Bed Builder: Greg Walraven
YouTube comments on the IKEA Hack Platform Bed vary widely from “Love it” to “Want it” to “It'll never last” to “My Dad will never build it”. Some people actually say that they plan to build it, or have already built it. I always tell them to send me pictures but most ignore my request. Then one day in November, a Handy Dad named Greg Walraven in Levittown, PA, commented that he just finished building the bed for his 16-year-old daughter, Sarah, and he posted pictures on Facebook to prove it.
I easily found Greg on Facebook and was thrilled to see the pictures were shared publicly. I contacted Greg and asked his permission to use the pictures and post his story. He graciously accepted so I'm proud to share his story with you!
Preparation
Sarah wasn't really in the market for a new bed, but they were looking for a way to add more space to her room. Then she came across the IKEA Hack Platform Bed and it seemed to be the perfect solution.
Greg spent about six days to plan the project. As you can see in his photos, he had to adapt the design to account for hot water baseboard heat that would keep the cabinets away from the wall.
Shopping at IKEA
Greg said their experience at IKEA was great. But here's the coolest part: the guy in the kitchen department had already seen the video! He knew exactly what they were building and which cabinets were needed. He only asked questions when it came to door types and handles. He also asked to let him know how it turns out after the build was complete so Greg went back to show him and he was very impressed.
The Build
It took Greg 2-3 days to complete the project, but he could only work on it a couple of hours a day due to his work schedule. He reviewed the video several times as he was going.
Greg said if he could do it again, he would get a better grade of wood. He said a lot of the wood from his local Lowes was warped and he should have spent more time selecting good pieces.
Greg watched the Q&A session video and was glad to see how to reinforce the steps.
Afterthoughts
Sarah absolutely loves the bed and that she has some height off the ground and more space in her room.
Greg said that for anyone else that would like to tackle this project, just go ahead and do it! He admits to having no carpentry or building skills beyond driving screws and hammering nails but the video made it easy for him to follow. The bed turned out so well that he may have to do another one for his 14-year-old son!
If you have any questions for Greg, you can contact him on Facebook or email.
