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"I'm a Heavy equipment operator that usually works in Alberta. The fact I have never built anything in my life, this was a true accomplishment for myself; if I had more time I would have built a dresser. I enjoy working on our Scalextric slot car race track: my son and I have a 7 foot x 42 inch wide track that we race on. It's raised 42 inches from the floor, with 3 tunnels and 3 levels - a total of 28 feet of track and mountains that we are about to paint."
Kids and fire trucks go together like milk and cookies, so it was only natural for Brad to build a theme bed for his son's room. With its bright red paint and lower play area, this bed features climbable steps (which double as storage space), side railings, and built-in side marker "night lights" (clever). The painted station house adds to the theme while doing double duty as a reusable chalkboard. For someone who never tried his hand on a project like this, we think he did quite well. No doubt his little firefighter loves it!
Great job, Brad! Thanks for sharing your project with us!
Q: What is it?
A: A fire truck loft bed and fire station house wall painting for my son's room. At the time my son had just turned 3, and he was always rolling out of his toddler bed. He was to move into a "big boy bed", so I decided to build something for him. He was always in awe of fire trucks, so I Googled "DIY fire truck beds" and found this design. The fire truck loft bed is 55 inches from the floor. Instead of a ladder, I built stairs with storage. The lights and the plastic wheel acting as a steering wheel are from Princess Auto. The wall painting was an afterthought, to "park" the truck in front of it.
Q: What is the main power source for your project? (e.g. electric motor, gas engine etc.)
A: I used an AC/DC converter to light up the lights. I've added rope lights since, but they are awfully bright, so I put them on a timer.
Q: What components are used to perform the work for your project? (e.g. hydraulic cylinder(s), hydraulic motor(s), sprockets, pulleys etc.)
A: Air sander, rechargeable battery powered drill, skill saw.
Q: What design/build challenges were overcome?
A: I had 3 major challenges while doing this: the first was that I had never - and I mean never - built anything before, so this was a complete FIRST for me. Although my father-in-law is quite the renovator, I didn't want to ask for help and I wanted to do this for my son on my own. The second challenge was that I have an implanted pacemaker/ defibrillator, and using electric tools causes my heart rate to rise. The third challenge was that the day I started this project, I did a major pull called a "tennis elbow rip" caused from too much weight on one arm (I was putting 3/4 inch plywood onto the saw horses to make my first cut). The doctor informed me I couldn't do this job for 6 weeks (yeah, right). After strapping my arm up, I used tools that were either charged (battery powered) or air powered. I found out later after this project was completed that my heart rate was quite high while still using the charged tools.
Q: If you had to build it again, what would you do differently?
A: Sand it down more, and paint as I went. I would probably do a bed lower to the ground and then make something on top to play in, because I didn't really think about what happens when you need to put your son up into bed - he's a big boy!
Q: Which Princess Auto location do you visit most?
A: Kamloops, BC