelves into closet unless it's a small closet. Young boys shouldn't need much hanging space.

My kids LOVED their bunk beds. They had them from ages 3/6 to 6/9, with plenty of fort building and no rough play or accidents.

I think you have to do bunk beds as dressers in the hallway might be a fire hazard.

We had the exact same problem. We have bunkbeds from IKEA that aren't as high as traditional bunkbeds. The bottom bed is actually a mattress on the floor. It fits in a wooden frame. The top bed has a "wall" around it that is about 11 inches deep. The top of that wall to the floor is 45 inches tall. You can also get a removable canopy to put on the top bunk. We got mattresses from IKEA that are not quite as thick as a standard mattress. It isn't too bad to change the sheets on either bed. I think our son was 2 and our daughter 4 when we got it. I have slept on the bottom bunk and it actually isn't too bad to sleep on. The bonus is that when we don't need bunk beds any more we can flip the frame over and have a single bed that the canopy can go on.

I would do bunk beds or loft beds.

I haven't read all your answers so I apologize if someone already made this same suggestion. Any chance you & your husband can move into the smaller bedroom and have your kids share the bigger room in the house? I have a friend that did this and she said it worked out perfectly for them. They ended up turning the bigger bedroom into a bedroom/playroom for her kids. It helped organize her entire house because they kept most of their toys in that bedroom freeing up other spaces in the house. And the smaller bedroom worked out fine for her & her husband. Just another option for you to consider.

Either bunk beds that can be single beds later or two loft type beds that can have storage and desks/dressers underneath. One house we lived in was so small that our dresser was actually in another room. You get used to what you have. In college, I chose the top bunk b/c I was used to it. Didn't bother me to change the sheet - at least I didn't have the security/safety bar to worry about hitting me in the head. I would go with high beds and teach the boys to change their own sheets.

I personally don't like trundles as it makes it seem like one kid's personal space is temporary. Even though I didn't have a lot of privacy, my bunk was MY BUNK and it was important to me to have that bit of space for my stuff, vs having to put it away all the time.

I would go with bunk beds, you need dresser space and in the hall is not safe.

You are right making the top bunk on a bunk bed is a pain. I bought full sized flat sheets so I had a lot of fabric to tuck under the mattress, it seemed to stay put better that way. I had to move the bed away from the wall when I stripped the bed to wash the bedding and remake the beds.

M.

My two boys use the smaller bedroom as their sleeping/dressing room. They have twin bunk beds, two dressers, and a small end table/bookshelf. No toys allowed! It is a great use of the room.

Personally, I would absolutely hate having dressers in the hallway. And it's awful for the kids too. Making beds happens once a week? You have to walk down that hallway multiple times a day. You pick the lesser of the two evils!

We have bunks. I use to wash their beds weekly, now it's every two weeks. Yes, changing the sheets can be a pain. But my 6 year old helps me now and it is much easier.

I love our bunks. They have storage draws under them, so they each have a "private" stuff draw. Anything in that draw is their personal possession -we tend to share all toys in the playroom, étc.

Do you have a closet for them? Is there a way to live without the dressers? I have no dressers. Instead, I have a closet system that let's them put away their own clothes, and I just switch out seasonal things. We try to live simply, so I tend to keep furniture to if it's absolutely necessary. Hubby and I don't even have a dresser anymore! Who knew I could fit it all in the closet, and it looks amazing!

I would do bunks (depending upon the age of your oldest, who would be in the top bunk). Make sure they have rails. If you didn't want bunks, you could do a trundle. The dressers might fit still, although it sounds like you couldn't open the drawers with the second bed out. However as long as you only pull out the trundle once kids are in pjs, that wouldn't necessarily matter. It sounds like dressers in the hallway are a fire hazard and I would NOT do that. If you do the bunks, look for a lower bed with drawers in it. Or if you do two regular beds, if you find slightly higher ones, you can find ones with good storage/drawer space underneath.
http://bedroomdesigncatalog.com/kids-beds-with-drawers.htm

I've done both. Twin beds were the best. See if you can find another space for their clothes instead of in their room.I actually have a friend who keeps them in a dresser in the dining room. Yes, bunk beds are hard too change and when my sister and I were little she threw up over the side of one and fell back asleep. Guess who walked in it later? ick
There's my answer in two separate planes.

my boys shared a tiny room with bunk beds for 7 years. they loved it.
well, they fought sometimes.
but they loved the bunk beds.
:) khairete
S.

My boys share a small room. They have had bunk beds since they were 6 and 3. Changing the sheet on the upper bunk isn't my favourite chore, but other than that we love the bunk beds. We have never had any sort of safety issues. The upper bunk has safety rails, they don't play on their beds and no one has ever fallen out/off of the top bunk.

