"Functional" Under-bed Storage ... Drawer Choices

The wife would love a new bedroom set, as our current stuff is kind of a patchwork quilt of family hand-downs and cheap stuff (money was tight(er) when the kids were small). First up, some sort of underbed storage to support our new Tempur-Pedic mattress and replace the simple metal frame we have now. Yeah, those mattresses ain't cheap, but she has some back concerns, and our old mattress wasn't helping things a bit for either of us as far as a decent night's sleep... a family has to prioritize it's needs. Not really planning a fancy headboard or footboard at this point, but that could change. I hoped first to see what others think of the underbed storage options they chose for their beds (if they had gone this route).

Bedroom layout: King size mattress (aprox 6' wide x 7' long), 25" total height, 5" under the bare-bones metal frame. 6 feet of clear space from the foot of the bed to the entertainment center on opposite wall, aprox 3 feet of free space on each side of the bed to his/hers chests of drawers. We each have a small nightstand on our side of the bed.

Given that a single large "box" to support the bed would be a monster to move to and from the bedroom (upstairs and around a tight corner), I'm thinking two or even three separate box frames fixed together to house the drawers would be the ticket. But which way to position the drawers? Short ones (3' depth) pulling out to the side? Long ones (6' depth) pulling out from the foot? Combination of the two-- shorter drawers (1' deep) on the side and a single long 2'-wide drawer pulling out from the center of the foot? Drawer height will be a consideration, I don't want the bed to be too much taller than it is now (knee high), a couple/three additional inches at most. The drawers will be mostly for storage of blankets and seasonal clothing to free up some closet space. Obviously, having both side drawers and nightstands at the head of the bed would create a problem, so no side drawers in that location.

Again, haven't thought about design or looks at this point, just interested to hear from others about things they would do differently if they had to do it again, or ideas that worked out better than they thought. Then I'll start planning things out. The search function didn't really cover this, and the many books/plans out there don't exactly say how folks "like" the designs in terms of practical use.

Thanks for any input.

Dave

I am working on makeing a queen size platform bed with drawers buit in. It will have 4 drawers on each side. The top drawers will be 28" widex 7" high x 28" deep and bottom ones will be 28" wide x 10" high x 28" deep. All will have full ext. slides. The platform is 27" tall, with a 2" lip for the mattrees to sit in. This setup does not need a box spring and gives tons of storage. Mine will be made in two halfs, 80"x 30" per half. Then bolted with connector bolts from Rockler. This should moveing somewhat easy. Hope this helps.

If you have any stores around that still sell waterbeds take a look at the platforms that they have. We relpaced out waterbed last year with a SpeepNumber bed (yes, big $$$ too) and used our old waterbed base. It worked out well. Eventually I plan to make one that matches the bedroom furniture I plan to build, but frankly that's a very low priority. When all the covers and bedspread are on the bed the platform doesn't show at all.

Don's advise is good...a least look at the way they build the water bed setups with storage...modular and that means you're weight and movement issue can be dealt with.

(We did the SleepNumber thing two years ago...a good mattress is not a luxury when it comes to insuring good, comfortable sleep. Congrats on your new TempurPedic setup!)

Over the years, I've built five beds with drawers in them, for myself and for others. They are a great way to add storage space to a bedroom. Here's some opinions...

Don't use an innerspring foundation. Put the mattress directly on plywood or slats. This works fine, and don't let the mattress salesman tell you different. Doing this, you can get one layer of drawers plus the mattress in a package short enough that you can still sit on the bed to tie your shoes.

Six-foot long drawers pulling out the foot aren't a good idea. Price out six-foot drawer slides. I've always put drawers on the sides. The challenge is what to do with bedside tables so you can have drawers at the head. One solution is to hang the tables off the wall. Another is to hang them off an extended headboard. I've done both, and that works. Another is to make the table's base kinda C-shaped, so that the drawer pulls out into the C. This solution requires the design style be modern, but it works well too; my own bed has this solution.

I've never built a king-sized bed, but I've built queens several different ways, and my current approach is to build it in two major modules. I split the bed down the center line. A half-bed is small enough to carry through doors, standing on end. Also, in the half-bed with drawers coming out the sides, all the drawer fitting stuff is not touched when you split the bed apart for movement. The footboard and headboard can be part of the two major modules, but they'll have visible seams in the them. I like to make them as separate. They fasten on to the big modules, and hide the seam between the big modules.

Thanks, all!

Al-- That sounds like you'll have plenty of storage underneath the bed. Full extension slides would be my first choice as well, drawers that low to the ground would be a pain to try and find something small tucked away in the back of the drawer.

Don and Jim-- Yeah, I planned on giving some different frames a look-see at the local store and compare the various construction details. Got a friend in the business (the guy we bought the mattress from), and he agreed I could build a frame as good or better than anything commercially available unless you go top dollar, and even that wouldn't be custom made to fit our needs. Gotta love being able to make your own stuff.:D

Jamie-- Good input, thanks. Yeah, I've tossed around either making a full-on headboard incorporating nightstands, bookshelves, reading lights, yadda, yadda.. vs. separate nightstands and/or headboard. The Boss/CEO/CFO/LOML will have the yea/nay vote on the final design though, if you know what I mean.;)

Appreciate the comments. This ain't gunna happen overnight, but it's moving up the list from "What If" to "When Could You" status. That's a good sign, so I guess I'll be posting this over in the Design forum as the project progresses.

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Originally Posted by Dave Morris

Thanks, all!

...This ain't gunna happen overnight, but it's moving up the list from "What If" to "When Could You" status. That's a good sign, so I guess I'll be posting this over in the Design forum as the project progresses.

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So, you have one of those lists too.;)

I'll be interested in seeing your design. Good luck.

simple boxes on low casters to use for removeable storage without having to make actual drawers...

i know its not as challenging as doing it "all out" with slides and all the other woodworking doo dads, but what it lacks in difficulty it makes up for with simplicity