A DIY PVC Loft Bed Plan

Top Railing

• 1

  Attach a 17 1/4-by-2-inch PVC pipe to a 31 3/8-by-2-inch PVC pipe using a three-way tee pipefitting in a straight line. Attach a second three-way tee to the end of the longer pipe and insert a second 17 1/4-by-2-inch pipe in the end of the three-way tee, creating one long chain of pipes. Adjust the open ends of the three-way tees to point the same direction, pointing downward from the pipe. Place a 90-degree corner joint to either end of the pipe chain. Position the 90-degree-angle joints so they point towards the side of the pipe.

• 2

  Repeat Step 1 a second time with two more three-way tees, two more 90-degree-angle corner joints, two more 17 1/4-by-2-inch pipes and one more 31 3/8-by-2-inch PVC pipe.

• 3

  Attach a 7 1/4-by-2-inch PVC pipe and a 15 3/8-by-2-inch pipe together using a three-way tee. Place a second three-way tee on the end of the 15 3/8 inch pipe. Insert a second 7 1/4-by-2-inch pipe into the open end of the three-way tee to create a long chain of three pipes, similar to the one you created in Step 1 and Step 2. Adjust the tees so the open joints point the same way.

• 4

  Place the two longer pipe chains parallel to one another. Place the shorter pipe chain perpendicular to the first two pipes. Attach the two longer pipe chains to the shorter pipe chain using the 90-degree-angle corner joints from Steps 1 and 2, creating an open-ended rectangle.

• 5

  Insert a 7 1/4-by-2-inch pipe into each of the open 90-degree-angle joints on the open end of the rectangle. Place a 90-degree-angle corner joint onto the open ends of the two 7 1/4-inch pipes. Angle the open end of the joints downward, facing the same direction as the open joint on all of the 3-way tees.

Middle Railing

• 6

  Attach a 17 1/4-by-2-inch PVC pipe to a 31 3/8-by-2-inch PVC pipe using a four-way tee pipefitting to create a straight line. Attach a second four-way tee to the end of the 31 3/8-inch pipe and insert a second 17 1/4-by-2-inch PVC pipe in the end of the four-way tee, creating one long chain of pipes. Place a 90-degree corner joint to either end of the pipe chain. Position the 90-degree-angle joints so they point the opposite direction of the four-way joints.

• 7

  Repeat Step 1 a second time with two more four-way tees, two more 90-degree-angle corner joints, two more 17 1/4-by-2-inch pipes and one more 31 3/8-by-2-inch PVC pipe.

• 8

  Attach a 7 1/4-by-2-inch PVC pipe and a 15 3/8-by-2-inch pipe together using a four-way tee. Place a second four-way tee on the end of the 15 3/8 inch pipe. Insert a second 7 1/4-by-2-inch pipe into the open end of the four-way tee to create a long chain of three pipes, similar to the one you created in Step 1 and Step 2.

• 9

  Place the two longer pipe chains parallel to one another. Place the shorter pipe chain perpendicular to the first two pipes. Attach the two longer pipe chains to the shorter pipe chain using the 90-degree-angle corner joints from Steps 1 and 2, creating an open-ended rectangle.

• 10

  Insert a 7 1/4-by-2-inch pipe into each of the open 90-degree-angle joints on the open end of the rectangle. Place a three-way tee onto the open ends of the two 7 1/4-inch pipes so that one end points upward and the other end points downward.

Mattress Base

• 11

  Attach a 90-degree-angle corner joint to a 1 5/8-by-2-inch PVC pipe. Place a three-way pipefitting to the end of the 1 5/8-inch pipe. Insert a 9 3/4-by-2-inch pipefitting into the three-way tee to make a straight line of pipe. Add a four-way joint onto the 9 3/4-by-2-inch pipe. Insert a 1 3/4-by-2-inch pipe into the four-way tee.

• 12

  Repeat Step 1 three more times with more 1 5/8-inch pipes, 9 3/4-inch pipes, 1 3/4-inch pipes, 90-degree-angle joints, three-way tees and four way tees.

• 13

  Place two of the pipes from Steps 1 and 2 in a straight line. Insert a 16 3/4-by-2-inch pipe into the open three-way joints to secure them together in a long chain. Repeat the process with the remaining two pipe chains from Steps 1 and 2 and another 16 3/4-inch pipe.

• 14

  Place the two pipe chains from Step 3 parallel to one another. Insert a 6 5/8-by-2-inch pipe into each of the open joints on the 90-degree-angle corner joints. Place a four-way joint onto the ends of the 6 5/8-inch pipes. Attach the pipe chains from Step 3 into a rectangular shape by putting a 14 3/4-by-2-inch pipe into the open joints of the four four-way pipefittings you just placed. Do not press the pipes all the way into the fittings.

• 15

  Turn the open joints of the 90-degree-angle joints and the three-way corner joints to point the same direction. Turn the open joints of the 4-way joints at a 90-degree-angle to the open joints of the 90-degree-angle joint and the three-way corner joints.

• 16

  Insert a 38 1/2-by-2-inch pipe into each of the four open pairs of three-way joints in the longer sides of the rectangle. The pairs of joints are the two, three-way joints that are parallel to one another. Use the space left by not pressing the pipes all the way into their pipefittings to insert the 38 1/2-inch pipes. Press all the pipes into their fittings to secure them.

Bed Base

• 17

  Place a 90-degree-angle corner joint on the end of a 16 5/8-by-2-inch PVC pipe. Place a three-way tee on the other end. Insert a 30 3/4-by-2-inch pipe into the open end of the three-way joint to create a straight pipe chain. Add another three-way tee on the end of the 30 3/4-inch pipe. Insert a second 16 5/8-inch pipe into the open end of the three-way tee. Place another 90-degree-angle joint on the end of the second 16 5/8-inch pipe. Repeat the process with more 16 5/8-inch pipes, 30 3/4-inch pipes, three-way tees and 90-degree-angle corner joints.

• 18

  Turn all the 90-degree-angle joints to point the same direction on each pipe. Turn the four-way joints at a 90-degree-agnle to the 90-degree-angle corner joints.

• 19

  Place the two pipe chains from Step 1 parallel to one another. Insert a 6 5/8-inch into each of the 90-degree-angle corner joints. Place a three-way tee on the end of the 6 5/8-inch joints. Connect the three-way tees together using two 14 3/4-by-2-inch pipes. Adjust the three-way tees to point the same way as the tees three-way tees from Step 1.

Assembly

• 20

  Attach the top railing to the bottom railing by inserting a 5-by-2-inch PVC pipe into the openings of the 90-degree-angle joints and three-way joints of the top railing. Insert the other ends of the pipes into the open joints of the middle railings 4-way tees and three-way tees.

• 21

  Attach the underside of the middle railing to the top of the mattress base by inserting a 5-by-2-inch PVC pipe into the open joints on the underside of the middle railing. Then insert the 5-inch pipes into the open joints on the mattress base.

• 22

  Attach the underside of the mattress base to the bed base by inserting a 24-by-2-inch PVC pipe into the open joints on the underside of the mattress base. Then insert the pipes into the bed base’s open pipefitting joints.

• 23

  Place a piece of 37 1/2-by-72-by-3/4-inch plywood onto the mattress base to distribute the mattress’s weight. Place a twin mattress on top of the plywood.