12/8/2010 Another Project Done….Almost

Today the platform bed project was competed….almost.

Before there was just raw wood around the base of the platform bed. The previous owners favored bedspreads to the floor which hid the wood from view, however, it was too much since the bed was so low. We were constantly tripping over the excess material on the floor. And between you and me, it was one butt ugly bedspread and I’m glad its gone! It didn’t even go to a re-sale shop such as Goodwill, it went straight to the garbage can! Remember this?

The picture above also gives you a good idea of just how low this bed was. See that little table? The top of it is just 23 inches from the floor. The pillows weren’t even that high! That computer desk on the right is also history.

So once again the bed was stripped down, the mattress taken to the living room, everything else cleared out and tools brought in. Today’s job is to put wainscoting around the now raised base for the platform.

The pieces had to be cut to size and luckily a stack could be done at one time.

Once he had the boards cut it didn’t take long for him to get started nailing them in place.

This went fairly fast and before I knew it he was on the other side of the bed finishing up.

Bob measured the mattress and then the platform because he thought the platform was too big for the queen sized mattress. Sure enough it was three inches wider than it need to be. He decided that while he was at it he might as well cut it to fit.

Striking the chalk line so a straight cut is made.

There aren’t many tools that Bob has had to borrow, actually, just a pneumatic nailer. Other than that he’s had everything he’s needed for all of these projects and has been lending out tools on a daily basis besides. Can you imagine how many tools he had before we left home? He says he’s going to have a big sale next spring….I don’t see that happening.

The plywood didn’t give a clean cut so he got out his trusty file and made all the edges smooth.

My Bob is always thinking outside the box. This time,,,,literally. See the electric outlet in the picture? You guessed it, it is now with the confines of the platform base. Taking notice of this he took steps to make sure it was accessible. In this picture he is in the process of drilling a hole in the side of the platform wall. He made an access panel in the platform itself so that the outlet can easily be reached from the top.

I went to the store and bought short extension cords with three way plugs and he plugged it in the outlet and took it through the hole which you can see that is just slightly below picture center. Now a lamp and a radio on the side table can easily be plugged in no matter which side of the bed they are on. Always thinking ahead…always.

The reason for the platform bed is for one reason only. STORAGE! Whoever made this one installed hydraulic lifts so that the top can be lifted and it will stay in place while you put more things in storage or are taking things out. From the looks of what was under there when we bought the place, a lot went in but very little came out. I did take the extra blankets, sheets that didn’t fit this queen or the sofa sleeper, the extra comforter, mattress pads and the bunch of extra pillow cases and gave them to a local fellow who comes in the park to work so that he could distribute them to those in need. Now there’s room for OUR stuff! We have lots to put away before we move out. Things that stay HERE and will not be moved to the 5th wheel but are personal things all the same and need to be put away.

When Bob added the support pieces to hold the new 1 x 6 it got it in the way of the hydraulic pieces so the platform didn’t sit correctly on the base.

After Bob got a look at what was happening it didn’t take much to fix it.

So there it is….its almost done. The only left to do now is paint the bottom. Bob says that’s my job. It’s already primed so it shouldn’t be too hard to do and I surely have to get it done before the new carpeting comes.