New House Series - Media Room Pt 4 - Racecar!

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Hey Reader,

This week we aren't making something from scratch. Stop throwing things! It is going to be fine. I have something super exciting to talk about: making and installing a racecar bed in the media room. As you are aware, my media room is designed to be a drive in movie theater that has been a lot more challenging than it might have first appeared. This is largely because I insisted on smooth walls and obsessed for months on end.

Fortunately, smooth wall purgatory is over and we can no focus on fun things, like getting the room filled with toys. My idea has always been that the movie room would be decked out like a drive in movie theater, complete with a racecar bed. Not only is it a clever idea (if I do say so myself), but it is also a way to finally own a racecar bed of my very own without having to spawn. I want it to be known that this idea is based off of Disney's Scifi Dine In Theater, but there are countless folks who are making similar experiences in their home. Mine is just going to be the latest!

The racecar bed will absolutely be the central figure in this whole design, and I found a lot of vendors that sell them. I even found a tricked out racecar that cost over 2 grand. That is fine if you are going to actually be driving it around, but my little Corvette will do just fine and was under $400.

I have been nervous about ordering things to be delivered to my house, especially something this big around the holidays (Merry Christmas Eve, btw). So I had it delivered to my local Walmart. Eager not to repeat the fence fiasco from last week, I planned to rent a truck from Home Depot. When I got there, they didn't have any trucks available - so I got a van. After the cashier informed me that she left the windows open because of the odor of formerly illegal substances, I knew it was going to be a long afternoon.

When I finally got the car (and fancy new fence parts for a future post) home, it was time for assembly. If you are ever considering buying a racecar bed, know this. The box has no packing materials in it. The pieces are just loose in there. It is a big box! Renting a truck from Home Depot was super easy by the way, definitely a good way to handle moving big stuff around!


Laying all the parts in the room made me realize just how big - and how small - this room is. It is going to be a cozy media room. I also had no idea that these beds had screws holding them together. Tip 1 for would-be racecar assemblers - The Step 2 bed I was installing had no predrilled screw holes. You were expected to push hard enough to puncture the thick plastic hide of  the car just through force of will. That, coupled with specific instructions NOT to use an electric drill, make this bed less than ideal for late night assembly. Long story short, it was frustrating. Tip 2 for would-be racecar assemblers - the instructions will want you to install the wheels last. That is absurd. You should absolutely install the wheels before assembling the frame. Otherwise you are going to be really frustrated.

The weight limit on these is 200 pounds, but since the bed is an inch off the ground, I don't think that is a real problem. You could also add supports under the bed if you were really feeling nervous about it. As is, there is one central support and medium density fiber boards in lieu of slats or a boxspring. I didn't realize how many (and how relatively inexpensive) fun kid sheets are. With a cheap bed in a box, I had a racecar bed with a heavy Pikachu theme within a few hours. Note: I haven't put in my batteries for the headlights yet, so expect that to be another layer of awesome!

Keep making cool stuff,
Until next time,
JoshPrime





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