A few details

When we built this house 16 years ago, we had to cut many of the extras that were included in the plans. One of those was a finished bonus room over the garage. Over time Mitch put sheet rock up and had it wired, but for all those years it was just an overflow from the attic. Particle board floors, bare bulb lights, untrimmed window... bare bones.

The only access to the room was by pull down attic stairs in the garage.

I won't go into the details of how Alyssa's marriage ended, it's not my story to tell. But as a mom, I didn't want my child to stay in an unhappy situation because she felt she had nowhere else to go, no other options. Without thought as to how we would make it work, I told her we would turn the bonus room into an apartment for her and Bayleigh. A little to my surprise and much to my relief she accepted the offer.

We began work last summer. It was slow going as we did most of the work ourselves. We hired a carpenter to build the stairs and frame in a bathroom and a friend of Mitch's helped him with the electrical work. My nephews helped with some of the painting and a friend of Alyssa's did some sheet rock work. 

We didn't have a very big budget to work with. The biggest chunk went to getting the stairs built. Alyssa chipped in on much of the expense, but ultimately, finishing the room will add to the value of our home, so we covered the structural stuff.

Mitch built this book shelf that serves as a divider between the room and the stairway.

And now

He also did the plumbing on  a small powder room that is at the base of the stairs and this little kitchen area. We found the cabinets at the Habitat Re-Store for 15 bucks each. We saved our old counters when we installed butcher-block and one section fit perfectly on the cabinets. Alyssa purchased a sink and faucet from O.com, and a friend gave her a fridge. A couple of shelves and some pretty dishes and they have a little kitchen. 

Alyssa purchased the Hemnes daybed from IKEA because it has three huge drawers for storage, can serve as seating during the day and also pulls out to become a king-size bed. Yes, I said a king-size.

Here it is during the day,

and at night.

Surprisingly , the room doesn't feel claustrophobic, even with the bed pulled out.

The "built-ins" on either side of the bed started out as this

Two laminate cabinets from Lowes.

I added some trim and beadboard wallpaper.

Left over stair treads were used for the tops.

A little more trim to bridge the gap between the cabinet and the wall, and a little white paint to finish it off.

They provide quite a bit of storage and don't take up much floor space.

The dandelion wall art was made from leftover wall planks, painted by Mitch. It was inspired by Bayleigh's love for dandelions and the design on our matching tattoos.  I knew we needed something large for that wall and I wanted it to tie in with the plank wall opposite. When I came across this on pinterest, by DIY Diva I knew that's what I wanted.

You can read about the wood plank wall here.

Lighting is from Lowes.

Flooring is Allure vinyl planks in hickory from Home Depot.

There you have it, our journey from an unfinished bonus room to a little attic apartment.   

If you see anything I didn't cover, just ask. I'll be glad to answer any questions.

 

I'll be linking to some of these parties.

 

Comments

[Kristal @ Engineering Life and Style]

Wow!! Great job!! I LOVE the wood plank wall!! And the way you upgraded the cabinets on each side of the bed....genius!!

[Autum]

Thank you Kristal!

[Lisa]

This is gorgeous! Just found you because Thrifty Chick linked up this post! When I look at IKEA's site, though, it says "Sofa, single bed, bed for two and storage in one piece of furniture." Is there a different version of the Hemnes bed that's king-sized or am I misunderstanding? The one on the site looks like a double only. I know it's not your responsibility to help me with my shopping/decorating. ;) I just wondered if you did something to the bed to get that king! Thanks! The place looks incredible and I'm glad you have your girls home with you!

[Kellee]

Thank you for sharing your room make-over. It is inspirational and beautiful.

[Kellee]

Lisa, I am having the same question about the double vs. the king size. Would love to know how to convert this to king :-) Thanks!

[Autum]

Hi Kellee,
I replied to Lisa's question, I don't know why it isn't showing up in my comments.
Here is my reply to Lisa.

We did not buy the IKEA mattresses, so I'm not sure what size they are. When in the daybed position, a twin mattress fits. I thought it would work like a trundle bed where one mattress goes beneath the bed when it is closed. That isn't how it works. It is difficult to explain, but when the bed is pulled out there is a platform, so that if you placed two mattress side by side they would be at the same level. I assume the IKEA mattresses are very thin and you stack them on one another when the bed is closed, or you store one in one of the drawers.
What we are doing is using a king size memory foam mattress that is flexible enough to fold in half with the bed is closed. Here is a link to the mattress we used. http://www.overstock.com/Bedding-Bath/Serta-Rejuvenator-Dual-layer-4-inch-Memory-Foam-Mattress-Topper-with-Bonus-Pillow-s/3298223/product.html

Hope this makes it clearer.

Have a wonderful weekend!
xo Autum

[Lisa]

You did such a wonderful job. The love of family shows from beginning to end !

[rushessays.com]

I think you guys had done a great job its a ideal one. Should i stay there ? :)

[Brooke]

Based on these photos I am definitely getting this daybed for my guest room! Do you think I could use the drawers under the bed to double as a file cabinet? It's hard to tell if they would be big enough.

[Autum]

Hi Brooke. The drawers are HUGE. I don't know the depth, but I imagine it is listed on the IKEA website.
It's a great bed for a guest room.

xo Autum

[Emi Roar]

The hemnes bed on the Ikea site says it goes from a twin to a double. Is that jus because of the mattress size that sell to go with it? I have 2 twin mattresses that I was hoping to stack when the bed was being using as a sofa on the daytime and when we have company I would pull one out. I am worried that that the bed doesn't actually turn into a king and cannot hold two twin matresses side by side. I couldn't follow a link back to the mattress that you are using in order to verify the dimensions. Can you confirm that the Ikea hemnes bed actually holds a king when pulled out? Thank you in advance!

[Autum]

Hi!  Yes,  the bed we have does hold two twin mattresses when pulled out.  My daughter uses it as a king size bed with two twin mattresses and a memory foam mattress in king over top. 
Hope this helps :)

[Kent]

Beautiful space!! I have a question about the Ikea daybed. We are thinking about doing something like this in our guest bedroom in order to make room for my sewing supplies. What kind of mattress did you use with this bed? It really converts to a king?! Is there a lump or crack between the two mattresses when you convert it?

[Kent]

Ok I should have read the replies first :) So y'all use two twin mattresses for the daybed and trundle with the memory foam topper on top? I just saw this bed in Ikea recently and fell out - LOVE it! It's only 299 right now too.

[Autum]

Hi. 
Yes,  the bed does convert to a king.  We used a thick memory foam mattress in a king.  It was flexible enough to fold in half for use as a daybed.  I think it was around 100 dollars from overstock . com. 
Hope this helps.
Autum

[Valerie]

I have to tell you, this is one of the sweetest DIY projects I have ever seen on the internet. The finished space is beautiful and such a nice mix of pretty and practical. But the story behind it is the best part. Makes me want to call my mom. :)

[Autum]

Thank you so much Valerie!  I'm so glad you liked it, and yes,  call your mom :)
XO Autum

[Annie]

Wow! What an awesome space! I am looking at a Closet Maid cabinet at Lowe's at wanted to see if it was possible to add shaker trim.....and it is! Thanks for sharing such great pics. Great job!

[Radiant Raven]

I love how your room turned out and am dying to get more info on that bookshelf/half wall that you made. Dimensions, type of wood, how you made it stronger. I am wanting to make something like this and would love some clue as to how to go about it. Attach to floor and brackets, etc. Your blog is amazing!!! Filled to the brim! Thanks