Good value for money double bed for student

AstarothCY

Hello everyone.

I'm an undergrad student about to go into my final year and have just moved into a VERY nice house with a great landlord. Only problem is, the rooms only have single beds (divan) and I'm a fairly big guy (6'4") and also roll around quite a lot in my sleep. Also, I've had a pretty good double bed for the past two years and this single bed has a pretty bad quality springy mattress so the single bed sadly has to go.

It's not really fair to ask the landlord for a new bed so I'll have to by my own. I'll only need it for a year though as I'll be leaving the country at the end of my degree, so this won't be an investment but rather a temporary purchase that I will hopefully manage to sell off at the end of the year.

So basically I'm asking for advice in buying a 3/4 or double divan base and nice firm mattress that will be good value for money as I am just a poorly student. It could also be a bed frame instead of divan but because of my height I prefer divan beds so that my feet just hang off the end instead of hit the end of the frame, so it depends on the frame really.

What sort of money should I expect to spend on this and how much could I make back at the end of the year if I manage to sell it?

Thanks!

coolagarry

Have you thought of joining your local freecycle group. They often have double beds to give away and usually in very good condition. (Buy your own mattress if it's too soft or doesn't suit you for other reasons)
http://uk.freecycle.org/
Another option would be to approach your local YMCA. Ours has lots of second hand furniture, including beds, to sell very cheaply.

Tim_Deegan

What is the make and model of the bed you are used to?

ormus

where do you live?

wallacebob

We have an ikea sofa bad in our guest room/office. Everyone has commented that it's very comfy and can't believe it's a sofa bed. We got the middle firmness mattress, and due to the beech slats it is excellent. May save you room too!! - http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/S09840012

wildmandy

I'd go the simple route thus:

Buy yourself a 3" double memory foam topper of the auction site (70 quid'ish) and put it straight onto the floor. Try and get one with a (free) velour cover.
It's very comfy and you'll be able toroll it up and take it with you when you graduate :-)

Mandy

Tim_Deegan

wildmandy wrote: »

I'd go the simple route thus:

Buy yourself a 3" double memory foam topper of the auction site (70 quid'ish) and put it straight onto the floor. Try and get one with a (free) velour cover.
It's very comfy and you'll be able toroll it up and take it with you when you graduate :-)

Mandy

Noooooooo.

Memory foam toppers are just toppers and not mattresses. If you lay on a topper you will sink the depth of the topper so that you are basically lying on the floor. You must have a layer under the memory foam to give it bounce, as the memory foam has none.

meester

AstarothCY wrote: »

Hello everyone.

I'm an undergrad student about to go into my final year and have just moved into a VERY nice house with a great landlord. Only problem is, the rooms only have single beds (divan) and I'm a fairly big guy (6'4") and also roll around quite a lot in my sleep. Also, I've had a pretty good double bed for the past two years and this single bed has a pretty bad quality springy mattress so the single bed sadly has to go.

It's not really fair to ask the landlord for a new bed so I'll have to by my own.

I disagree. If you are renting a furnished house for market rate, then the landlord is responsible for furnishing it. And that means new carpets every few years, new sofas, new beds, etc.

He probably didn't aware that the cheap cr-ap he put in would be worn out after a year's use.

It's no different to any other kind of maintenance.

Would suggest money-saving approach would be to contact the landlord and let him know that his bed is worn out could he please buy a new one.

And if it's a double room, it's in his interests to buy a double bed.

I'll only need it for a year though as I'll be leaving the country at the end of my degree, so this won't be an investment but rather a temporary purchase that I will hopefully manage to sell off at the end of the year.

You won't get anything for it. Second-hand beds have little resale value.

So basically I'm asking for advice in buying a 3/4 or double divan base and nice firm mattress that will be good value for money as I am just a poorly student. It could also be a bed frame instead of divan but because of my height I prefer divan beds so that my feet just hang off the end instead of hit the end of the frame, so it depends on the frame really.

I don't think it's good to have your feet hanging off the end of the bed. You can buy longer beds. Ikea in particular are all 200cm long, which is 10cm (nearly 4 inches) longer than a normal single

What sort of money should I expect to spend on this and how much could I make back at the end of the year if I manage to sell it?

Thanks!

Have a look on ebay for sold prices of USED beds. I doubt you'll get much.

MrsE_2

coolagarry wrote: »

Have you thought of joining your local freecycle group. They often have double beds to give away and usually in very good condition. (Buy your own mattress if it's too soft or doesn't suit you for other reasons)
http://uk.freecycle.org/
Another option would be to approach your local YMCA. Ours has lots of second hand furniture, including beds, to sell very cheaply.

Thanks for that,
I have just freecycled my old bed:beer:

AstarothCY

coolagarry wrote: »

Have you thought of joining your local freecycle group. They often have double beds to give away and usually in very good condition. (Buy your own mattress if it's too soft or doesn't suit you for other reasons)
http://uk.freecycle.org/
Another option would be to approach your local YMCA. Ours has lots of second hand furniture, including beds, to sell very cheaply.

Thanks, I've joined freecycle and had a look around but couldn't find much. There was one slightly old post that wasn't followed up with a TAKEN but I doubt it's still available. I've also had a look on eBay and found a potentially good option, but I'll have to try the bed out before I buy it.

Tim_Deegan wrote: »

What is the make and model of the bed you are used to?

My current bed is a Burgess divan base with a king size Burgess Buckingham mattress and an Ikea topper over it. I'm happy with it but ideally I would like a smaller bed (i.e. a double) and a more firm mattress.

ormus wrote: »

where do you live?

York.. although right now I'm in Macclesfield and will be for another few days.

wallacebob wrote: »

We have an ikea sofa bad in our guest room/office. Everyone has commented that it's very comfy and can't believe it's a sofa bed. We got the middle firmness mattress, and due to the beech slats it is excellent. May save you room too!! - http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/S09840012

Although I'm sure it's as good as you say it is... I wouldn't rely on an Ikea product that wasn't even a proper bed for a year. Thanks for the recommendation anyway! I will look into it.

meester wrote: »

Would suggest money-saving approach would be to contact the landlord and let him know that his bed is worn out could he please buy a new one.

It's not really a double room, it's rather a large single. I had already discussed the bed with the landlord before I signed the contract and he said that he keeps the beds single because when he used to have doubles people would have boyfriends/girlfriends staying over for long periods and this caused problems with insurance. The mattress doesn't really look old or worn out (and I don't think it is), it's just that I prefer firm mattresses and it's a regular open spring mattress like you would find in any student accommodation. The house is actually furnished especially well and the bed is the only thing that isn't miles ahead of most other student houses so I don't think I have grounds to ask for a new bed.

I think the best option right now is to find a good second hand one for under £100 (and it looks like this is certainly possible) and sell it off to the landlord at the end of the year along with my desk. Thanks everyone!

Tim_Deegan

AstarothCY wrote: »

My current bed is a Burgess divan base with a king size Burgess Buckingham mattress and an Ikea topper over it. I'm happy with it but ideally I would like a smaller bed (i.e. a double) and a more firm mattress.

You should be able to get an equivalent bed for between £250 and £300