Minimum ceiling height for a loft?

[BellyUpFish]

Looks like my plans may be changing just a bit for my 40x50. Looks like it may become a 40x40. It's not definite yet, but we are thinking about a poured concrete safe room addition to the house and that will eat into my 40x50 budget. I could always "just spend the extra money" and build the 40x50, and I MIGHT, but those of you who have a loft..

What would you say is the minimum celing height for a usable loft? 16' or so?

 

[USAFpj]

Hey Bellyup, depends on your height! I went with 14ft sidewalls. At 5'10", that will give me 7ft working room downstairs, roughly 12in of mezzanine flooring, and 6ft of loft height before I smack my head on the bottom of the truss. 16ft would be better, but you have to draw the budget line somewhere!

 

[NUTTSGT]

What do you plan on using the mezzanine for ? Work area, hang out area or just storage. It one requires a different number in my opinion.

 

[toomany]

I went 14' with mine. I have just enough room standing on the loft. I'm around 5'10". I don't know off the top of my head how much room is under it...but it's plenty.

Some in progress pics of when it was going up.

 

[BellyUpFish]

I'm 6'2", plans are to use it as mostly storage.

 

[D. Patina]

Toomany,

I was admiring your loft. I have a 36w X 30d X 12h pole barn going going up. I basically see how you did it. Looks like it's 30 feet long and about 7.5 high. Are the 2x6 posts you built anchored to the floor in some way.

 

[zkdiesel]

14' works if you compromise upper height a tad where you might have to crouch. If it's a small loft and only storage it's a good compromise for affordability to build and to heat and cool! Way taller buildings require much more energy to heat and cool

 

[lostmind]

If you put it in the gable end , 10 foot wall is enough if you just use it for storage
and you put it between the trusses. 7.5 foot below , stand up in the middle.
Kind of depends on your roof pitch.

 

[Slowgsr]

Keep 7' underneath the rest you can use for storage

 

[theoldwizard1]

What would you say is the minimum celing height for a usable loft? 16' or so?

I have a "mini-loft" ! Okay, it is just a big, heavy duty shelf about 4.5' off the ground and it comes out about 4' from the wall. Great space up there.

I think the real question is, do you need clear head room under and above the floor and joists. 7' above and below should be good.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I went 14' with mine. I have just enough room standing on the loft. I'm around 5'10". I don't know off the top of my head how much room is under it...but it's plenty.

Boy, is it nice to see someone who actually KNOWS how to build proper structure ! The double beam is resting on top of doubled 2by uprights. The third locks it all together.

 

[Dragfluid]

My walls are 14'. When I framed up the office area, I went for a 7' ceiling. Using 2x6's for joists up above, it gives me almost 6 1/2' of head room up above.

Was this loft just going in a small area, or the whole building?