I would like to build a murphy style bed for our home office so guests have a place to sleep when they visit. We looked at Futons and Hide-a-beds, but they both seem to take up too much space in the room. We also didn't care much for the roll up or inflatable type beds. A murphy bed seems like it would leave the most space in the room, and still provide a comfortable bed. And, I could expand the cabinetry to provide much needed shelving in our office.
Most of the murphy beds I have seen either use hydraulic cylinders or some kind of spring system to counter the weight of the bed. But, I don't really want to spend $250 just for a counter balance system. We'll probably have guests less than once a year, so I can use a little muscle to lower the bed, or get my wife to help.
I have an article from the April/May 2001 issue of Fine Homebuilding that shows a bed much like I'm thinking of building. The main difference is that his bed stands vertically, and ours will stand horizontally.
Anyway, I'm curious if anyone has drawings, plans, photo's, or tips for building murphy beds, especially those without any fancy hardware.
Thanks,
Anthony