Chuck is not a stranger to Mobile Home Living. He’s been kind enough to share his remodeling projects with us over the last few months. First, his jaw-dropping mobile home kitchen upgrade provided inspiration to many of our readers. Next, Chuck wowed us with his mobile home bathroom remodel. This time he is giving us ideas for a mobile home guest room makeover using a Murphy Bed (that just happens to be custom-built).
We love Chuck’s can-do attitude and positivity! He isn’t scared to get his hands dirty, that’s for sure.
Chuck’s Mobile Home Guest Room Makeover has a Custom-Built Murphy Bed!
Name: Chuck
Location: Florida
Make and model of the home: 1985 Palm Harbor
The total cost of project: $1,500.00
The Project: The goal of this mobile home guest room makeover was to create an inviting and comfortable retreat for our guests that was highly functional for us, too.
We wanted to give guests enough room to unpack their suitcases while also keeping the closet space for all our boxes of Christmas decorations. We also needed the space to work double time as a craft and sewing room when needed.
Here’s what the mobile home guest bedroom looked like before Chuck got ahold of it:
Chuck sketched out his idea on paper and started taking measurements of the space:
To make the small space work as a storage space, crafting room, and comfortable guest bedroom Chuck needed to get creative. He designed a custom-built Murphy Bed that could be raised out of the way when the bed wasn’t needed. He went a step further by building a table into the Murphy Bed!
What is a Murphy Bed?
Did you know that Murphy beds have been around since the late 19th century? An inventor by the name of William Murphy designed the bed to allow him to hide it so that he could transform his one-room apartment from a bedroom to a living room while he was courting his future bride.
Chuck’s Interview
Proudest DIY moment: Designing and building the Murphy bed from scratch and have the first guest comment on the comfort of sleeping (even though I was admittedly a bit worried that the bed would rise back into the wall while they slept…. Just joking!).
The last room in the house is done but now several neighbors would like me to consider building the same in their extra room. We think Chuck’s Crafty Creations is a good name for a business!
Biggest challenge: Attempting to keep the cost of the project under control – we repaired and painted the original paneling and just wallpapered the top portion to add color.
Favorite room in the home: The guest room is near the top of my list of favorite rooms because now we have a nice place for guests to stay.
Chuck made sure the room could handle his adventurous ideas by laying new subfloor down. This kept the bed’s framing straight so the mechanisms would work properly.
Here’s the room in between paint layers. The glue that mobile home builders used to adhere mirrors onto walls has to be the original Gorilla Glue!
Once the paint was dry, Chuck built small closets on both sides of the Murphy bed.
Here you can see the design of the Murphy Bed (or Chuck Bed). The shelving on both sides, along with the closets create the pocket the bed sets in while in the up position.
Chuck’s design is far more than just a bed. He created a hinged desk that can be lowered easily. You’d never know there was a built-in desk included in the built-in bed! The base of the table (or leg) is trimmed out to match the trim on the bed.
The bed’s ‘feet’ can be used as a shelf in the up position, too. This is such a well-thought-out design! There’s not an inch of wasted space here.
Chuck’s Final Thoughts
Any tips or tricks you learned during the project: If you have a home with good bones you can overcome any problems with some thought and advanced planning. Planning really pays off when unexpected problems pop up and they will.
Always use a good primer before you apply the finished color. And, never ever glue a glass mirror to the paneled walls, that is why they sell hooks and hangers!
If you like Chuck’s decor, you’ll love this hip mobile home.
Murphy Beds are Expensive but You Can Build Your Own
You can follow Chuck’s lead and build a Murphy bed from scratch or if you aren’t quite as handy, you can buy one from one of the many retailers that offer them. Be forewarned, they are extremely expensive!
Although pricier than a traditional bed they are a great choice if you are looking to make the most of those smaller spaces.
Build Your Own Murphy Bed
Murphy beds are a wonderful way to make the most of those small spaces in a mobile home and you can build your own custom Murphy Bed for less than $500 using a kit from Amazon.
This Murphy bed mechanism kit cost around $250 and allows you to create any frame design you want.
You can build the frame to look like this:
Budget DIY Murphy Bed Instructions ($150 Total Cost)
Ana White is a DIY professional and her blog is full of great ideas and instructions for just about any home improvement project you can think of. Here are her quick and easy DIY Murphy bed instructions complete with tool and cut lists.
This DIY Murphy bed doesn’t use any mechanisms so it’s a lot cheaper and probably easier to build.
Here’s a video that shows you the steps to build your own Murphy bed similar to Chuck’s:
Other Great Resources for DIY Murphy Bed Projects
There are a ton of great DIY instructions for all kinds of Murphy bed designs online. We found several in many different styles that are sure to fit your taste and budget.
Modern Farmhouse Style Murphy Bed Instructions
AddictedtoDIY.com has a great example of how to build a Murphy Bed and give it a modern farmhouse look. It’s as gorgeous as it is functional:
DIY Murphy Bed Using Ikea Products
Ikea is a great resource for affordable furniture that can be modified and upgraded easily. This DIY Murphy bed uses the popular PAX line from Ikea to create a small pull-down bed. See the photos and get the step-by-step instructions here.
Traditional Style Murphy Bed DIY Instructions
If you want your Murphy Bed to have a more traditional style this is the perfect set of instructions. You will spend a little more money on the higher quality materials but the end result is stunning.
Murphy beds are a great way to utilize space in a small home. You can create or buy any style and any size you need to fit your space perfectly. Do you have a Murphy Bed? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
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Thank you. We have used the bed for guests and it works. Used the drop down table for sewing – it works too.
Wonderful idea!