<p>Has anyone had experience with adding a futon underneath a lofted bed? S in considering this, and he has come across a few inexpensive options from Walmart…site to store shipping of course! I am just wondering if the room would seem excessively crowded with the desk and dresser as well. Thanks for your input!</p>
<p>We were thinking of doing the opposite…the dresser and desk under the bed and the futon on the opposite wall.</p>
<p>Would that work?</p>
<p>i think the futon under the bed would work, but i think the futon across from the bed would not. it wouldn’t leave you enough floor space. it might “fit” but i think it would be crowded.</p>
<p>I don’t think a futon bed would fit opposite the bed. Futons are actually quite deep even when in the sofa position. </p>
<p>I also don’t think the desk would fit under the bed unless you paid to have the extra lofting. The desk would slide under, but might be unusable since the mattress would be right above it. </p>
<p>For a futon to fit under the bed, you’d have to be very careful with measurements…Walmart Site to Store does have the measurements listed…for both positions: up as a couch, down as a bed. </p>
<p>for under a bed…I would think that you’d need to do the futon without adding the “legs” …otherwise it will be too high for someone sitting on it.</p>
<p>What is the lofting measurement under the bed?</p>
<p>denthyg- has your son been talking to mine? He said he wants to do the same thing.</p>
<p>BTW…I don’t know what the plans are to use the futon as a bed, but don’t be fooled by the words “makes into a full sized bed”. Rarely are the beds wide enough &/or long enough to be a full sized bed.</p>
<p>Here’s the measurements of some futons</p>
<p>Sofa Dimensions: 78.0" x 36.0" x 33.0" LxWxH
Sleeper Dimensions: 75.0" x 54.0" x 14.5"
Seating Height from Floor: 14.5"</p>
<p>Measures: 67" x 31" x 31"
Bed position measures: 67" x 40" x 15"</p>
<p>Futon sofa bed dimensions: 67.5"L x 33"W x 31"H
Sleeper dimensions: 67.5"L x 37.5"W x 14"H</p>
<p>Futon sofa dimensions: 71" x 36.5" x 31.1"
Futon bed dimensions: 71" x 43" x 15.7"</p>
<p>As you can see, some of the widths for the beds are not full sized (75 long X 54" wide)</p>
<p>This one is called a mini futon…click on the pics and it’s shown over a highly lofted bed.</p>
<p>[Your</a> Zone Adjustable Mini Kid?s Comfortable Futon Bed Lounger ? Walmart.com](<a href=“http://www.walmart.com/ip/your-zone-mini-futon-lounger-black/13275171]Your”>http://www.walmart.com/ip/your-zone-mini-futon-lounger-black/13275171)</p>
<p>Sitting: dimensions: 64"L x 24"W x 25.8"H
Sleeping dimensions: 64"L x 39"W x 11.5"H
Lounge dimensions: 64"L x 36"W x 22"H</p>
<p>I doubt the 24" wide dimension of the sofa. That’s the dept of a kitchen countertop. With the thickness of the back and the seat part, it would seem that it would have to be deeper than 24"</p>
<p>they sometimes have these futons in walmart. you might be able to find one and measure in person.</p>
<p>i think the beds are high enough to fit a seated person underneath but it might be kind of cozy under there. my daughter could fit underneath her bed seated in the desk chair(and her bed was not at the highest position). you just have to watch your head.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Was that in Ridgecrest South? Because I don’t think the beds in Riverside, Lakeside and maybe the other Ridgecrests have the same beds that will loft that high…the posts themselves aren’t as high as the ones in RS. </p>
<p>When older son was in Riverside and Lakeside, all we could fit under his lofted bed was the dresser …and it just fit underneath with little/no space above.</p>
<p>I think the ones in RS will loft as high as a bunk bed, so sitting underneath would be more likely.</p>
<p>yes it was in RCS. “Futon in RCS?” was the title of the thread, so i am guessing that is what we are talking about. agreed, the beds in some of the other dorms do not go high enough.</p>
<p>Yes, the thread’s title is RCS, but since others might not realize that the honors beds are different. </p>
<p>For instance TexasArchitect’s child doesn’t even have a dorm yet since she’s a rising senior in high school. </p>
<p>For those interested, look at the pics on the Bama housing website for the various honors dorms.</p>
<p>No DD doesn’t have a dorm yet, but she sure did like RCS on the tour and will try to get in there next year.</p>
<p>I am assuming peeps want a futon so that friends can crash in their room, but wouldn’t a smallish sofa be less deep and (maybe) fit on the wall opposite the bed.</p>
<p>DD envisions a “study cave” under the bed with a lounging area opposite. With a small IKEA sofa, would that not work? Or how about a medium size recliner? She like to sit and type with her pc in her lap.</p>
<p>Son will be in Ridgecrest South-North Tower. He plans to leave the bed lofted in its highest position, which I believe is 60". I didn’t think headroom would be too much of a problem, so long as someone sitting down and getting up from the futon does a quick head “duck”! </p>
