I’m considering taking in a lodger. To do that I need to buy a bed. Should it be a plain single bed or a sofa bed which can fold out into a double bed?
Depends if you envisage sharing your living area or not. If not, then they may want a sofabed to entertain (though this would be a pain in the arse to fold up and down).
If they do share your living area, why not a double bed? My lodger has my old king-sized bed, and her boyfriend is allowed to visit, and we socialise together in the house.
I’d probably go with the sofa bed as long as it doesn’t have the dreaded bar. They’re out there. I had a very comfy one.
They’re not.
Because the room is small for a permanent double bed. If it’s a sofabed then at least it can be folded up to give more space.
Can you elaborate on this?
Good advice. Check the construction and if possible, lay down on it for a while. I’ve slept in some that were just killers. One place I rented for a summer it was so bad, I took the cushions off, laid them on the floor and slept on them! Others have been just fine.
It is handy in a small room to have a sitting down spot and the added room when the bed is tucked away. But not at the sacrifice of comfort.
Cheap-ass sofa beds have a metal bar that runs the width of the mattress, about where your back is when you’re lying down. If the mattress is too thin and the construction too cheap-ass, it feels like you’ve slept on a lug wrench all night.
However, for a few more bucks, you can get a good one. The mattress is comparable to a regular bed mattress, and they’ve engineered the design to eliminate the lug wrench. It’s as comfy as a standard bed.
The cost isn’t extravagant, by any means. And you’ll feel the lug wrench immediately when you lay on it.
Sorry, I missed your comment and then took too long to add an edit. (Dratted 5 minute limit.)
The bar is part of poorly constructed sofa beds. It is part of the support frame that runs scross the small of the back and winds up pushing through the mattress. (Or something like that. It’s been a while since I’ve slept on one.) It is like sleeping on a hump. It may be because some mattresses are very thin in order to be folded up. Anyway, lay on it and see it there is any possibility of the frame interfering with comfort.
The convenience of the extra room is nice for a small room, but not at the sacrifice of comfort.
(Now previewing - What Kalhoun said.)
If you can afford it, perhaps a Murphy bed? A futon on an open folding frame is also a thought.
I’m recommending against a sofabed simply because those things are a royal bitch and a half to move: heavy, awkward, and utterly evil.
An option if you want to go to the expense is a particular sofa bed by Ikea. It is l shaped [sofa with chaise lounge section] that is overall the size of the space a double bed takes up, but it has a small pull out section that turns it into a double. It can be slept on as a single …
We are planning on getting one for the livingroom =)
And they have a little storage space under the chaise end that you can store the pillows and comforter and stuff.
I love a Murphy bed, and they’re coming back into fashion. However, I don’t think they’re any easier to deal with when you have to move permanently. You can put those moving disks under a sofa bed to make it easier to maneuver for general household adjustments.
My aunt and uncle had a Murphy bed when they were first married. So my aunt was out and my dad and uncle got a little drunk and wanted to see what it would be like to be folded up into the wall. So there they are in their underwear, drunk, and my dad is holding my uncle up into the wall, and my aunt walks in with a girlfriend. My dad lets go of the bed and my uncle falls out of the wall, in his underwear, in front of the friend.
I believe the story ended with my aunt whipping a can of beans at my uncle. Good times…yup…good times, indeed.
I meant with respect to making and unmaking the bed all the time. Regarding manipulation I’ve got two of these things in my living room, and used to sleep on one with the dreaded bar - and they’re of varying quality; make sure you get an easy-alter one regardless.
Sofa beds are the spawn of Satan. I’ve never ever slept on a comfortable one. I’d much rather sleep on a couch than a sofa bed.
Agree about the bar thing. We used to call my MIL’s sofa bed “The Sofa Bed of Torquemada.”
That’s awesome! I think it’s probably too big for the space I’ve got, but it looks very comfy!! I wouldn’t want my guests to be too comfy. They might not leave!!
Consider a futon sofa, if you can find a nice one. (I can’t; they seem to have gone out of fashion, drat it.)
They’re nice as a couch, you can sleep on them that way, or easily drop down to a bed that’s fairly comfy.
Oh, yes, that’s better than what I envision as a sofabed. It’s more like a futon and looks like a great compromise for clearing more space when not being used as a bed. Good choice.
The scarier version that I picture?
http://www.whiteheaddesigns.com/images/sofa_bed.jpg
Obligatory Seinfeld reference:
ELAINE: Oh man. What is with this bar? It’s right in my back. It’s killing me.
JERRY: Oh you wanna switch? I’m sleeping on a love seat. I’ve got my feet up in the air like I’m in a space capsule.
ELAINE: I am never gonna fall asleep.
JERRY: Oh, don’t say that. You’ll jinx me.
ELAINE: How can they not put the air conditioning on?
JERRY: They’re nuts with temperature.
ELAINE: This bar is right in my back! It’s making a dent.
Oh I think that’s what others meant when they say futon. I’ve known people in studios who had those as their only bed/sofa and didn’t complain. I’m sure it varies by brand.
A cheap option is to get a twin bed and put it long side against the wall so it could be set up like a day bed/sofa during the day. I’m sure a boarder would prefer the futon, though.
I’ve never slept on a sofabed that was more comfortable than sleeping on a heap of chains and railroad spikes but apparently some people here claim they exist.
I guess all I have to say then is that if you go sofabed, test that sucker out but good.