If it were me I think I would do bunk beds, that way they both have a bed in their room that is "open" for whenever needed and doesn't need to be pulled out. Just be sure the top bunk has a really good safety railing. I've even seen bunk beds where there are storage drawers under the bottom bunk for clothes. Making the top bunk would be a little inconvenient but so would having to walk sideways to fit down the hallway.

Could you fit one of the dressers in the closet? I do that and it creates more space.

Slightly different approach. Regardless of what you do with the beds. Can you move away from dressers to perhaps wall mounted cubbys for clothing storage? Ikeas ecktorp series in the 4x2 configuration wall mounted might work for you.

Best
F. B.

Since the room is so small, I would go with the bunk beds. I'm not a fan of them, either (the sheets *are* hard to change), but you can't alter the size of the room. See what you can do for under-the-bed storage, and perhaps a small dresser. Make sure there's good lighting so that your older boy can read in bed if he wants to. You need to give your boys a room to live in, not just to sleep in.

I would try a trundle bed with storage, like this:

http://trundlebedsforsale.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/...

My boys love their bunk beds.

Something like this would probably be ideal. It wouldn't be too difficult to make, and incorporate your existing dresser into it if you are not willing or able to spend the money on a new set.

It's an L-shaped bunk, with a built-in dresser and drawers in the stairs. The top bunk is lower than most, and has stairs off the side instead of a ladder. A bit safer than a traditional bunk bed. :)

http://pinterest.com/pin/226868899952348157/

ETA: I just read Gamma G's post...I would NOT do a double bed. That would cause problems if one is a busy sleeper...however...she reminded me of a bed I had when I was 10 to 14 - two twins...with a corner table...one slid under the table when it was not in use..

http://www.pbteen.com/products/2360493/?catalogId=12&...

http://www.houzz.com/photos/7168765/Berg-Furniture-Sierra...

Bunk beds are GREAT!!!

Yes, they can be a pain in the butt when changing sheets, look at the top bunk carefully before you buy - makes a world of difference! And the mattress too...if you get a huge, thick mattress - it will be incredibly hard to make...

Have you thought about moving to a bigger house? LOL!! Sounds like you have outgrown your home!

We bought my kids full size beds with a trundle for sleepovers . Spent a fortune . What do they want ? Bunk beds !!!

Could the boys share a full bed? It would be narrower than two twins, if you are against bunk beds. It will still make it crowded in there, however.

Yes, bunk beds are a real pain to make or change sheets..... but looks like you have limited choices on what to do.

But bunk beds can be so much fun! I remember hanging a sheet/blanket down off the top and making a hide-away on the bottom one.....

You can also do underbed storage for toys, books, clothing.....

I live in a house that is small by today's standards - my son's bedroom is 9' x 9'. I understand that bunk beds are worrisome. His first twin bed was an older Ikea model that I purchased 2nd hand off Craigslist. It was low to the ground, but had 3 large storage drawers underneath for clothing. His current bed is The ikea bed frame itself held up fine. The drawers were not super sturdy & we had to reinforce those from time to time. You can often find beds like these & captain's beds (beds with drawers underneath) 2nd hand.

My son's current bed is a Jr. Loft bed with 9 drawers and several shelves underneath the mattress. His room is so small, he only has access to some of the shelves -but he does not need a dresser in his room at all now. The Jr. Loft bed has him sleeping only about 3 feet off the ground. His bed would retail for at least $1000 new, but I found it on Craigslist for $300. Other than a small bookshelf and stuffed animals -we don't keep toys in his room.

In my community -lots of small homes built in the early part of the last century, people get really creative about how they store stuff. One friend of mine uses wall mounted shelving for her son's things. She also has clothing in her basement.

If you have an Ikea near you -you might consider some of their storage options. Whatever you do -think about storing up the walls to the ceiling and underneath beds, etc.

Another possible option -when I was a kid -I needed more room in my bedroom so I went down to a twin sized bed. My dad built it himself. It had a headboard and footboard and a daybed type platform. Then he purchased a trundle bed -like the kind that come with a day bed. This trundle was twin sized, but raised up to the height of a standard bed. A day bed with a trundle like this might be a way to have dressers in the room and beds only take up the foot print of one twin bed during the day. If it is tight at night -that's okay.

It is so difficult to make the bed when you have bunk beds. Even the bottom bunk is difficult to make.

My parents have bunk beds (full mattress) on the top and bottom bunk at their shore house. (The bunk beds also have a slide out single bed trundle). Anyway, my kids bring sleeping bags with them and sleep in them which they place on top the their mattresses to avoid making the bed. This makes life so much easier!!!

