RV Murphy Bed Idea – Build Your Own

The allure of space saving alternatives is always a hot topic when it comes to RV’s. Nothing takes up more space for most people than the RV Bed.  Its a space hogging necessity that I never considered an area of space saving improvement until the RV Murphy Bed. If you purchased an actual pre-made murphy bed they would cost upwards of $1000 for any of decent quality. But, as we tend to do around here we recommend building one yourself which is a surprisingly straight forward task according to Ana-White.com. The best part about building a custom RV murphy bed is you can choose the size and the orientation (Hinge at the top or side of the RV bed).  I have actually seen them both ways and the side mounted version is better on space but harder for 2 people to get in and out of. If you have the space for it this could be a great add on to a RV remodel. I have also seen people use this as a replacement for the bunk bed area in some RV’s. Interesting to say the least. See the pictures below to get a better idea of the build process. Perhaps you could do it at your S&B house as well!

According to Ana-White.com, you will need the following to build your very own RV Murphy Bed:

Shopping List:

• 1 – Sheet of 1/2″ Plywood or MDF
• 3 – 1×12, 8′ Long
• 1 – 1×8, 8′ Long
• 1 – 1×4, 8′ Long
• 1 – 1×3, 8′ Long
• 3 – 1×2, 8′ Long
• 2″ Screws
• 2″ Nails
• 1 1/4″ Nails
• 5/8″ Brad Nails
• Glue
• Wood Filler
• Sand Paper
• 1/4″ Thick Hobby Boards
• Hinges (preferably heavy duty door hinges or continuous piano hinge)
• Heavy duty magnetic clasp to keep the bed from falling open
• Optional compression hinges to slowly lower the bed in place

Tools:

• measuring tape
• square
• pencil
• hammer
• safety glasses
• hearing protection
• Kreg Jig™
• drill
• circular saw
• nailer
• sander

To see the entire breakdown and tutorial of the RV murhpy bed visit http://ana-white.com/2010/03/plans-a-murphy-bed-you-can-build-and-afford-to-build.html

As an alternative you can order these RV murphy bed kits that come with all the hardware and also instructions on how to assemble

Full

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Queen

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Twin

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Other resources for builidng RV Murphy Beds:

http://www.handymanclub.com/projects/articletype/articleview/articleid/5397/murphy-bed-project-plans

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-build-a-murphy-bed/index.html

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/moddi-murphy-bed-kit-41602