Jack's Backyard

Custom Cabinets or Whatever You Want.

This is the loft style bed/ desk I made for my son. It's 6' 4" tall and  wide enough for a twin bed. There is a 6' long desk under the bed to save space in his room. I made this from 4" x 4" pine I stripped from a huge 22' long by 6' high pallet, (the same pallet I made my TV stand from) 2"x 6" material I picked up at the the dump (while I was throwing away real trash), and damaged wood from Lowe's and Home Depot. (They sell damaged wood they gouge with the fork lift or break at a reduced rate). I made it like I make play equipment. A gorilla could play with his luggage on this thing.

The cool thing is... It's all saved! His room is small and he needed more space. The under the bed desk was the answer. It is well used and the bed is tall enough to last him a few more years. One day he suggested we make a rock wall on the side for him to get in and out. I was instantly sold on the idea. The rocks have not been installed yet and I still need to finish the top rail. It will be soon and I will post a picture for all to see. 

It was imperfect to begin with.  It took months to acquire the right timber. I wanted a specific grain that would leap out with lots of burl and knots. That's one of the trials that go along with reclaimed wood. Sometimes the lumber is not long enough or pretty enough to build what you want. I had to reverse engineer the design and build from my longest piece of scrap. I went out my way to show the imperfections in the wood. I did not hide knots, holes, or bark areas. I did not worry about making a statement for seamless craftsmanship. I took liberties with my skills to make it imperfect. I never want to forget where it came from. I can't bring myself to stain it. I'm going to leave it natural. Don't you agree?

Go Astros! Go Aeros! My son calls this area his sports center.  That's Lance Berkman in the picture with my slugger. Click on the pictures to see larger images.