First, I want to thank Pheonix for having this resource available. I began looking for a new mattress about six months ago because my DUX 1001 king bed needed a new topper. I searched high and low for an alternative to the Duxiana topper because of the inflated price point. I debated getting a latex topper to replace my cotton topper but felt after reading many threads on here that I may not have a solid foundation putting it on top of the pascal spring and latex pad or the spring base. Compounding that decision, I am debating a move to a queen from a king (which I have had for 30 years) because it just takes up so much space and I am moving to a smaller place.
I think I have settled on what combination of latex layers I need by visiting a few of the regional latex dealers/manufacturers. I believe I am in a MUCH better place to have a conversation now with SleepEz and order by internet and save a few bucks.
After getting some clarity on the mattress, I’ve vacillated between using a foundation vs. platform bed and I think I’m leaning toward the platform bed. There was a great one I saw at Home Green Home, The Hammond Hill bed. Since I am moving out of state, the lead and transport time was out of my comfort zone so I decided to look elsewhere. Last night, I think I found a potential artisan from Custom Made to make one out of Atlanta Georgia which is close to Charlotte, my new destination.
I have never had a platform bed and am wondering if others might comment on the height. I don’t want to have a high bed, or a very low one. It looks like I will be ordering the 9" combination for my mattress. I know it is a matter of personal preference, but also would like to take advantage of under bed storage and balance between the height of the headboard and bed.
Our best selling platform bed frames are 13 inches high. When you add a 9 inch mattress the total height from floor to top of the mattress is 22 inches. Most chair seats are about 18 inches high, so when you are sitting on your compressed mattress you should be about the same height as a chair. This will make it easy for you to put your slippers and get out of bed, and will leave you plenty of room to store items and vacuum under the bed frame.
There isn’t too much I can add to MFC Memory Foam Comfort’s comments and as he mentioned the ease with which you can get in and out of bed and whether your feet easily reach the floor when you sit on the side of your mattress is the most important factor in the height of your sleeping surface and this can vary from person.
If you are custom building your platform bed then you could measure the height of your current sleeping surface from the floor and if works well for you then you could subtract about 10" from your measurement (the total height of your mattress) and then they could build a platform that you end up with the same height as you have now. If you wanted it to be lower or higher then you could ask them to make appropriate adjustments.
If your sleeping surface is too low then you can also add a bunkie board (about 2") or a low profile foundation (about 4" - 6") on top of the platform and under the mattress to raise the height a little more but it would save the extra expense and inconvenience of a foundation if your platform bed with your mattress was a suitable height for you in the first place.
Hi PhotoMaven, if having one custom made like Phoenix said you could probably have the height tailored to your needs. It would depend on the height of the platform structure, how much clearance is between the floor and the underside of the platform as well as the overall height of the platform combined with the height of your mattress. How much clearance you need underneath will depend on what you’d like to store there and using a ruler or tape measure could help you check various items to get an idea of what will or won’t fit.
If you’re planning on using ‘tote’ type lidded containers, I would take a look at the ones you’re considering and take measurements and allow for an additional inch or two of space. (IE, if a container is 9" tall, you may want 10-11" of clearance to make it easier to slide things underneath). If you find most storage options are 8" tall, you may be limiting yourself with right at 8" clearance or less floor to underside of platform edge and may wish to increase an inch so long as it doesn’t make your mattress uncomfortably high.
For myself, I have several pieces of luggage I’d like to store under mine (typical sized soft side suitcases with wheels, usually meets size requirements for airlines or bus travel) which are right at 9" tall laid flat so I need no less than 10" to comfortably be able to slide them underneath. This is keeping in mind that these items won’t be accessed much and that they will need to be laid flat first, then slid under the bed frame. With only an inch of clearance, it won’t leave much room to set the item down and slide it under at an angle (a more natural motion of inserting or removing items from an enclosed space). Think of reaching under, grasping a handle of some sort and lifting as you pull something out from underneath, it will be more likely to ‘catch’ and hang up on the underside of the frame vs drawing the item completely out flat, then lifting.
Just some things to be aware of and take into consideration to help make storing your items more user friendly. I think the more important part will be how comfortable you are with the finished height of your platform + mattress since this is something you’ll be encountering every day. Hope this helps.
Thank you for the advice on how to evaluate the bed height.
I had a chance to talk with Shawn at SleepEz yesterday. An assumption that I made turns out not to be valid, it is possible to use one of the latex toppers on a DUX 1001 frame and pascal spring system. My concern about air flow was not a concern according to him. He encouraged me to consider just replacing the king topper which would save me mega bucks if that was my only concern. I still am wrestling the queen vs king change.
I only wish that someone on CL would pop for the king and make my decision for me!
Hi PhotoMaven, that’s good news. At least it simplifies things a bit and hopefully saves you some steps as well as keeps the wallet a little fuller (always a plus). Glad things seem to be coming together for you.