seuferk

it really depended on your room - my bed was really low to the ground, so I had to use risers to store stuff under it. My roommate's bed was the same. My friend (who had a single on floor 4), had a bed that was like ... far enough off the ground that even I (and I'm 5'11") had to jump to sit on it.

xxJustAMomxx

You can fill out a maintenance request and ask that your bed be raised. My daughter did this, and when she moved in her bed was already raised enough so that she could store boxes and other things underneath, but wasn't so high that she had to "climb" into bed. (A little hop though!) You can find the maintenance request form on the housing site.

Also a thought...She purchased a full sized comforter/quilt, because it came down a little lower on the raised bed, and hid some of the "stuff" she stored there. (I think it looked much nicer that way) Also, it's nice to get the larger size because if you move off campus for sophomore year and happen to get a place with a full size bed, you can use the same comforter and just get new sheets.

countryangel926

Can we bring our own bed risers, or is it a rule that maintenance has to do it for you?

usafa2011dad

we saw the maint. request page before, but we didn't think we needed to do anything since i thought the beds were all at least 24" off the ground.

So, it sounds like there are standard height beds (would need risers), then you can have maint. add legs to make them 2' or 4' off the ground and then there is also lofting which is even higher. At least that seems like what I have heard expressed on this board.

As to the bedding. My D actually bought a queen size comforter with a duvet cover and then a queen quilt as well. She too was thinking that would be better for when she moves out of a dorm.

NJBkitty

I second Countyangel's question: can we raise our own beds, or does the maintenance staff have to do it for us? And also, do the different maintenance requests cost money? Or is it a complimentary service?

xxJustAMomxx

Maintenance requests do not cost money. I'm not exactly sure how to raise the beds, but it was nice to have it raised when we got there. As you are bringing all of your belongings up to your room, it fills up pretty quickly (until you have the chance to find a place for everything). I can't imagine having to break out a tool kit and start taking the bed apart to make it higher during move-in. It was nice to be able to store things under the bed while organizing. If I remember correctly, the "base" of the bed, which holds the mattress, can be screwed into the headboard and footboard at different heights, and that is how the height of the bed is determined.

Queen/full comforters and quilts worked great with the raised bed, and now my daughter will use it for the full bed in her apartment next year. She had a quilt and a duvet cover, but she never needed to buy a comforter since it was always so warm in her room. The quilt and a blanket were plenty.

Actually, we used the bed risers we had purchased before getting to Ithaca to raise her desk, because she's pretty tall and her legs didn't fit under her desk with the desk chair provided.

Good luck everyone!

NJBkitty

Oh okay, that's good to know. Just one more question about raising the bed, though. A little earlier in this thread people were talking about how high the beds are, and someone pointed out that while some beds are average height from the ground, others are already pretty tall. If it just so happens that your room has a bed that's already 4' from the floor and you send maintenance a request to raise it, will they really go and make it higher? Or is there a way to specify the height you want?

And thanks for all the information, JustAMom! It's really helpful.

xxJustAMomxx

I'm not exactly sure, but I believe my daughter mentioned (on the maintenance request form) that she would like a certain amount of space under her bed. I think her bed was raised a little more than she requested, but it worked out perfectly. I think the beds can be set to one of two heights, so if you asked for it to be raised, it will be at a somewhat standard height for the raised beds. (I don't think you'll get a bed that's 5 feet off the floor... at least not in Balch). When the bed is raised, the top of the mattress comes to just about the top of the headboard. When the mattress is at the lower setting, the headboard is higher than the top of the mattress by a foot or two.

Hope that clears things up a little! (And I didn't confuse anyone even more!)

countryangel926

This may be a silly question, but is there hanging space in the closet? In all of the photos I've seen, there only seem to be drawers.

chendrix

Yes, there is hanging space in most (if not all?) dorm closets

countryangel926

Thank you, chendrix!

suziechapstik

Don't the rooms in Balch have two closets? one with drawers and then one to hang clothes in?

xxJustAMomxx

Yes, my daughter's room had 2 closets; one in which to hang clothes and one with drawers. There was no dresser, but the drawers in the closet were nice and big, and even though she totally over-packed, she had plenty of room for her clothing. Also, there was a shelf above the bar in the hanging closet which was useful for extra storage, and there was a good amount of space for storage above the drawers in the second closet, where she kept sweaters and bulkier items. Overall, a very practical set-up.

countryangel926

Thanks so much for the details, JustAMom!

dobedo

does anyone know what the triples in balch are like?
I know that supposedly they are huge. But what exactly do they look like, as in how are things set up in triples? do they have normal beds, or are the beds bunked?
and does anyone know if i need to bring a full length mirror, or if the rooms have them?