New to this discussion, and very grateful for not having to reinvent the wheel to solve this problem. For me, it's mainly a matter of getting the dog up to, and down from, the bed. And the bed is ~2 inches higher since we got the mattress topper that DW requested.
I'm going to try Yoda's idea, and may make a couple of minor adjustments. Instead of gluing the vertical step braces to the bathroom wall, I'll use Velcro. That way, there's a little play--just enough to allow for any slight movement under load, but not enough to break the bond, as might happen with glue. I'll see how robust the steps seem as just 3/4" boards, but may strengthen them with 1-by-2s attached underneath.
Another modification--and I'll take a closer look at this when I get to the actual construction--might be to attach the upper horizontal support to the space just to the right of the under-bed storage door. It's wood, so provides more strength than anything attached to the (as you say) flimsy bathroom wall.
Bottom line, I think the idea of using steps supported at the drawers and the bathroom wall is a winner. I'll post again after I install my version.
Ken Franklin
Quote:
Originally Posted by yoda911
Billy,
The screws go all the way through. On the bathroom side I used large washers to spread the load and putting the screws all of the way through the support using carpentry nuts that are pressed into the support, these screws ended up being 3 1/2 inches above the tub. Since the walls are so flimsy, I opted to add vertical supports to relieve most of the strain on the screws so that the screws are just holding up the support, the weight of the step is actually being supported by the vertical supports. Right now the vertical supports are just wedged in between the floor and the horizontal support. For safety I will probably end up gluing and screwing them in place. The problem with these supports is that they are below the edge of the tub so I will probably use rivet screws there. I think there are a dozen different ways this concept could be utilized. I just opted for what was easy, functional yet still visually appealing. I also thing if more weight needs to be supported, additional or more substantial support options could easily be added.
Hopes this helps Billy
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