Beds: DIY or buy new?

Hi everyone,

I'm in the process of redecorating my bedroom and, due to the frame falling apart, I'm looking to replace my entire bed, mattress and all. The original frame of the bed itself was built by a very good friend of mine from uni; she's an architecture student and she had a knack for crafting amazing wooden objects such as chairs, boxes and even a clothes horse for me (yes, a wooden clothes horse).

Anyway, I'm looking to get it replaced. Unfortunately, she's moved back to Finland so I can't ask her again. The frame she built lasted over 4 years and looked great, so I was hoping to create something similar. My questions are:

1: Does anyone have experience building a bed frame DIY? Can you tell me anything about the difficulty?

2: If I bought one instead of using a custom built frame, would it potentially last longer than 5 years?

3: Can anyone recommend any good sites for purpose built handmade beds or designer bedding?

Here's the sort of styles I'm looking for:

http://www.andsotobed.co.uk/beds.html

http://www.cornishbeds.co.uk/

Thanks in advance!

Hi!

Redecorating is so much fun! Have you considered buying an IKEA bed? They are cheap and last a long time. I know it's not DIY but I've had an IKEA bed for over 10 years and it's still as good as new. As a Scandinavian I'm partial to IKEA though. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20"> There are a lots of IKEA hacks online where people modify their IKEA furniture to look different/more expensive etc so maybe something worth looking into. IKEA beds and other furniture you have to put together yourself. The instructions are good and typically easy to follow as long as you have basic tools.

Ana White has a lot of bed plans.  I've never tried any of them, but I love browsing her projects.  

http://www.ana-white.com/category/plans/project-type/beds