Why not get a full size bed and let them sleep together? Lots of kids still do that. Other than that I don't think I'd go with bunk beds. It's too tempting to play on them. My friend's son died from falling off the top bunk. She was right there and he simply mis-placed his hand and slipped off. He fell right on his head and was dead.

That's not a risk I'm willing to take no matter how many kids are fine on them. It might be mine that is that 1 in a thousand. So no, don't do bunk beds.

There are several other options. One is to put a corner unit in. Then the whole middle of the room is open.

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You could just put the 2 twin beds in an L shape one boy against 2 walls and the other one only against 1 wall.

L shaped choice.

http://ana-white.com/2011/04/cozy-corner-twin-bed-collect...

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My ex MIL had a set similar to these but her corner unit was hollow and one of the beds would slide into it when they weren't being used. With corner console.

https://www.google.com/search?q=twin+size+beds+with+corne...

If I were in your shoes I would go with the loft be or bunk beds. I grew up with bunk beds that could be converted into regular twin beds. It was great. It also wasn't that hard to change the sheets for me. I had the top bunk.

I wouldn't do 2 dressers. My boys share a dresser. They tend to hang most of their clothes. So I tricked out their closet for the most beneficial usage and they really don't have a ton of clothes they don't wear. Seasonal clothing gets put in storage elsewhere in the house until it is time to wear it again.

We tend to be minimalists. lol

Ask they boys what they may want, they may surprise you.

Any chance you can put the beds in an L shape, touching? (No headboards or footboards - just beds high enough off the floor that you can slide a storage box under...) I did that with my kids until they were too big for twin beds...

I shared a bunk bed with my younger brother when I was a kid. We had a bookcase headboard style bed (So that you could have a place to put stuff) and the beds could be used as separate twin beds or stacked to be bunk beds. I think that we both thought the beds were pretty neat. I don't remember it being too difficult to make the bed.

I would do bunk beds and also skip the dresser entirely. I would put shelves with baskets in the closet. or get a set of bunkbeds that has the stairs up the end that have drawers and the bottom pull out drawers. at that age the kids don't need the dressers they just take up space. put all the clothing in the closet. save the money on dressers and get a good closet organizer. in the long run you will be glad as they will learn to be organized right from the start.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/staircase-bunk-bed-merlot-fi...

Dump the dressers and get smaller storage units. When we had to have a child's clothes in the hallway we got cube storage units. They only come out 12 inches from the wall and really, the cubes hold a lot of things. I would get 2 of them for the boys AND do bunkbeds, leaving some room for toys and play.

My boys are in bunk beds from IKEA. The mattress for the bottom sits directly on the floor and the top bunk is about 4' high, and they're $199.

If there's a closet in the room, consider investing in closet organization in lieu of dressers.

If you have busy kiddos, a bunk bed might be what we'd consider an attractive nuisance, and they are very easy to fall off of. I might consider a twin with a trundle underneath, so you can only have to deal with the footprint of the second bed for just the evenings. Tight, yes, but I think it's safer.

I would do something like this loft bed:

http://www.wayfair.com/Chelsea-Home-Twin-Low-Loft-Bed-wit...

This way you have bed and storage all in one. It is lower for changing sheets and less dangerous for jumping off purposes.

I grew up as one of 5 kids in Navy housing. Even though my dad was an officer and we typically had the larger houses on base, they were never very large and for a family of 7, never big enough.

we had bunk beds for most of my childhood. When we lived oversease, we added a trundle to the bunk bed because I shared a room with both of my sisters. My parents did give us the master, because it was the only room big enough for three people...but even then, we used the bunk beds.

I would not opt for a bunk bed due to safety issues.
However, what you could possibly do is get one of those hideaway beds
that sits in what looks like an armoire. You open the double doors & a
sm twin gets pulled down. Just make sure it has safety locks. Then have
a sep twin across from it against the wall in a corner.
One poster recommended a trundle bed...I like that idea, too!

Think of, look up, research ideas on comp for space saving.
Poss a long net thing hanging from ceiling to house their stuffed animals.
A tall skinny floor to ceiling lenght bookshelf that you secure to the wall.
Try using your wall space & heighth of the room. Think "going up".
A padded toy box w/o any hinges against a wall if any room.
Maybe you could take their closet doors off so it's easier to keep things
in there, better able to view them & reach them.
House any big items in another part of the house.
I wouldn't put anything in the hallway.
You could use bookshelves instead of a dresser to you don't have to
open drawers. Not as appeasing to the eye but.....
Also, your idea of one dresser is very good!
Keep things simple & streamlined since it's such a small room.