Is A Mezzanine The Solution For Your Small Living Dilemma?

Go Up? — Or Go Out?

By adding a loft or mezzanine, ordinary spaces are transformed into the extraordinary. Not only are you gaining space within the same footprint, you’re creating a dynamic and fresh vantage point. We’re not talking about a fully functioning second storey here, it's just a simple upper space that often overlooks part of the ground floor area. Often you’ll find that these spaces don’t allow for full height ceilings but it’s surprising what height you can achieve with the right roofline and some careful design considerations.

Your mezzanine space is perfect as an additional bedroom, an office space, a playroom or perhaps even a storage space, and depending on how you use the space will determine the height required. Of course, going up does come at a cost — planning, design, materials and construction all start to push your budget, so you need to ask the question: Does the cost outweigh the reward? Sometimes, a simple garden shed is the perfect storage option and won’t break the bank. Or perhaps, instead of going up, increasing your footprint may prove to be more functional and versatile in the long term.

Consider this when going up:

• Building Codes and Regulations — Ensure that your plans comply with local building codes and regulations concerning ceiling height, structural requirements and any safety measures required. Stairs and Ladders may be a factor and you’ll need to establish what is ‘allowed’ before you commit to your design.

• Structural Review — A mezzanine or loft area will mean additional height, weight and loadings. All of these increase the material costs, so work with your designer, engineer and builder early on in the process to make sure that the changes to the structure don’t impact too heavily on your budget!

• Height — Your loft, whilst generally not a full height room, will need enough height to be used comfortably by both adults and children. Crawling around a space is not beneficial to functionality of a space in the long term.

• Roofline — Choosing the correct roofline will help maximise the space available in a loft area. Careful consideration of pitch can positively influence a loft environment. We recommend either a gable or skillion (mono pitch) style roof. Each offers a unique style and will compliment the usability of the loft in different ways.

• Access and Egress — Plan for safe and convenient access to the mezzanine level, considering stairs, ladders, or other access points. As mentioned, these will need to comply with your local regulations.

• Usage and Functionality — Really determine how you intend to use the additional first floor space - whether for living, sleeping, working or storage it must meet your needs.

• Natural Light — Consider how your mezzanine will affect natural light below and how you will get natural light into the space above - skylights are often a great solution.

• Ventilation — A loft space may get hot and stuffy without sufficient ventilation, so look at this during the design process. Opening windows and / or opening skylights in the right place will easily solve this.

• Aesthetics — Think about how high ceilings or a mezzanine floor can enhance (or detract) from the aesthetic of your space, maintaining a cohesive design that complements the overall aesthetic vision is critical.

• Safety — You’ll need a barrier on an upper level but there are lots of options, for example, wooden and metal railing or safety glass. Ensure there is good lighting around the access-way to the second level. A lot of this is common sense but your professional designer will help you mitigate any potential risk associated with a design element such as this.

• Cost — Whether you like it or not adding a mezzanine or loft space into your design will cost more during the design process, compliance and during construction. You’ll need to figure out if the benefit outweighs the cost.

A few reasons why a mezzanine may be more cost effective than increasing the footprint.

• Extending out may require foundation work or additional support structures, which can increase costs significantly compared to utilising existing foundations for higher ceilings or a mezzanine.

• Going vertical allows you to maximise your existing footprint, providing more usable space without requiring as much land area.

• Increasing your footprint will impact on your outdoor space available and depending on your land size this can significantly affect lifestyle.

• Building vertically with high ceilings or mezzanine floors often involves less material and labor compared to extending outward, (for example no additional roofing), resulting in potentially lower construction costs.

• Extending outward may face stricter zoning restrictions and permitting requirements than building up within the existing structure.

We love a mezz and when it’s done right it can be incredible. We have a couple of plans that demonstrate the possibilities, with more on the way.