Tractor bed

Materials: Mydal bunk bed

Description: My almost 4 year old is crazy about tractors...New Holland ones, to be precise. The only thing he wished for for his upcoming birthday was a blue tractor bed. I researched some tractor beds online and found a John Deere tractor bunk bed which I revamped a bit and turned into this tractor bed, complete with scoop, cab, and play space underneath. We plan on fitting a platform on the bottom slats for a secret hide-out for him.

I sawed the legs down a little so the bed wouldn't be so high. I jigsawed a cab and a scoop out of plywood, put it together, and spray painted it. We added push lights as head lights, a license plate personalized with his name and upcoming age, and added some plywood tires. I added arms for the scoop.

He's very happy with his birthday gift. We just have to add his mattress on top and the plywood platform on the bottom slats.

~ Cindy, Ontario, Canada

More hacks on IKEAHackers.net

Double Bunk

Materials: MYDAL bunk beds x2, saw, drill, a few extra screws.

Description: My son wanted bunk beds; I wanted to keep a double bed in his room so it can house guests from time to time. First thought of a Double/Single TROMSO, but it's been out of stock for months and months. So I hacked a much more fun solution.

Two sets of IKEA MYDAL bunk beds assembled side by side as IKEA instructions except:
- Fit bed sides of upper bunks upside down (to make a flat platform)
- Only put guards up along the length of one set of bunks.
- Don't fit ladders or short guards.
- Don't complete the second lower bunk, leave out the outer long side and slats.
- Bolt the two sets together.
- Use the spare slats to fill in the gaps on one of the upper bunks (to make a solid bedside space)
- Build a wider and sturdier ladder out of all the unused parts.
- Cut down the short guards to accommodate the wider ladder and fit on the outer bunk.

It's not a space saving solution - it's vast, but my son loves it and so do I, both top and bottom are really special, cosy spaces.

~ Hannah Pepper, UK