Mezzanine Kits - any experience or opinions?

[TheFixer]

After several years lurking and dreaming, I'm finally planning my dream/garage shop. It looks like it will be a 36x44 steel building, and I'd like to include a mezzanine (for storage and a 'social' area).

I've been looking at https://www.mezzaninesonline.com/ (who sell Tecrostar Mezzanines). These seem to be the only vendor I've found who sell kits targeted at the non-commercial market, and I really like the look of their product - online documentation is very good, and a great gallery.

Has anyone any experience of them, or any recommendations of similar products? I have sent them a couple of emails this week and not got a reply - which does concern me, hence checking out any alternatives.

I'm looking at steel because I'd like to have a 20' post clear span under the Mezzanine (and I like the look of steel). I also like the fact that the Tecrostar products appear to be adjustable in every direction, which allows me to get the exact shape I want (which is an 'L', along one side of the garage and across the back.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice!

~Steve

PS I should add - I did search the forums, and found one other thread on Tecrostar, but it didn't seem to go anywhere :-(

 

[kwb]

No experience but I really don't like posts. I dislike them so much that I built a box beam to span the full length of my shop (42') to support my loft area.

Price wise - They don't look to be that great of a deal compared to wood framing. The floor loading is less than that of normal residential construction so you might find it a bit lively. It is all designed and ready to assemble so if you aren't knowledgeable on how to design it does bring a value there. It is steel which is the look you are going for so you get some of your value to you there as well.

 

[TheFixer]

No experience but I really don't like posts. I dislike them so much that I built a box beam to span the full length of my shop (42') to support my loft area.

Price wise - They don't look to be that great of a deal compared to wood framing. The floor loading is less than that of normal residential construction so you might find it a bit lively. It is all designed and ready to assemble so if you aren't knowledgeable on how to design it does bring a value there. It is steel which is the look you are going for so you get some of your value to you there as well.

I agree on trying to avoid posts, but I've got zero experience in the design/build of anything like this...though I can do very basic framing I'd not be confident in the design of something load-bearing with such long spans.

 

[LopezBart]

Many of the companies building steel buildings can and will supply a mezzanine to your specs... this is often cheaper, and will be engineered in so no arguments w/ the permit folks.

 

[ridgebk995]

After several years lurking and dreaming, I'm finally planning my dream/garage shop. It looks like it will be a 36x44 steel building, and I'd like to include a mezzanine (for storage and a 'social' area).

I've been looking at https://www.mezzaninesonline.com/ (who sell Tecrostar Mezzanines). These seem to be the only vendor I've found who sell kits targeted at the non-commercial market, and I really like the look of their product - online documentation is very good, and a great gallery.

Has anyone any experience of them, or any recommendations of similar products? I have sent them a couple of emails this week and not got a reply - which does concern me, hence checking out any alternatives.

I'm looking at steel because I'd like to have a 20' post clear span under the Mezzanine (and I like the look of steel). I also like the fact that the Tecrostar products appear to be adjustable in every direction, which allows me to get the exact shape I want (which is an 'L', along one side of the garage and across the back.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice!

~Steve

PS I should add - I did search the forums, and found one other thread on Tecrostar, but it didn't seem to go anywhere :-(

Check out American Surplus, I got a fantastic 20 X 26' heavy duty mezzanine with decking and stairs for less than $8k, shipping was $2k from RI to NC, cost $3k for local steel company to erect. Mine is clear span 20' and 9.5' clear height underneath. They dismantle factories and can make up just about anything you need. My sales guy was Bill Lizzote, can't tell you how great he was to deal with.

Bill Lizotte
Sales Rep - 24 Years atAmerican Surplus
A1 Noyes Avenue, East Providence, RI 02916
P401-434-4355 Ext. [email protected]

 

[firebirdparts]

No experience, but I thought they looked pretty good.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if a local fab shop could do the steel for 1/4 of the price and then you do the rest.

 

[ridgebk995]

 

[duneslider]

Like others noted, the floor rating is a bit low, so make sure you take that into account. I do think they look fairly nice and they are def easy.

The company I work for sells prefab and custom mezzanines but those usually have a 125lb/ft rating which is probably more than you need and most of the commercial mezzanines will be like that.

With how modular those are, I bet you could talk to them and add in some extra beams/joists and get a higher rating.

 

[My Old Tools]

Just have it designed in....

 

[dcg9381]

I agree on trying to avoid posts, but I've got zero experience in the design/build of anything like this...though I can do very basic framing I'd not be confident in the design of something load-bearing with such long spans.

I don't know the right answer off the top of my head, but betcha a local (large) steel building supplier can tell you what I-beam you need to span 2nd floor loads and 42'.

You CAN span that with LVL, but transporting the LVL that long is problematic. I've found online LVL ordering and span calculators.

