Room measurements for a Murphy bed or wall bed
A Murphy bed fit check uses 5 measurements: the wall length, the room depth, the ceiling height, the door swing and the walkway at the foot of the open bed. Each one is measured at the wall where the bed stands.
- Wall length
- Full length of the bed wall at floor level
- Room depth
- Bed wall to the facing wall, or to the nearest fixed obstruction
- Ceiling height
- Lowest point on the bed wall
- Door
- Wall, hinge distance from the corner, width and swing direction
- Walkway
- Space wanted at the foot of the open bed
Wall length
Wall length is the full length of the wall where the bed stands, measured at floor level. Outlets, switches, vents, a thermostat and a window sill on that wall matter too. A closed cabinet covers them, and an open bed can sit in front of them.
A cabinet set against a thick baseboard stands off the wall by the thickness of the baseboard. That thickness adds to the depth of the bed.
Room depth
Room depth runs straight out from the bed wall to the wall facing it. Where a radiator, a built-in or a chimney breast sticks out, the depth runs to that instead. The open bed and the walkway both have to fit inside this depth.
Ceiling height
Ceiling height is measured at the bed wall, at its lowest point. Crown molding, a soffit, a beam or a sloped section can take several inches. Ceiling fans and light fixtures near the wall count as well, because a vertical bed passes close to the ceiling as it opens.
Bestar lists minimum ceiling heights of 87 1/2 to 93.8 in for its queen beds. Under a 96-inch ceiling that leaves 2.2 to 8.5 inches of clearance.
Door swing
The door measurements are the wall the door is on, the distance from its hinge side to the nearest corner, the door width and the swing direction. The planner treats a 32-inch door that swings into the room as a 32-inch square. An open bed inside that square blocks the door.
Walkway at the foot of the bed
The walkway is the space left between the foot of the open bed and the facing wall. Bestar lists 30 to 36 inches of clearance around the open bed on some product pages and 30 inches on others. The tables on this site count a 30-inch walkway.
The fit planner takes these measurements.
This page covers measuring for fit only. Wall construction, studs and anchoring are covered by each manufacturer's install instructions.