Lofty AspirationsLofty Aspirations A timber home necessity, your loft is more than just a perch from which to appreciate the impressive view—it's also a blank canvas for your creativity. 
In a way, a loft is almost like found space. It floats above the action, snatching a layer of living area from the air between the main floor and the vaulted ceiling.
"A loft is dramatic but usable space," says Bonnie Pickartz, who owns Goshen Timber Frames in Franklin, North Carolina, with her husband, David. "In a timber home the ceiling rises high, and a loft gives you extra square footage without compromising the open feel of the volume above you." And let's not forget the economical advantage of those extra square feet. "The loft provides additional and relatively inexpensive living space," says Larry Speers, sales and design consultant for Linwood Custom Homes in Ontario, Canada. "You can go upward with a loft without adding too much to the cost of construction. You even can make the main floor a little smaller because you have the extra living area up above." But what kind of living should happen in that lofty space? People use it for every imaginable purpose—office, game room, media room, guest room, playroom, library or yoga studio. The trick is to define the use before construction so you can build in the features you need. Don't Get Walled In "When designing, you have to think of the roof's pitch," Larry cautions. For example, a media room needs a straight wall for the television rather than the angled walls of a steeply pitched roof, and a library should have at least 6-foot-high walls for bookshelves. On the other hand, for a playroom or a meditation room, a steep pitch might be fine—especially with knee walls for storage. Look Out Below Also be sure to consider how the loft relates to the space below it. An open railing maximizes both the view and the light. But if your loft will function as guest room, you might think about installing shutters or a movable screen for privacy. To contain noise from a media room, Bonnie suggests insulating the floor. "If the loft has an insulated floor system rather than a 2-by-6 tongueand-groove floor, you won't have a lot of noise," she explains. Let There Be Light Lofts are gaining popularity as dedicated living spaces rather than vague all-purpose areas, so designing them for light and ventilation is a priority. Skylights are a dramatic way to filter in sunlight, but many loft owners opt for the double advantage of light and air by adding dormer windows, or even a balcony and sliding glass doors.Location Is Everything Location Is Everything Lofts can be situated over kitchens or adjacent to bedrooms to provide a sitting area, but most people want to overlook the great room to take advantage of the views from the huge windows. "From the loft you get a higher perspective out the great room windows," Bonnie points out. "If the loft is over the front entrance, you enter a cozy space, then get the 'wow' factor as you enter the vaulted great room." However, she recommends the loft not be more than a third of the size of the great room to guard against a tower effect with a toonarrow view upward. Wherever they're located or however they're used, lofts are an excellent addition to a timber home. "Probably 80 percent of our clients end up with a loft," Larry notes. "They're a great getaway space." K.T. Anders is a freelance writer based in Upperville, Virginia.
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