Personally, I wouldn't do it with wood, I'd span it with a steel I-beam and then traditionally frame the joists...

Course, you drop one post and things get easier, but I get why you don't want to do that.

 

[amber1962]

I am looking to order The small TS 8 loft bed Mezzanine from Tecrostar. Their prices are dramatically lower than "Mezzanines online". I can afford the Tecrostar price. Are they legit? Are they the original vendor? Are they the same company? I'm not a builder. I'm a 62 year old nurse who has friends that can help me put this thing together. I live in a tiny expensive San Francisco studio and work nights at the county hospital. I need more space. any advice?

 

[inphx]

i checked out American Surplus.. (https://www.americansurplus.com/) when ever a link ends in "Call or Request Quote" instead of a price i'm not motivated to learn why they chose that pricing approach. Looks like they have stuff i want but not willing to put in the used car lot/pawn shop haggling. Some items have prices but not all.

 

[readhead]

That looks like some pretty expensive floor space made with bent sheet metal littered with holes so it is expandable. I wish I could get the pricing they are asking for stairs. If a piece is damaged how long will you have to wait for it to arrive from Europe?

Call a local steel fabricator and have them give you a price for what you actually want.

 

[RicardoJM]

I ordered a XL32 Kit mezzanine kit in September of 2021. With the pandemic supply issues, it didn't arrive until January of 2022 - about a month later than expected. For customs processing, I did have to fill out and email an ISF form - which included my SSN. While emailing the form was a concern for me, it worked out fine.

Tracking my shipment was basically impossible - definitely not like UPS/FedEx. However, once it was with the local freight company, they contacted me and coordinated the delivery at a time that was good with my schedule. My package came apart at some point during shipment and parts were scattered all through the back of the truck when it arrived. Amazingly enough there were very few parts missing and the vendor expedited those to me. There was some cosmetic damage to various pieces and the vendor worked with me to make that right. I ended up installing the stairs in a different configuration that I had initially thought and needed a few more safety railing components, the vendor graciously covered the expedited shipping cost of these items - I just had to pay for the parts. Vendor communication was good, albeit most often a 24-hour turnaround as they are in Spain. I'd email them an get a response the next day. Definitely different that working with a local outfit where you can call.

I was able to see one in person locally and the components are finely machined and solid. For me, the mezzanine kit was a great value compared to the quotes I got from other companies. Presuming the weight distribution in your final configuration (it goes down the further you expand it) is sufficient - it is a good option.

The shop is 18' wide and 49' feet deep. IIRC the dimensions correctly, the mezzanine is 20' deep and the bottom of the support beam is 11' from the shop floor.

 

[TheFixer]

I ordered a XL32 Kit mezzanine kit in September of 2021. With the pandemic supply issues, it didn't arrive until January of 2022 - about a month later than expected. For customs processing, I did have to fill out and email an ISF form - which included my SSN. While emailing the form was a concern for me, it worked out fine.

Tracking my shipment was basically impossible - definitely not like UPS/FedEx. However, once it was with the local freight company, they contacted me and coordinated the delivery at a time that was good with my schedule. My package came apart at some point during shipment and parts were scattered all through the back of the truck when it arrived. Amazingly enough there were very few parts missing and the vendor expedited those to me. There was some cosmetic damage to various pieces and the vendor worked with me to make that right. I ended up installing the stairs in a different configuration that I had initially thought and needed a few more safety railing components, the vendor graciously covered the expedited shipping cost of these items - I just had to pay for the parts. Vendor communication was good, albeit most often a 24-hour turnaround as they are in Spain. I'd email them an get a response the next day. Definitely different that working with a local outfit where you can call.

I was able to see one in person locally and the components are finely machined and solid. For me, the mezzanine kit was a great value compared to the quotes I got from other companies. Presuming the weight distribution in your final configuration (it goes down the further you expand it) is sufficient - it is a good option.

The shop is 18' wide and 49' feet deep. IIRC the dimensions correctly, the mezzanine is 20' deep and the bottom of the support beam is 11' from the shop floor.

Thanks for posting...I'm still working out the design (with the "L" series), and so far they've been very helpful, though it usually takes about a week to respond to each email. How are the hand rails? I saw someone else mention they weren't very robust (and they are expensive), so they made their own in timber.

 

[TheFixer]

I ordered a XL32 Kit mezzanine kit in September of 2021. With the pandemic supply issues, it didn't arrive until January of 2022 - about a month later than expected. For customs processing, I did have to fill out and email an ISF form - which included my SSN. While emailing the form was a concern for me, it worked out fine......

Did you order from Tecrostar or Mezzaninesonline? (as @amber1962 says above, there's an apparent huge difference in pricing...)

-Steve

 

[RicardoJM]

The handrails (stairs) and safety rails (perimeter railing) are the same aluminum tubing and are sturdy. if compared to steel tube railing, I could see where they would not seem as robust. I placed my order and did my communication through mezzaninesonline, it was the only option for ordering here in the US.

