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If you'd got an empty corner, you can make a comfy bed with 4x8 sheet of 3/4" plywood, a couple of 2x4's and a 3" foam pad (or inexpensive twin mattress)... way more comfy than any cot I've ever slept on in any case And it can double as a couch during the day, or you can get fancy and hinge the long edge so it folds up against the wall.
You basically build a mini "floor" platform. A twin mattress is 39" x 75", and an extra long twin is 39" x 80" which is 9 inches narrower and 21-16" shorter than a 4x8 sheet of plywood; so you may want to cut your plywood down so there's an inch extra on either side... but you don't have to, the extra ledge makes a built in night stand and bench Plus, less cutting makes this project even simpler!
Build a box frame for your plywood dimensions with 2x4s and add 3-4 equally spaced joists in the middle (more if you'd like or if you're using thinner ply). Attach two sides of the frame to the wall studs in the corner at the height you want (low or loft, it's up to you!!), and then cut 2 lengths of lumber to make a post to support the one free corner. Then put down your plywood and mattress/pad.
ETA: Of course, if you don't have a vehicle that you can transport a 4x8 sheet of plywood in, you can always have the home center cut it down for you with their panel cutter -- as long as the panels still lay on the joists, you're good Or this might be an instance where slats would work better.
Some folks do slats instead of plywood, but I've found that those aren't as comfortable when you have a plain mattress or foam pad. Without solid support on the bottom of the mattress, you end up needing to put the slats pretty close together... for the expense and time involved, easier to just use plywood or OSB and not risk getting jabbed in the kidney by the edge of slat
One of the things I like best about living simpler is being freed to make my own simple solutions with much less materials. I've seen platform storage beds made using recycled/repurposed bookcases/cabinets/trunks/crates as the "feet" with plywood and a pad on top. How cool is that?
Last edited by MissingAll4Seasons; 07-23-2011 at 03:03 PM..
We will be building a handicapped house that is around 1700 sq ft. I discovered that more space is needed to walkers and wheelchairs.
Excellent point! The main floor of our cabin is handicap-friendly, but the open space for wheelchairs and walkers does eat up the space quite a bit. Wide paths are open space that you can put something mobile in (a narrow table, bench or bookcase) until such time as you need the wider access; but the wider doorways eat up your wall space really quickly and can dictate the minimum size of your rooms. If we need to use the upstairs for anything once we have severely limited mobility then we're screwed... I could barely fit a tight/steep L-staircase in there, no way to make that handicap accessible without a lot of electricity except with some sort of dumb-waiter pulley type elevator.
My life is pretty simple. As a matter of fact, my screen name here used to be "Simple Living." (I hadn't been here for a few years and when I returned I couldn't remember my password and my e-mail address had changed!)
I love living simply. On a scale of 1 -10 (10 being the the simplest), I'm an 11 for living in a major city.
When I was younger (I'm 45), I knew I never wanted to get married (or even date), have kids (though I love them) or own a home. Those choices, right there, simplified my life more than anything else! And they were also the right choices for me.
I used to rent three bedroom houses and fully furnished them because people loved spending time there. When I realized that I was wasting so much money and got tired of moving all that stuff every so often, I decided to scale down. Over a couple of years, that led to simplifying everything in my life - "stuff", emotions, relationships, expenses, regrets, etc., Here are my results and how I currently live (and love every second of it).
- I first scaled down to a one bedroom apartment but now live in a studio apartment. I love it! Less to clean and I still have more than enough room!
- A list of my possessions: A library table with my iMac and a lamp. I have a recliner in front of that. I have a bed, a book shelf with less than 20 books, a vacuum and kitchen tools. I also have a cat named Silly that I got from the animal shelter. He's a joy and lives up to his name.
- For over 10 years, I haven't owned a car, tv, radio, stereo, CDs, DVDs, a dishwasher, microwave, etc., If there's something I want to watch, I use my computer. I love hymns and gospel music, all of which can be found legally online to listen to for free. I cook from scratch every day, including my bread. No Cambell's Cream of Anything in my home!
- I'm a Christian and that's my guide to everything, which really, really, REALLY simplifies everything from relationships to regrets to every emotion and choice. This is the most important area of my life and I believe (I know) that when a person lives a truly bible-based, God-centered lifestyle, that, emotionally and mentally, stress levels can be very, very low. To clarify, I'm absolutely not saying life is easy or a rose garden. In many ways, you will surely face more challenges! It's just that, when you live a truly bible-based, God-centered lifestyle, you trust God and His Word more and know that He is your provision and supplies your needs.
Please note that I'm not trying to preach. I'm explaining how I live simply and why it's successful and fulfilling.
