Here's something I get all the time... "You sleep in a box?!"
Yes. I do sleep in a box.

All about my box Demotions: 8'x3.5'x3.5' Construction: 2x4" for structural support, 1/2" plywood for sides, top and door, 3" drywall screws Aprox. cost: $60 Accessories: Variable speed exhaust fan, light (a fluorescent black-light), small auxiliary fan, alarm clock, single wide cot, 7 layers of blankets Aesthetics: The entire box is painted flat black for a neutral appearance. The inside is splattered with fluorescent paint, that under the black light gives a very surreal feeling when inside.

This is a view from the rear of the inside. To the front right is the entrance. Visibal directly in front are the fan, black light, rope light dimmer and exhaust fan control. Click the picture for a larger image.

10/21/2005 - Due to the large number of requests I get for them, I've made blue-prints for my box. View the box blue-prints 12/16/2005 - Since the blueprints for my box are two dimensional, I thought a 3d model might help to display the box a little better. This model is drawn in the open source Blender 3d, and you'll need Blender installed to view the model. This is my first 3d project ever, and I still haven't figured out how to texture objects, so this model is very primitive. There are 10 layers in the model, placed in chronological construction order. Download 3d model

Purpose:

My box is a multipurpose device. It serves as a quiet, dark, warm sleeping quarters as well as my primary work bench. The table top is 4'x8' 1/2" plywood supported by a solid 2x4 frame. I'm not sure of the exact load the box can support, but previous boxes I've constructed held hundreds of pounds in the form of aquarium full of water. So the work bench can handle whatever I decided I'm working on. Presently, my work bench holds the Dragon Server array.

This is part of my box bench. You can see some of the Dragon server array on top, with the box door. And yes, that is a door mat in front of the entrance :. Click the image for a larger picture.

But why do you sleep in a box?!

When I first moved out on my own, I moved into a one bedroom place with 6 other room mates. We all slept in the living room in various corners. Space was tight, everyone was up at different hours, and we could sleep as many as 12 people in that place.

I am a very, very picky sleeper. The slightest noise wakes me and any light at all bothers me. With so many room mates, and being an all-hours kind of person, sleep came when I had time to do it.

The answer to a lot of questions was solved with the creation of "the box". I created a dark, slightly more quiet sleeping quarters while also creating space for someone to sleep above me. It also gave me an area of privacy as the box does fit two people.

I'm am not in the least bit claustrophobia. In fact, I'm quite the opposite -- I liked small spaces. I cram myself anywhere I can find room. The box is an amassing scene of security. Small and safe.

I've build and slept in 3 boxes for the past 9 years. The 3rd incarnation of my box, naturally, is the best design I've created yet. The door has always been an issue when building the box because that is where most of the light comes in. This door design uses a sliding piece of 1/2" plywood that when closed does an amassing job of eliminating light. It also slides open and closed very easily, which was not the case on my 2nd box.

Click the image for a larger picture.

Isn't sleeping in a box like sleeping in a coffin. Are you some sort of vampire?

Well, it's possible sleeping in a box is like sleeping in a coffin. I've slept in a coffin before (my room mate sleeps in a coffin) and it's kind of the same-- only the coffin is smaller and less ventilated. Does this make me a vampire? I don't think so-- I still walk in daylight and I have no craving to drink blood. I don't sleep in a box or the coffin because I wanted to be a vampire.

Why did I sleep in a coffin? My room mate has one, it was there, and I thought I'd see how comfortable it was. Is my room mate a vampire? No. He's used a coffin for his bed for a long, long time now. It was acquired ('cuz who can turn down getting a coffin for free?) and had to be put to use ('cuz we didn't have enough space for useless items). So, he figured, why not use it as a bed? And a bed it's been for the better part of 6 years.

Don't you want a normal bed?

No. Not really. The mattress in my box is a foam cot with two additional layers of foam padding on it. It's really comfortable actually. Beds are fine and all, but the lighting thing really bothers me being on a normal bed. Even when I tapped off the windows in my room, lights from LEDs on my computer were enough to bother me.

Lisa and I relaxing in the box.

Your sleeping box fits two people?!

There has been some discussion about my sleeping box fitting two people. Yes, two people can sleep in the box together. It's very close and one can't really sleep facing opposite the other. However, if you like to lay side by side, one with their arm around the other (often called spooning, although that term is typically sexual in nature), then the box is quite nice. I'm a sucker for a good cuddle, so if it's not a person I have my arm around, it's a pillow.