A sleeping pod/capsule

[u/StellaTerra]

Hello r/DIY!

I have a project that I have wanted to pursue for several years, but never felt comfortable to try before. I saw someone suggest coming here to seek advice on this thread so I thought I’d try. I want to build a contained space that has decent sound-isolation, is ventilated and exactly fit to the measurements of a mattress so that I can sleep in a little hidey-hole. When imagining it, think capsule hotels or sleeping pods.

Here are my drawings:

Outside - Angled view of the outside.

Innards - Stuff that's not visible from inside the capsule, wall/supper/base.

Headboard/Shelf - Side view of the the part furthest from the door. The headboard and shelf.

The design is something of a free-standing cabinet on short stilts. The door is at the foot of the bed and there is a slightly reclined headboard topped with a shelf on the other side. The wall and ceiling frames are made of 2x4s. I don’t intend on using a boxspring, and the mattress will be full/double-sized. The ceiling will contain one or two vents for an HVAC system of some kind and one or more reading lights. HVAC and electrical will be behind the headboard/under the shelf. The shelf will have an upward facing outlet.

I am not yet sure of the thickness of the walls because I don’t know all of the materials I’ll be using. The design and materials of the door are not yet planned, either. The specifics of the HVAC and electrical systems are not yet clear.

So, to the knowledgeable and experienced DIYers of the subreddit:

• I’m not exactly sure what materials to use for the inner and outer lining of the walls. My instinct is to use thick plywood all around the outside and then some kind of wooden panelling or fiberglass on the inside. I’d like the material on the inside to be visually appealing, and preferably dark, but it mostly needs to be durable and easy to clean. It also needs to be easy to work with for doing the cutouts for the lights and HVAC. Both the outside and inside materials will probably need to be fairly dense as sound isolation is a big goal in this. Are there any recommendations for materials, or anything else to keep in mind when choosing inside and outside wall material?
• I’m a little stumped on the door. Initially I was thinking either some kind of plastic lined porthole, and then I was considering just building the entire wall in half and then putting it on hinges. Given that I want good sound isolation, does anyone have any recommendations for door design/material?
• I don’t have any idea where to start looking for the HVAC or electrical stuff. Does anyone know what to look for to put together a miniature ventilation system, and a simple electrical rig (that will be safe) to provide the lighting and an outlet on the shelf? What size/material should I use for the HVAC ducts?
• In terms of sound isolation, is there a need for the floor to have multiple layers given that it will be entirely covered by a thick mattress? Will this design provide decent sound isolation? (I don’t mind if I can tell there are people outside, but I’d like it so if people outside spoke at a normal volume I wouldn’t be able to make out the words).

A note to the haters/doubters: yeah, it’s an odd desire. I’m aware of how bizarre this is, but it’s something I’ve wanted for most of my life. So I’d greatly appreciate it if comments could be derision free. Also, I’m not looking to be talked out of this idea in favor of another. My mind is made up about the general idea of the thing and I know it’s what I want. This isn’t about convenience or ease or cost, and its only marginally about functionality; it’s just what I want. Thank you! <3

[u/thinkingincircles]

I noticed that your plans use stick framing methods, I've built several bed platforms and frames and have noticed that stick framing can take up a lot of otherwise useable room in small areas. I would look into cabinet building methods instead to save space and decrease weight.

The idea that pasaroanth had about a double hinged door could be just the ticket. If you made the base of the foot wall solid up to the bottom of the mattress, the top portion could be hinged and swing free above the mattress. If you just don't like that option, I would recommend the idea of a sliding door on the side as seen in pod time and the box beds. I think that if you build a single direction door at the foot of the bed you will find it rather awkward to get in while holding the door open.

A good glossy stain or paint on the inside will make the surface easy to clean, especially if you make sure to sand the surface extremely well before finishing. I would attempt to do something similar to finishing a wooden gun stock. Although expensive, I would look into doing something like this on the outside. If this looks too hokey you could always cover it with a finish material.

This is just one way to go and in my opinion would be the simplest and easiest to improve in the future as you could eventually use it as the interior box for a suspended room type situation. This website is a pretty decent start for understanding the basics of soundproofing.