- Work-wise, I was a cubicle robot for 20 years. I was miserable. I made decent money but I hated it. It wasn't me. So, I quit and found a job I enjoyed doing. I make a lot less money (about 55-60% less) but that's where my faith comes in. I felt this job change was "ok'd" by God so would I then trust that He would still provide for me? I've always said that God is my Source. Not my job. I trusted Him and all is well.
- Expense-wise, I have no monthly subscriptions to anything. No cable, TV, Satellite TV or Radio, No extra phone service plans with texting or internet, no assistance plans, no clubs, no fitness centers... nothing. I'm not under contract with my cell phone. You don't have to sign them, you know. Who needs an upgraded phone every two years? Take care of what you have and it will last. My phone is a flip phone and almost 8 years old. It still looks brand-spanking new and works. Actually, I'm about to get rid of it and go back to a landline again now that I can do it more cheaply than a cell phone.
I use my debit card (connected to my checking account) to pay for everything. No credit cards, no checks. I usually don't carry cash. I eat at home most of the time. Books and movies are free from the library or legal, online places. So is my music.
Not owning a car for over 10 years has saved me countless thousands of dollars on car payments, insurances, maintenance, parking, gasoline, toys and gadgets for the car, subscriptions to things like XM radio, GPS services and roadside assistance. I spend $85 a month for a bus pass that gets me everywhere I need to go. And I have friends willing to help me out periodically, too.
Without TV, can you imagine how much money I've saved in over 10 years on cable, upgrading my TV, and all the subscriptions and gadgets that go with TV, like movies, video game and DVD players and sound systems, etc.,?
My monthly expenses for everything (living in a major city), including rent in a nice apartment, are $1,200 a month. I'm working on lowering that to $1,000.
Over the years, I have had many people ask me to help them simplify their lives. I help only with the areas they want help with and don't force anything upon them. The choices are still all theirs as to what kind of help they want and whether or not they take the advice.
This is a passion of mine and I love helping people - for free. If anyone has any questions, please let me know. I'll be glad to help however I can.
We have a 2100 sq foot home and it's about 400 sq feet too big for me, plus the yard, while not big by most standards I wish it was much smaller. I lived in Japan for years and really enjoyed the smaller home I lived in while there and found I saved a lot of money by not buying so much junk for a home. I read that in the 1950's an average home was only about 1200 sq feet and growing up in Ohio I often saw those old smaller homes all over the place. If I was single I would rent a 1 bedroom apartment.
You guys are really inspiring me, but not as much as my mother did last week. We had to move her to another house she owns to keep a better eye on her and I went to clean out the old one and it looks to be a never-ending job, due to her hoarding habits for the last 20 years or so. This house is huge--sorry I'm a bad judge of sq. footage so just take my word for it that it's big, and it is chock full of big furniture and every drawer is full of stuff and I found thousands of hankies alone--all of these linens were stuffed into drawers but she never used any of them. There were hundreds of quilts. A huge mantel full of crystal. Big tubs full of fabrics b/c she likes to quilt, but there were enough sewing supplies for 50 fulltime quilters.
I've discovered a trick with her--sometimes she will give me something, esp if I let her know that the kids need it, and then I'll take it straight to the Goodwill. I got rid of all the cake mixes full of bugs that way--told her I needed them for the kids at school and then dumped them in a dumpster.
All of this has cured me of wanting a lot of stuff, or buying duplicates of things so that I can have a pair of scissors in every room and that sort of thing. I found 25 sets of tweezers, 30 pairs of scissors, bunches of seam rippers and thimbles, etc. It's so much easier to know where stuff is when you don't have a lot of other stuff in the way.
- For over 10 years, I haven't owned a car, tv, radio, stereo, CDs, DVDs, a dishwasher, microwave, etc., If there's something I want to watch, I use my computer. I love hymns and gospel music, all of which can be found legally online to listen to for free. I cook from scratch every day, including my bread. No Cambell's Cream of Anything in my home!
No dishes? Do you use paper plates, cups and utensils then?
- For over 10 years, I haven't owned a car, tv, radio, stereo, CDs, DVDs, a dishwasher, microwave, etc., If there's something I want to watch, I use my computer. I love hymns and gospel music, all of which can be found legally online to listen to for free. I cook from scratch every day, including my bread. No Cambell's Cream of Anything in my home!
No dishes? Do you use paper plates, cups and utensils then?
Ummm... that's "no dishwasher", not "no dishes"
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And it can double as a couch during the day, or you can get fancy and hinge the long edge so it folds up against the wall.
Plus, less cutting makes this project even simpler!
Simple living
