Built-In Bunk Beds — Custom Bunk Bed Wall Built On Site
A store bunk bed wobbles, takes the whole room and never quite fits. Bunks framed into the wall sit still, use the corner, and leave the floor open.
Built in bunk beds are bunks framed into the room and screwed to the studs, with a bed rail, a guardrail on the top bunk, a ladder or stairs with drawers, and trim that matches the room. JMB Builders builds bunk bed walls on site across the Twin Cities metro, two bunks on one wall or four in a bunk room, sized to the mattresses you pick. Priced per project, quoted from photos.
- Priced per project
- Two bunks on a wall or four in a bunk room
- Framed to the studs, no wobble
- Ladder or stairs with drawers
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A built-in bunk bed is framing, not furniture. A ledger is screwed to the studs along the wall for each bunk, a front rail is carried on posts or a partition, and a plywood deck or slats sit in the frame with the mattress on top. Because the wall carries one side, there is no wobble and no headboard gap. The face is trimmed in poplar and MDF, with a cased opening for each bunk if you want the cubby look, and a reading shelf or a cubby at the head of each bed.
Two bunks along one wall is the usual build. A bunk room at a cabin or in a big basement bedroom gets four: two stacks on facing walls or a double-wide stack. The mattress sets everything, twin, twin XL or full, so we size the frame to the mattress you name and leave room for bedding. The top bunk gets a guardrail on the open side and enough headroom to sit up under the ceiling; the bottom gets the same headroom under the top deck.
Ladders are built into the face, either flat rungs in a frame or angled with treads. Stairs with a drawer in each riser are the safer climb for young kids and the most storage, but take floor space. A reading light and an outlet in each bunk are added by a licensed electrician before the face goes on. The mattresses are yours to buy; we build to the sizes and give you the deck dimensions.
What you supply
- Photos of the wall or the room from each corner, the wall length, the ceiling height and where the window, closet, outlets and registers are
- How many bunks and who they are for, and the mattress size for each (twin, twin XL, full)
- Ladder or stairs, and which end you want it on
- Paint-grade or stain-grade, and any cubbies, shelves or curtain rods per bunk
- The mattresses, bought to the sizes on the sketch after the frames are built
- Painting or staining is quoted as a separate line — or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- A sketch to your room with bunk heights, headroom, guardrail and the ladder or stair layout
- Ledgers screwed into the studs, posts and front rails, and a plywood deck or slats sized to each mattress
- Guardrail on the open side of every top bunk, and a bed rail on the lower bunks if you want one
- A built-in ladder with flat rungs, or stairs with a drawer in each riser
- Poplar and MDF face frames, cased bunk openings, reading shelf or cubby at the head of each bed
- Baseboard returned into the unit, and a top rail or crown at the ceiling
- Coordination with your electrician for a light and an outlet in each bunk
- Painting or staining when you want it done, quoted as its own line
- Photos of the finished bunks in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Two bunks vs. four, and twin vs. full mattresses
- Ladder vs. stairs with drawers
- Open bunks vs. cased openings with a cubby wall and curtain rods
- Reading light and outlet in each bunk, run by an electrician
- Paint-grade poplar and MDF vs. stain-grade pine, oak or maple
- Ceiling height that sets the headroom, and a sloped ceiling
- Drawers under the bottom bunk
- Closet or window on the wall that the bunks have to work around
A photo of the wall with a tape measure across it, the ceiling height and the mattress sizes are enough to sketch the bunks and quote them.
How long it takes
Two bunks on one wall with a ladder: two to three days on site. Four bunks in a bunk room, or stairs with drawers: four to six days. Electrical before the face trim; painting after.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Two bunks on one wall
One stack against the wall with a ledger for each bunk, a ladder on the end, a guardrail up top and a cased opening at each bed. The basic build for a kids' room.
Bunk room with four bunks
Two stacks on facing walls or a double-wide stack, each bunk in its own cased cubby with a shelf and a light. Common at cabins and in basement guest rooms.
Bunks with stairs and drawers
A short stair at the end of the stack with a drawer in each riser, in place of a ladder. Safer for young kids and the most storage; needs the floor space at the end.
Loft bed with a desk below
One high bunk on a ledger with the space under it left open for a desk or a reading nook, and a ladder or stairs at the end. Same framing, one deck.
Built-In Bunk Beds — Custom Bunk Bed Wall Built On Site: questions, answered
Are built in bunk beds safer than store-bought bunk beds?
They do not wobble, because one side is screwed into the wall studs and the front is carried on posts that are fastened to the floor and the ceiling framing or the face frame. Every top bunk gets a guardrail on the open side, and the ladder or stairs are built in so they cannot slip. We follow the common guidance for guardrail height and the gap at the mattress; you pick the mattress thickness and we build to it.
What mattress sizes do built in bunk beds take?
Twin is the usual size. Twin XL fits teenagers and adults and only adds length. A full on the bottom with a twin on top works when the wall is long enough. We build the deck to the mattress size you name with a little room for bedding, and give you the finished deck size so the mattress you buy fits.
Ladder or stairs for bunk beds?
A ladder built into the face takes no floor space and is fine for older kids. Stairs at the end of the stack are the easier climb for young kids and adults, and each riser can be a drawer, but they take a few feet of floor at the end. Angled ladders with flat treads are the middle option. Tell us who is sleeping up top.
Can you put a light and an outlet in each bunk?
Yes, with a licensed electrician doing the wiring. We plan a channel behind the face frame for the wire and a cutout for a small sconce or puck light and an outlet at the head of each bunk. The electrician runs it before the face trim goes on. USB outlets are a common ask for the top bunks.
How much headroom does a top bunk need?
Enough to sit up in bed without hitting the ceiling, and the same under the top deck for the bottom bunk. A standard ceiling height fits two bunks with sitting headroom on both. A low basement ceiling may mean a lower bottom bunk with a drawer underneath instead of a full bay. We draw the heights on the sketch so you can see them before we build.
What are built in bunk beds made of?
Framing lumber ledgers and posts screwed into the studs and the floor, a plywood deck or slats under each mattress, and a face in poplar and MDF for paint or pine, oak or maple for stain. Rails and ladder rungs are solid wood, sanded round. It goes in filled and primed. Painting or staining is quoted as a separate line — or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All built-ins pages
Where we work
Built-ins near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: