Measure and Cut

• 1). Measure the width and length of your mattress and the ceiling height of your dorm room.
  
  
• 2). Buy lumber at the nearest home improvement center or lumber yard. Pine and plywood are the most suitable for this kind of furniture, but you can splurge on more expensive wood if you choose.
  
  
• 3). Cut the wood posts to a length of 60 inches, unless the ceiling height of your dorm room is below 7 feet. If so, cut the posts to a length equal to the ceiling height, minus 35 inches.
  
  
• 4). Cut the plywood sheet to match the length and width of the mattress that came with your dorm room. Cut half the planks to match the width of the mattress, half to match the length.
  
  
• 5). Sand all faces of your lumber. You don't have to polish the wood smooth, but you should remove all burrs and splinters to avoid unpleasant surprises in the future.
  
  

Support Frame

• 1). Set two of the posts on the ground, parallel and as far apart as your mattress is wide. Lay one of the shorter planks across the posts at their midpoint. Square them so that the ends of the plank are aligned with the outside edges of the posts. Screw the plank to the posts with a square of 2-inch wood screws at each junction.
  
  
• 2). Flip the frame you've made with the posts and planks. Mount a second short plank directly opposite the first one.
  
  
• 3). Repeat Steps 2 and 3 to build a second frame using the other posts and four of the remaining short planks.
  
  
• 4). Set the frames you've built upright. Lay a long plank so it connects the two posts along one side, with the long plank lying so its bottom edge rests on the tops of the short planks you've already mounted. Adjust it so that the ends of the plank are aligned with the outer edges of the posts. Mount it with a square of 2-inch wood screws.
  
  
• 5). Lay a second long plank directly opposite the plank you've mounted. Attach as you did the first one.
  
  
• 6). Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to mount two more long planks just below the short planks.
  
  

Mattress Frame

• 1). Lay the plywood sheet on the top ends of the posts for your bed. Align it so its corners and the outside corners of your posts are square. Screw it in place with two 2-inch wood screws in the top of each post.
  
  
• 2). Lay one long plank along the long edge of the plywood, with the edge of the plywood running along the centerline of the plank. Screw it in place with a rectangle of four wood screws at each end, where the plank intersects with the posts.
  
  
• 3). Repeat Step 2 on the opposite side to mount the remaining long plank. Mount the remaining short planks at the ends of the plywood sheet.
  
  
• 4). Set the corner braces in each of the four corners of the plywood sheet on top, so they support the unattached edges of the planks. Screw them in position using the 3/4-inch wood screws.
  
  
• 5). Slide your mattress into position to complete the sleep and study loft.