<p>I am more concerned with the length of the futon…other than the mini that m2ck has mentioned, most of the others are 72" long. This would be a preferred length, as my son is 6’1", and would like to stretch out! I believe the twin xl mattress is longer than 72", so I am assuming that the bed/loft frame is therefore longer than 72" as well! I picture it working in my mind…will have to see what happens once we implement!</p>
<p>The actual bed portion would only be used occasionally…friends visiting from home, etc. He was really looking for more of a comfortable lounging spot in his room that wouldn’t be on the bed, and he preferred the idea of a futon over an overstuffed chair.</p>
<p>txarchitect, I like the idea of a smaller sofa much better, but I am thinking that for cost and moving purposes, a futon will serve needs of S better!</p>
<p>the three furniture pieces add up to 78.5, and i know they fit under the bed. </p>
<p>twinxl mattress is 80, so max length probably needs to be less than that.</p>
<p>Be aware that the rooms are smaller than how they appear in the pics. The pics are likely taken with wide-angle lens. </p>
<p>And you can’t go by the floorplans either to determine if there’s space for other things. </p>
<p>I believe that some of the pics for Riverside are taken of Room D, which is a bit larger and has a better layout of room/door. </p>
<p>After having my kids in these dorms …Ridgecrest S, Riverside, and Lakeside…I can tell that there is little room for any other furniture other than what could fit under a lofted bed.</p>
<p>And, as I mentioned earlier, the beds in the other dorms do not loft that high. If I wanted to have a sofa/futon/bed in the room, then I would think that it would need to be under a high lofted bed in RS.</p>
<p>I do recall the one of my kids’ roomies had just a mattress on the floor under his bed. It looked like he brought in his own TwinXL mattress, put it on top of the bed, and then took the school’s mattress and put in on the floor under his bed. I guess that provided a more comfortable bed for him to sleep on a daily basis, and the school’s mattress (under his bed) served as either an extra bed for a guest or a place to lay and study.</p>
<p>i think the extra mattress on the floor sounds like a good couch. i was going to mention it in my last post, but i decided not to.</p>
<p>would be great for visitors and also a different place to lounge around or study than in your bed, but they do have the living area also, so it is not like they have to make their bedrooms as multi-purpose as someone in a traditional dorm might.</p>
<p>They do make Futon chairs too. When pulled out, it basically makes a twin bed. </p>
<p>My son was interested in the futon because he does not want to have to crawl up and down to get in and out of bed. He is a sound sleeper, and would likely hurt himself doing that. But he did not want to lose the storage. He would use the top of the bed for storage, and put a futon under the bed. The desk etc would be along the opposite wall. </p>
<p>Since he wants to move off campus in a year or two, the futon could be used in an apartment in the future. So it is not completely out of the question to purchase one for that reason. To me, it makes a little more sense than a bean bag chair does!</p>
<p>Consider looking at a folding cot at Academy Sports in Tuscaloosa or one from Ikea in your area. We found a great on for $39 at Academy that has a thick 2 and a half inch mattress and full wire springs underneath. It fits nicely beneath the bed and is the width of the twin bed. It can be folded up and stored easily out of the way but provides a guest bed or place to study without being so bulky. If you go with a futon you’ll find a wide selection at Target in August.</p>
<p>OP did your son end up with a futon under his lofted bed?</p>
<p>Hi there!
I want to chime in. There’s a difference between a raised bed and a lofted bed.</p>
<p>The beds at RCS will most likely be set to about 33" off the ground, which will definitely accommodate the dresser underneath, as well as rolling drawers you can buy at most major retailers.</p>
<p>If you have the bed set to 60" off the ground (lofted, although in RCS, you don’t have to rent a loft to do this), it will accommodate the dresser AND a desk underneath, with clearance for your head. This is also how you would set it up if you were planning to put a futon underneath.</p>
<p>You can see the difference in the setups here: [Student</a> Affairs | Housing & Residential Communities](<a href=“http://housing.ua.edu/movein/arrival/pack_tips.cfm]Student”>http://housing.ua.edu/movein/arrival/pack_tips.cfm)
Just scroll down and you’ll see photos of the two bed heights.</p>
<p>Please make sure that any upholstered furniture you bring in meets the Flammability Requirements of the State of California Technical Bulletin 117.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!
Janine</p>