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America's Biggest Pack Rat From "Special Presentation" episode DABP-S

(Continued from page 3)

Wasted Spaces decided to give the boys a custom storage unit with two beds using a castle theme.

Castle Bed

Note: This castle bed was designed for this particular room. No guarantee is made that the design will fit any other space.

• There are five major pieces: 2 beds, 1 tower base, 1 main tower and 1 tower cap. There is also an interior divider, a shelf and two drawers. All are made of birch plywood, mostly 3/4" but some 1/2". Trim pieces are 1x stock pine, ripped or cut to size. 1-1/8" x 1/4" and 3/4" x 1/4" lattice material is used as trim. Once the major pieces were completed, they were assembled inside the bedroom ...all parts screwed together using 1-1/4" and 2" drywall screws. This way the castle can be removed if needed.
  

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• Each bed is 76" long by 38" wide by 16" tall. 3/4" plywood sides, head, foot and bottom. Nailed with 2" finishing nails (nail gun) and glue. Six 3" by 3" plywood blocks were placed on the bottom of each corner and in the middle to act as legs. The front door section arch was cut with a jig saw and the cut out piece was used as the fold down door. Door is trimmed with lattice material along it's top edge, the same lattice is used to make the bars. Bar rivets are round headed thumb tacks that are glued in place. Door is attached with a 4' long piano strip hinge. Magnetic catches hold the door closed.
  
  
• Each bed has a 3/4" by 3/4" ledger installed 2" down from the top of the bed (1-1/2" nails and glue). This ledger supports the 1/2" plywood mattress base. The mattress base just lays in place and has two finger holes so it can be lifted out for access to under the bed.
  
  
• There is also a 30" by 8" by 20" deep drawer in the foot of each bed. The drawer slides on a pair of 20 long heavy duty slide assemblies. These are screwed to 2x6 ledgers mounted inside the bed.
  
  
• 1" by 6" by 2-1/2" blocks were cut and spaced along the top of the bed edges to give it that castle look. Once installed, the tops of these were routed and sanded to get rid of any sharp edges.
  
  
• Tower base - 38" wide by 38" deep by 40" tall. Basically a 3/4" plywood box with a 3/4" plywood bottom. A single 37-1/4" by 37-1/4" top piece (3/4" birch plywood, go figure) is screwed to a ledger inside the box, much like the removable mattress base on the beds. This top piece gets one hatch cut into it for access to the tower base area. Also for access, one 36" by 14" section of the tower base is cut out to make an opening into the base area. Once the entire castle is assembled, this opening is covered up by one of the beds.

• The top of the tower base is trimmed with 1x6 pine to give it that castle look. Once finished, the tower was cut in half all the way around it making a top and bottom piece. This was done so that it could fit through a standard bedroom door. The two pieces were screwed together again once inside the room.
  
  
• Main Tower - 34" by 34" by 50" tall with the front corner cut off to make a five sided tower look. Openings were cut for the lower cubby access as well as for the upper doors. Like the beds, the cut out parts of the doors became the doors themselves. The doors were trimmed with 3/4" screen molding to make the window panes. The main tower unit was screwed to the tower base, then the interior dividers were installed. Next, both back pieces were screwed together and to the tower sides. Finally, the upper shelf was installed.

• Tower Cap - The tower cap fit over the top of the main tower. 3/4" plywood with 1x trim for the castle look. When fully assembled, the entire tower stands 93" high (7' - 9"). This will allow it to fit inside a standard 8' tall room.
  
  
• Finish - All the pieces were primed with a grey primer and then finished with a top coat of the same color grey. All paint was applied with spray. Then a second, darker grey color was spot sprayed to give a stone-like effect.

2. Both beds were attached to the tower base with 2" screws. (6 per bed)

3. Tower base top piece screwed down.

4. Main tower front and sides attached.

5. Trim panel containing outlets and electrical line installed to inside front of main tower. Power cord run through base and out back of unit.

6. Interior shelf/divider unit installed from back.

7. Both back pieces attached.

8. Tower cap installed

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