DIY Savvy Rest Serenity. Opinions?

I’m a big fan of this site and have benefited hugely from all the content. This is my first post!

My wife and I have been sleeping on a Leesa for a few months and while it seems like a well-built mattress, it’s simply too firm for us. After months of trying to make it work, I set out to learn more about mattresses, and after 20+ hours of reading, I’ve decided on creating my own latex setup. I’ve laid on four different arrangements of the Savvy Rest Serenity and liked the 3" Medium Dunlop, 3" Soft Dunlop, 3" Soft Dunlop setup, but simply can’t spend $4k on a mattress so I’m trying to recreate it on a budget. For the record, I’m 6’2" 165lbs and my wife is 5’4" 115lbs, and I believe we need a more plush feel. I should add that I tried the Savvy Rest Woolsy on top and absolutely loved it.

I’ve narrowed down a few suppliers of quality, natural latex, and am hoping to get an opinion. One potential option is from SleepOnLatex.com (eastern king 76"x80"):

Then I’d like to add a wool topper similar to the Savvy Rest Woolsy. I’m thinking about:

ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: organicandhealthy.com/mattress-toppers.html

Total for all of this is around $1500, which seems like a fantastic deal for the quality.

I’d love to hear opinions.

Hi pdxbmw,

If you are attracted to the idea of designing and building your own DIY mattress out of separate components and a separate cover then the first place I would start is by reading option 3 in post #15 here and the posts it links to (and option #1 and #2 as well) so that you have more realistic expectations and that you are comfortable with the learning curve, uncertainty, trial and error, or in some cases the higher costs that may be involved in the DIY process. While it can certainly be a rewarding project … the best approach to a DIY mattress is a “spirit of adventure” where what you learn and the satisfaction that comes from the process itself is more important than any cost savings you may realize (which may or may not happen).

If you decide to take on the challenge then I would either use the specs (if they are available) of a mattress that you have tested and confirmed is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) as a reference point or blueprint and try and “match” every layer and component in your reference mattress as closely as possible or use a “bottom up” approach (see post #2 here).

There is also more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel” that may be useful as well.

The mattress shopping tutorial also includes a link to a list of the members here that sell mattresses online and many of them also sell latex and latex hybrid mattresses that use different types and blends of latex that have a wide range of different designs, options, features, return and exchange policies, and prices that that would also be well worth considering.

Post #3 here also includes a list of retailers or manufacturers that sell component latex mattresses as well and many of these are very similar to Savvy Rest mattresses. They are in much lower budget ranges than Savvy Rest and many of them have very good exchange/return policies as well which may be less risky than making your own mattress by buying individual layers and a cover that in many cases can’t be exchanged or returned.

There is also more information about wool toppers and how they compare to various foam toppers (at least in very general terms) in post #8 here and in posts #3 and #6 here and there are some additional comments about wool toppers and a list of some of the better sources I’m aware of (which I think you’ve already seen) in post #3 here but the only way to know how any combination of materials or components will feel for you will be based on your own careful testing or your personal experience.

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix,

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

I’ve previously read many of the links you suggested, but I’ll go over them again to ensure I didn’t miss anything. I am sightly plagued with an engineer’s mind so it’s difficult for me to make a purchase without fully understanding what I’m buying, especially after trying a few mattresses that weren’t quite right. And particularly after walking into the mattress stores a few months ago completely uninformed and too impressionable.

I’ll go through this content again and come back with any questions. I really appreciate your time.

pdxbmw

Hi pdxbmw,

I just realized that I didn’t add the link to post #15 in the first paragraph in my reply. The link is working now just in case you haven’t read it yet.

Phoenix