Murphy Beds
 

Has anyone put a Murphy Bed in their guest room/den? It seems like a good solution to being able to use the room for both purposes, but I can't find out very much information about them. I'd be interested in any experiences people have had.

Murphy Beds
 

They are fantastic. We have had one installed in two different homes we have owned here in The Villages. Currently, we have one. All visitors/relatives have indicated that it is one of the best beds they have used. We like it because it allows multiple uses for the room by not being dedicated entirely to a bedroom. There are several companies here in TV selling them. Some consider them expensive==we think they are practical.

If your budget is tight, you might want to consider a good quality sofa bed for much less cost.

We bought a Murphy bed for our guest room and there is one thing that we do not like about it. The bed has bookcases on either end. When the bed is opened the doors swing outward so that the bookcases are not reachable from the bed and they cover 1/2 of the bookcases. We were not aware of that when we purchased so you need to be aware of it if that might be important to you.

John

We have a style of murphy bed called a wall bed, and our guests love it. It is so much more comfortable than a sofa bed there is no comparison. We have a small two bedroom and our second bedroom serves multi-purposes so the wall bed was the way to go for us. You won't be sorry if you decide to have one in your home.

If you're sure you'll be staying in your home, I think Murphy beds are a great option, but expensive.

If you think you may be moving in a year or two, you might want to consider a sofa bed that you can take with you. (Supposedly, Village statistics say that the average Villager moves three times).

First thing we bought 5 years ago for our new home was a Murphy bed for the 3rd bedroom (2nd BR was my wife's crafts room). No one has ever complained of sleeping on it - everyone hates sofa beds. It probably cost twice as much as a good sofa bed but is well worth it. Can be removed fairly easily if you were to buy another home; it is a piece of furniture and shouldn't be considered a permanent part of the house.

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We've had Murphy beds in three homes. Obviously we like them because we keep buying them.

As far as the cost issue -

When we sold the first home the buyers did not want it. We advertised it and the people that bought it took it apart - he was quite handy.

When we sold the second home the Murphy be went with the home.

Recently we had to replace the tile floors in the room with the Murphy bed. Part of the deal was for a local company to remove the bed and reinstall it after the floor was done. It was less of a hassle than I anticipated. So my point is the Murphy bed is not permanent and can be moved is necessary.

We installed a wall bed in another residence that had a tiny bedroom. After being overwhelmed by the prices at the Murphy bed stores, we found a barely used mechanism with mattress in the want ads. My husband installed it and we had a formica cabinet made for it. It has worked flawlessly for seven years and is very comfortable. It can be lowered and raised with ease.

We recently ripped out the carpeting and installed tile. Like BogeyBoy's experience it was not a big deal to uninstall and reinstall.

We have a quenn size murphy bed and we bought the side cabinet that turns into a sewing table for my wife's sewing machine. We love it. When friends visit it turns into a complete in-law suite when we close the pocket door; when no one is visiting the cabinet is perfect for the sewing machine and allows for plenty of room for her to cut fabric. It is the best purchase we made for our CYV.

Thanks for all the comments - it seems like a valid option and it was good to hear several local stores carry them. I've seen them on-line, but would want to make sure th equality was good before buying. Interesting point about the open doors getting in the way. I think I saw one where the doors slid to the side which sounds like a good idea.

We own a small condo at the beach and have 2 murphey beds...one is a library bed which upon first glance looks like a bookcase wall unit, it latches in the center then the doors slide to the sides. The other is the one that has the folding doors (like a closet) which just fold to the sides of the beds and you can still get to the shelves and drawers on each side.
I am considering putting one in the 3rd bedroom here, simply because the space is so small and they are nice when company comes.

For a less expensive option you may want to check this out - watch the video.

http://www.frontgate.com/jump.jsp?it...=21874&prime=1

I don't know how comfortable it is from first hand, but have been told by others that own them that they are quite comfortable.

We have a queen size Murphy wall bed. When we moved here we brought it with us....my husband and a friend uninstalled it then reinstalled it in our house here. it took some time, but really isn't that hard to do. It is one of the best things we ever bought and all guests say it is very comfortable. Ours has built in reading lights with a turn off switch right on the side of the bed. We also have shelves and three drawers on the side, it's all great ! We actually went to the factory in Tampa where they make them, many models and options to choose. There is a murphy bed store on 466 and I think their beds are made at the place in Tampa.