I’ve got a room in my condo with a very high ceiling … almost 13 feet high. This room is on the bedroom floor and is 13 feet wide by about 13.5 feet wide.
What I’d like to do is make a sleeping loft on one side. I’m thinking of running a 2X8 across the room, anchoring it into both side walls, about 6 feet from the wall. This will be 6′ 8″ up from the floor, giving that headroom. If I run 2X8 by 6′ pieces from the header to the wall, my headroom will be about 5′ 2″ in the loft. To gain more headroom, I’m wondering if I can run 2X6s … and if strength is an issue, run them closer than 16″ on center. Also, do I need to double up on the 2X8 by 13 foot header, for strength? Does it make a difference if I use oak for the header? (I am thinking of using some oak I have lying around for this and leaving it exposed … if I use fir I’ll wrap it in sheetrock.)
Any thoughts on whether this will pass muster (read code, as this will get inspected), or are there any other methods to get more headroom?
The kicker here is that the room was enclosed without a permit, and I am in the process of obtaining said permit. But I have to show the construction as completed so cannot ask the city how to do the loft … unless I want to go through the permitting process twice.
Thanks,
John
Replies
It is hard to know what the loading requirements for such a space would be but if this was a floor, the header would have to be a triple 2x10. The joist could be smaller but what would that gain you. An alternative would be a post or posts underneath. An even more attractive alternative would be to hang the floor from the ceiling, either from cables, rods or wood in tension. Since you will need a railing for this loft, this could be incorporated into these structural members. With this support arrangement, you could use 2x4's for the framing. Of course you will have to determine how to attach this to the ceiling framing and whether the ceiling framing can support the additional load.
Interesting idea. The roof is framed with 2X8s ... already in place. Looks like I need to get some accurate advice from a local engineer or architect, as I don't want to frame this and then have the city red tag it during inspection.
Regarding the 2X4s, are you saying that if the cross member is of the correct size (let's assume triple 2X10s does it and I can't go smaller) that the cross framing can be 2X4s? How far on center? That would give me a lot more headroom and looks promising if it would pass muster.
John
Without getting into the permitting problems that you have, I'll toss this idea out as a simple way to get a strong platform.
Still use deep lumber (2x10s or 12s if required) for the built-up carrying beam that will run across the 13' length of the room. The deeper lumber will give you the strength you need.
However, for the 6' joists that run from the wall out to the carrying beam, those can be smaller dimension. Not sure if a 2x4 will cut the mustard, but 2x6's will.
Here's the kicker...hang the 2x6's off the carrying beam so that the bottom of the 2x6 is flush with the bottom of the 2x10 beam. This will give allow you to maximize the headroom below and above by minimizing the depth of the platform, but it will also give you a "lip" where the beam rises above the platform.
The raised "lip" can be the base for your loft's railing.
Just another idea to mull over.
Actually, I was going to do just that ... have the smaller lumber be flush with the bottom of the carrying beam. That means less sheetrock corners and maximizes headroom. The extra "lip" in the loft area wouldn't be a problem and could actually be an asset. I am not sure if the railing will be like a porch railing, fastened to the outside of the beam, or one that is more like a traditional hardwood railing that fastens at the bottom of the spindles (balusters?).
As an aside, does anybody have a link to the web site that calculates loads and spans for different lumber and uses? I've lost the link and it's driving me crazy.
John
I suggest that you get friendly with an engineered beam and run your joists the short way. Steel I beam @13.5 will give you even more head room below and thus above. Your inspection problems may be more about head room than framing spans. try redefining the area as finished storage or some such. They are less picky about spaces not intended for human habitation.
Not sure if you intended to address this to me, but it's not my project.
I think engineered could do better, but this looks like a DIY project, thus the recommendation to stay with built-up 2-bys for the carrying beam. Engineered could work, but I'd be hesitant to recommend steel for a DIY.
As I wrote in my first post, I'm not even going near the code or permit issues regarding this one. If I had to, I'd go with required headroom below the loft, and take what I can get for headroom in the loft.
"Sleeping loft" vs "storage area" can be worked out between him and his insectors.
It's been discussed here some time ago and on other forums: You can build a glued, screwed and nailed diaphram out of much thinner joists (like 2X4) with plywood both sides.
I've built bookshelves using the same concept with 2 X 2's faced both sides with doorskins. The load bearing capacity for long spans is impressive.
Don't know off the top of my head where to send you for particulars for your application....maybe it will ring a bell with someone here.
You say your head room on the lower level will be 6'8".
IRC R305.1 MINIMUM CEILING HEIGHT. Habitable rooms, hallways, etc.......shall have a ceiling height of not less than 7 feet from finish floor to the lowest projection.
Just a thought.
Good Luck.
Josh
I finally got the plans drawn and went to the city for plan check. Oops, they require the ceiling height under the loft to be 7 feet ... which I was expecting ... but they also require the 7 foot height for the loft itself. No can do, unless I remove and raise the roof. So, no sleeping loft.
Thanks for the heads up about the 7 foot requirement.
John