Bunk bed height

[RonKStevens]

I am looking at building bunk beds over my rear wheel wells. The wheel wells are 14" high. What kind of space do I need in between the two bunks? Or put another way, what distance should I have at a minimum from the top of the mattress of the bottom bunk to the bottom of the frame of the top bunk? How much head clearance should I have from the top of the mattress of the top bunk to the ceiling? The top bunks will be used by kids, so it's not like an adult will have to go up there.

[richard5933]

See how tall your tallest kid is when sitting on the bed and then add a few inches - that would be the ideal height, if you have enough room. No rules on this stuff.

[chessie4905]

If I was doing this, I would check out some travel trailers to get an idea. Be careful though. Some of the newer ones have taller ceilings than before. So, take a measuring tape and make note of your coach ceiling height.

[buswarrior]

If at all possible, mock up the spacing using whatever is lying around, boards, sticks, bricks, scraps... and have the intended sleepers try the space for size, before you start building stuff for real...

Saved me a ton of grief, 2 kids tried and said "no way" and the 3rd one wouldn't even go up there...

It isn't so much a measuring tape exercise as a claustrophobia exercise.

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[chessie4905]

Thats why I suggested a travel trailer or sticks and staples motorhome.. They already figured out the space necessary for each child. Probably meets RVIA standards.

[DoubleEagle]

There is the option of just having double bunks instead of triple, but the real test is how each child reacts to the space. Being able to sit up without bending the neck is good, but in reality there is not always enough space for that. In entertainer buses for adults you have to roll in and forget about sitting up. In a old RV that I had decades ago, I put small awning type windows in each bunk so that the children could see out. That helped with the claustrophobic issue, but did not satisfy everyone.