bloglovinBloglovin iconCombined ShapeCreated with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. rssRSS iconsoundcloudSoundCloud iconFill 1Created with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. Group 3Created with Sketch. _ _ _ XCreated with Sketch. X searchCreated with Lunacy

Categories

DIY Cabin Bed for Kid’s Bedroom

Is it time for your toddler to transition to a big kid’s bed? We built this kid’s cabin bed for our toddler’s room! Follow along with these step-by-step instructions.

Thank you to Kreg for sponsoring this DIY cabin bed! All opinions are entirely my own. This post also contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn’t recommend wholeheartedly. Read my full disclosure here.

A couple of months ago we shared our very first DIY project in our three-year-old’s room – a mountain mural. His room had been neglected since moving into this house two years ago.

We started with this amazing mountain mural that made SUCH a big difference in the room, isn’t it so cute??

Full view of the nursery with mountain mural, barn chandelier, colorful shiplap book shelves and the DIY nook for the farmhouse kid bedroom

Right around the same time as the DIY mural, we started noticing that Cal seemed to be a little cramped in his toddler bed. Just like any other 3-year-old, he loves to sleep with one million stuffed animals and blankets. There was barely any room for him.

We knew it was time to think about a new bed, a bigger bed, for Calloway. After our bathroom renovation finished, our schedule cleared up and we decided it was the perfect time to build the twin bed ourselves. 

We’re Building a DIY Kid’s Cabin Bed!

Over the past few years, I’ve seen several different variations of cabin beds or house-style beds for kid’s rooms. I always thought that it would be so fun to build a boy’s DIY cabin bed! And – spoiler alert – it turned out SO GOOD! Most epic bed ever.

For this fun DIY woodworking project, we’ve teamed up with Kreg to create the plans and share them online for free, which are now available on KregTool.com!

If you’re wondering Kreg Tools’ website is full of easy-to-follow woodworking plans that are all available for free! I’m sure you are going to find so much inspiration while you are there.

Inspiration for Our Boy’s Cabin Bed

Since I’ve been thinking about building a DIY bed that looks like a small house for a couple of years, we’ve had plenty of time to pick up inspiration! We were inspired by tons of other boy’s cabin bed ideas – both other DIY beds and beds available for purchase from retailers.

Cabin Bed Frame: Step-By-Step Tutorial

Download the free woodworking plans to build this easy twin bed frame that looks like a cabin house for a kid's bedroom

Note: The free plans for this project (which can be downloaded here) are designed to hold a twin mattress. You’ll need to make adjustments to accommodate a different-sized mattress – like a full-size mattress. Additional support may be needed for larger mattresses.

Wood products needed:

Supplies needed:

Tool needed:

Step 1 – Cut & Assemble Side Panels:

The headboard and footboard of this DIY children's cabin bed. This big kids bed is a fun DIY for a rustic and outdoors theme kids room
  • The first thing you want to do is cut 2 side panels from 3/4 inch plywood panels using a table saw and jig saw.
  • Use the jig saw to cut window holes in each side panel.
  • Cut trim pieces and attach per woodworking plans with wood glue and finish nails.

Step 2 – Cut & Assemble Back Panel:

Back panel for DIY cabin bed that goes behind the mattress
Here’s a picture of back panel (once assembled and painted)
  • Cut back panel from a 3/4 inch plywood sheet.
  • Attach 2×4 to top and bottom using pocket hole joinery.
  • Be sure to use pocket hole screws – not just normal wood screws. 
  • Pilot holes are not needed with pocket holes on pine wood. 

Step 3 – Add 2×4 Supports to Side Panels:

  • Cut 2x4s to size with a 30-degree angle cut at the top.
  • Add 2×4 supports to the side panels of the bed frame using pocket hole joinery.

Step 4 – Pocket Hole Plugs:

All pocket holes can be filled with pocket hole plugs and wood glue
  • Attach pocket hole plugs with wood glue to the back panel and side panels for a finished look.
  • Let dry.

Step 5 – Fill Nail Holes & Sand:

Fill all nails holes with wood filler and sand smooth with an orbital sander
  • You can choose to fill all visible nail holes & paint everything now or hold off until it is assembled. We, obviously, painted first and then assembled. That just meant we had to touch up the paint after assembly.
  • Fill nail holes with wood filler.
  • Sand to a smooth finish with an orbital sander, starting with 80 grit and finishing with 150 grit sandpaper.

Step 6 – Prime and Paint:

Priming and painting panels for DIY bed for kid's room that looks like a house with windows
  • Prime and paint all pieces. We did two coats of primer and two coats of paint.
  • We used Falling Snow for white and Graphic Charcoal for trim by Behr Paint.

