Live in a Tiny House? Build a DIY Built-In Roll-Out Bed

Andrew and Crystal Odom live in a tiny house, part of their Tiny r(E)volution to live the tiny, minimalist life. They are raising a family in a small Jay Shafer inspired trailer and writing about it on their blog. They share more than just information; for Christmas, they are giving away plans for a very clever built-in roll out bed. They write:

Like any family we enjoy having house guests and visits from friends and family. But with just 240 square feet it is sometimes quite difficult. That is why when we realized our “tiny office” had the potential to be so much more. Imagine turning your home office or detached studio into a beautiful and cozy guest bedroom in less than 3 minutes? That is what our Built-In Roll Out Bed allows you to do.

© Tiny r(E)volution

About the Bed

It is made of two boxes; the bigger one against the wall is for the storage of the mattress the smaller one on the face is an accordion-like bed platform that pulls out from the wall. The whole thing takes about 9 hours to build from materials worth about US$268.

Frankly, I looked a this and thought it was a lot of work when a futon on the floor would be fine. But Andrew has higher standards than I do.

While many people can find a nights comfort on a futon or even a sleeping mat typically reserved for camping/hiking, most guests prefer something a bit more inviting. Even blow up mattresses can be cumbersome when your interior walls are less than 8-feet across. In this case, a folding bed is a perfect solution for guests. It can be collapsed when not in use (as it doesn’t take up much space) yet easy to unfold and set up for guests.

Until the end of the year, the download is free; if you want to contribute something, there is a donate button too.

Tiny r(E)volution/CC BY 2.0

Tiny House Happiness

I used to believe that the Tiny Revolution was going to be a very big thing. I even own one, a relic from when I was going to try and make a living selling them. It was a frustrating and expensive experience as I learned that there is more to living than just a cute little building. However, I have spent the morning reading about Andrew and Crystal's Tiny r(E)volution blog where they write:

My wife, Crystal, and I have worked hard at simplifying our lives. We have minimized the number of clothes we own, the types of food we eat, our dependency on cars and travel in general, the number of square feet we need to exist indoors, the amount of books we surround ourselves with, the number of CDs and DVDs we buy (largely for one-time use), and the overall debt we have amassed.
In this exchange, we have maximized our quality of life, our love for each other, our concern for the world around us, our ideas of entertainment, our health (mentally and physically), and our general dispositions.