I just looked at both sites. The pricing on tecrostar is in euros which converts pretty close to the same in dollars. Perhaps the difference in pricing would be the shipping to US is included with mezzanineonline.

 

[IPACA9]

You might read through my mezzanine build in my 30x40 shop. Might be some tips. It started out one way but then I received some good help and direction on here to make it what it is today.



Thread 'Mezzanine time' https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/mezzanine-time.295134/

 

[TheFixer]

Wow - that is extremely helpful!!! - I will be reading every posting in that thread several times over. The contributions from others on the use of engineered timber might even change my mind and go for timber.....though currently I had pretty much decided on the Tecro kits

At this point I am only just starting the building (it's proving somewhat challenging getting contractors), and my plan is to do the mezzanine once the building is up. Like you, I want it free standing.

Many thanks for the link - and be prepared for questions!!!

~Steve

 

[IPACA9]

Wow - that is extremely helpful!!! - I will be reading every posting in that thread several times over. The contributions from others on the use of engineered timber might even change my mind and go for timber.....though currently I had pretty much decided on the Tecro kits

At this point I am only just starting the building (it's proving somewhat challenging getting contractors), and my plan is to do the mezzanine once the building is up. Like you, I want it free standing.

Many thanks for the link - and be prepared for questions!!!

~Steve

It was a long journey. I started out doing it my way and then thanks to the others showing me a different way which you will see later in my posts. I thought of editing it and deleting the first part but it shows the process I went through to get to where it is now.

 

[Alasorte21]

I bought a Tecrostar mezzanine kit four years ago for a small warehouse where I keep a few cars. The mezzanine is 30' wide, 16' deep. It arrived in three large boxes, total weight - 4,500 lbs. A friend and I constructed it. The directions were fairly straightforward, but there are a ton of different parts and it took awhile for us to become familiar with the process. It took us about a week to build.

Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the Tecrostar product. It is incredibly solid and stable. The quality of the parts is outstanding. Now, four years later, it's every bit as solid as when built.

If you're considering Tecrostar, here are a few tips. First, they're pricey. I initially rejected buying one for this reason. But each year they have a Black Friday sale and the prices drop 30% or more. The initial quote for mine was around $20,000, so I passed. But I was on their email list. When I got an email about the Black Friday sale I checked prices again and the same mezzanine was down to $13,000. So I bought it. If your'e in the market, maybe they'll have the same Black Friday sale next month.

Second, spend a lot of time thinking about the layout. The shipping time from Spain, where these are made, was around three months. You don't want to wait that long, then realize you need any design changes, since you'll wait another three months for any additional shipments.

Finally, the mezzanines do not include finished flooring, only a plywood subfloor. I ended up using vinyl "wood" plank flooring on top of the subfloor. It came out nice.

All in all, I give Tecrostar a big "thumbs up."

 

[Mikeymike78621]

I ordered a XL32 Kit mezzanine kit in September of 2021. With the pandemic supply issues, it didn't arrive until January of 2022 - about a month later than expected. For customs processing, I did have to fill out and email an ISF form - which included my SSN. While emailing the form was a concern for me, it worked out fine.

Tracking my shipment was basically impossible - definitely not like UPS/FedEx. However, once it was with the local freight company, they contacted me and coordinated the delivery at a time that was good with my schedule. My package came apart at some point during shipment and parts were scattered all through the back of the truck when it arrived. Amazingly enough there were very few parts missing and the vendor expedited those to me. There was some cosmetic damage to various pieces and the vendor worked with me to make that right. I ended up installing the stairs in a different configuration that I had initially thought and needed a few more safety railing components, the vendor graciously covered the expedited shipping cost of these items - I just had to pay for the parts. Vendor communication was good, albeit most often a 24-hour turnaround as they are in Spain. I'd email them an get a response the next day. Definitely different that working with a local outfit where you can call.

I was able to see one in person locally and the components are finely machined and solid. For me, the mezzanine kit was a great value compared to the quotes I got from other companies. Presuming the weight distribution in your final configuration (it goes down the further you expand it) is sufficient - it is a good option.

The shop is 18' wide and 49' feet deep. IIRC the dimensions correctly, the mezzanine is 20' deep and the bottom of the support beam is 11' from the shop floor.

I am looking to order a kit from Mezzanines online and was wondering how important duties did you have to pay to get it? I have emailed them.and they can't seem to tell me anything. I know that Uncle thief wants his share along with everyone else.

 

[brianfarnet]

The handrails (stairs) and safety rails (perimeter railing) are the same aluminum tubing and are sturdy. if compared to steel tube railing, I could see where they would not seem as robust. I placed my order and did my communication through mezzaninesonline, it was the only option for ordering here in the US.

