Customizing Howie: Bed Extension

Following a thread in the Geo Pro Facebook group, we built an bed extension to convert our E-W bed to N-S. Starting with a 4’x8’x1/2″ piece of finished birch plywood from Home Depot, we had them cut a 41″x44″ piece. I used a hole saw, jigsaw and router to make holes for aeration & weight reduction. The extension is pulled from under the mattress, even with the bathroom door trim, about 16″. This allows the bathroom door to still open freely and there’s enough space to exit the trailer if necessary. We had a custom cover made ($40; http://coversandall.com) that’s 16″x44″x8″ and filled it with 8″ of high density foam (Amazon). I’m 5’9″ and my wife is 5’1″ so this is long enough (54″+16″=70″) for us to sleep N-S. Plus the dog can sleep in the nook under the window. No more crawling over each other in the middle of the night. Next addition will be a small shelf for my phone & glasses near the TV.
Note that the fire extinguisher was moved by the TV. If you use a Beddy on your mattress, this will not work. We leave the sheet & blanket tucked but pull them over the cushion at night.

2021 Update: since the single cushion was 8lbs & awkward, we’ve been trying 4 seat cushions instead. Designed for patio chairs, these cushions have ties on one side used to secure them to the chair back. I installed four D-rings onto the board so we can clip two pairs of seat cushions to the rings. These cushions form the mattress extension and are covered by bedding. They don’t look quite as ‘professional’ but are softer and easier to take down & store.