Step 7 – Build Roof Panels:

Roof panel made out of cedar fence pickets for kid's cabin bed
  • Construct roof panels from horizontally stacked cedar fence pickets.
  • Attach cedar pickets together with nails.
  • Spray clear sealant to protect since these won’t be painted.

Step 8 – Build Roof Support:

V shaped roof support for DIY cabin bed with 30 degree angled cuts for roof made out of cedar fence pickets
  • Construct a “V shaped” support piece with 30-degree angled cuts.
  • Attach with pocket screws.
  • Later, this piece will be added to the middle of the bed under the roof pickets for support.

Step 9 – Assemble Side & Back Panels:

We assembled the DIY bed that looks like a mini cabin in the bedroom because it wasn't going to fit through the doorway
  • Connect side panels with three 2×4 supports (each top corner and front bottom corner).
  • Use pocket hole joinery for assembly. We did not fill these pocket holes with plugs so the bed can be taken apart later, if needed.
  • Note: We assembled the bed in the room because it wasn’t going to fit through the doorway.
Detail of pocket hole joinery on DIY cabin bed for little boy's room that looks like a house
Here’s the corner detail showing where the side panels connect to the 2×4 supports with pocket hole joinery.

Step 10 – Build Bed Platform:

Parts labeled on the mattress platform for DIY cabin bed for kid's room
  • Add a 1×2 ledger board to the inside edges for plywood support.
  • Build a bottom bed platform with three 2×4 supports using pocket hole joinery.
  • Cut 3/4 plywood to size and lay it on top for a mattress platform on the wooden bed.
  • Attach with finish nails.
  • Cover bed platform with mattress. 

Ready to see how our DIY cabin bed turned out?

Our finished DIY cabin bed and mountain mural in our boy's rustic outdoor themed bedroom

Ta da! Isn’t it perfect??

The end view of our DIY children's cabin bed

Here’s a different angle so you can see the full details on the side panel.

Inside view of the DIY cabin bed showing wooden roof, tiny window at the end and the bed with gray sheets, perfect for a child's first big kid bed

We’re thinking about getting some of those glow-in-the-dark stars for the inside of the roof to make this a little boy’s dream.

A look at the inside detail of our DIY kid's cabin bed, with a window and gray bedding.

Our little guy is OBSESSED with his new big boy’s cabin bed and best of all, there’s plenty of room for him!

Our boy is obsessed with his big and comfy cabin bed!

Kreg’s Pocket Hole Joinery

The incorporation of the pocket hole joinery using the Kreg K5 Master System made assembling this bed a breeze. If you’re looking to get into beginning woodworking projects, we highly recommend a pocket hole system for quick and easy joinery. Click here to learn how to use a pocket hole jig, which includes a video! 

Since we published this cabin bed tutorial, Kreg has released a new version of the pocket hole jig and discontinued the K5. Learn more about the new Kreg 720Pro pocket hole system.

This DIY kids cabin bed is perfect for a camping themed room for your kiddo's first big kid bed.
This DIY big kids cabin bed is a perfect fit in our big kids rustic style bedroom.

We’re thrilled to be done with Cal’s bed and he’s so excited about sleeping in it. If you are going to buy a cabin bed from a retailer, they run about $2,000+ so we were definitely able to save TONS of money by buying this cabin bed ourselves.

If you’re interested in building this bed, definitely be sure to hop over to the Build Something website because I’m giving you the whole tutorial and all the plans there for free!

Would your children love a cabin bed too?

Let us know in the comments below.

How to Make a DIY Kids Cabin Bed - Free Wood Working Plans Included!
How To Make a DIY Kids Cabin Bed

How To Make a DIY Kids Cabin Bed

Yield: 1
Active Time: 3 days
Total Time: 3 days
Difficulty: Intermediate
Estimated Cost: $400

Is it time for your toddler to transition to a big kid’s bed? We built this kid’s cabin bed for our toddler’s room!

Tools

Instructions

    1. Step 1 - Cut & Assemble Side Panels
    2. Step 2 - Cut & Assemble Back Panel
    3. Step 3 - Add 2x4 Supports to Side Panels
    4. Step 4 - Add Pocket Hole Plugs
    5. Step 5 - Fill Nail Holes & Sand - You can choose to fill all visible nail holes & paint everything now or hold off until it is assembled. We, obviously, painted first and then assembled. That just meant we had to touch up the paint after assembly.
    6. Step 6 - Prime and Paint
    7. Step 7 - Build Roof Panels
    8. Step 8 - Build V-Shaped Roof Support with 30-degree angled cuts
    9. Assemble Side & Back Panels
    10. Step 10 - Build Bed Platform For Mattress

Notes

Click here to see the full tutorial and download the woodworking plans!

Note: We assembled the bed in the room because it wasn't going to fit through the doorway.

Download free plans for DIY Cabin Bed for kid's bedroom

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to Instructions
Scroll back to the top