I just looked at both sites. The pricing on tecrostar is in euros which converts pretty close to the same in dollars. Perhaps the difference in pricing would be the shipping to US is included with mezzanineonline.

For a mezzanine TS 4 the pricing is significantly different between mezzanineonline ($2,838.00 USD) vs Tecrostar (835.00 €, or $905 USD).

We're thinking of ordering the TS4 to Canada from Tecrostar as it seems like a great deal - has anyone had any experience with them? We're also unsure of how much we'll get charged for importing.

 

[CraigStu]

Something I just don't get. Why would one need to order from Europe for something as simple as a raised floor w/ stairs and a railing. No one in the US can built that?

 

[TheFixer]

It's been a while since I started this thread, but I wanted to share with everyone what I decided to do, how it went and some thoughts.
Due to the increases in tariffs on imported steel, the pricing of the mezzaninesonline.com products escalated to the point where it wasn't an option, so based on some of the recommendations in this thread, I contacted https://www.americansurplus.com/used-roll-formed-mezzanine.html who specialize in the purchase and resale of used factory storage equipment.
They were extremely helpful - I shared some drawings I prepared giving the dimensions of what I was looking for. They came back with something similar (not identical) at what was a very reasonable price, and I decided to purchase.
They did have to modify the sizing of the mezzanine from the original to match my requirements (which were pretty exact - to within an inch, given I needed to fit exactly inside the building). Some of the specification changed a couple of times during the refinement process (based on what they had available - e.g. beams that were originally I-Beams became roll-form. Also, some of the items listed on their website were not available. However, after a few iterations of drawings and pricing, we reached agreement and eventually a semi full of steel arrived.
One thing that was obvious - this was a used mezzanine. The posts and the roll form beams were roughly painted in grey primer over the original paint, stickers and everything. The steel B-decking had clearly been left out in the rain, and had a lot of surface rust - but luckily there were three or four extra pieces so I could choose the best.
The plywood decking turned out to be OSB with some kind of rubber or vinyl coating on one side. I would say it was just 'ok' (pretty badly beaten up and with the T&G edges damaged) - and I decided not to use it, instead buying new plywood. Very glad I made that decision). I did consider complaining, but in the end decided not to (I've realized that some folks use the terms 'OSB' and 'Plywood' interchangabley
All brand new hardware (nuts, bolts, screws) was included for assembly, and it was decent quality. However, absolutely no instructions (other than the drawing) were included for assembly - or even where the hardware was used.
I ended up repainting all the steel (there's a couple of other threads on that) - it used a lot of paint (over $2k), but I'm very pleased with the results. Assembly went very well (using a manual pallet material handler and a gantry crane, both picked up on FB Marketplace). The size was exactly what I had specified, so overall I was pretty pleased.
I did have concerns over permits and inspections, which were required. The only issue the inspector raised (when he reviewed the drawings I had agreed with ASI) was that all railings (guardrails and stair rails) must meet the residential 4" code (which they clearly didn't). I went to town with the welder and bunch of hog wire and U-edging and made new railings that met these requirements, topping them off with tigerwood rail caps (not strictly necessary, but I thought it would look good). I also welded steel bars at the back of each stair tread (they are open treads), so the gap there was less than 4". The modifications, painting and assembly took me about 5 or 6 months - I'm sure that's much longer than it would have taken with an 'out of the box' mezzanine. However, I'm very pleased with the results, and it's definitely a lot more robust than the mezzanine online kits would have been. I'm now working on installiing a 1/2 bath below the mezzaine (under the 'landing' at the top of the stairs) and hope to soon be finished with the whole project. I've included some photos.... Many thanks to everyone who answered my many questions in this and other related threads....

 

[MFortie]

Nice work!

I’ve been eyeballing the Mezzanine’s Online for a few years, but couldn’t get a feel for the quality. Haven’t check pricing lately, but they may be out of reach now.

I don’t have any desire (or patience) to re-furb a used one though…

 

[TheFixer]

Nice work!

I’ve been eyeballing the Mezzanine’s Online for a few years, but couldn’t get a feel for the quality. Haven’t check pricing lately, but they may be out of reach now.

I don’t have any desire (or patience) to re-furb a used one though…

To be fair, other than the code issue related to the railings and the beat-up OSB, it was solid, very heavily built - a friend commented that I paid half the price and got twice the steel (I think each post weighs around 350lb). The painting was a LOT of work, but purely cosmetic. I could also have done a very basic job with the railings (welding hog wire to the existing OSHA posts), but I'm a little OCD so went with fabricating the new railings.

 

[finn]

DD speed shop on YouTube just installed a used mezzanine in his new shop.

He got it for free.

He installed it with the assistance of his wife and part time help from a neighbor, plus a rented pallet lift.

Interesting watch, and funny this thread came up at tha same time.