If you are looking for ways to expand and make your home bigger, all you may have to do is look up. Although many South African homes do not sport an attic, an A-frame pitched roof can be transformed into a loft area, ensuring that you are utilizing existing space.
Whether you have a view of table mountain from your roof or your family is growing and you need the extra room, loft bedrooms, and living spaces can be both a stylish and comfortable oasis, turning your once single story into a double story with less hassle.
Lofts tend to have interesting structural elements from triangular slanted ceilings to dorms windows. Below we have noted a list of loft design considerations to transform this very often wasted roof space into designer living.
1. Light and Insulation
Loft designs tend to focus on ceiling structure and often do not have standard wall space for large windows and doors. there may even be areas where the ceiling dips low and you have to crouch. All this is dependant on the pitch of your roof. Skylight windows are the best solution for lofts as they are inserted into the roof and tiltel open for maximum air flow. as heat rises, lofts tend to become hot boxes and trap all the heat in the roof. Adding skylight windows will allow you to create air flow or a draft throughout the space in summer.
Direct sun streaming through the skylights will add to the heat, however, Luxaflex Duette Shades have been designed to act like double glazing and window covering in one, making it the perfect blind for skylight windows by illuminating the heat and insulating the space.
2. Colour Choices
Attics are dark and dingy spaces. Darker shades of paint also make rooms seem smaller. with a loft consisting mostly of a large ceiling, white or light paint is sure to open up the space and add to the brightness of the area. White walls paired with light wooden flooring can create a cozy environment and eliminate that “creepy” attic reference.
3. Flooring and acoustics
Most loft structures have a wooden boarded floor when constructed. You can either leave these planks visible from the first story as a rustic-looking ceiling or you can add insulation and ceiling board. Although insulation and a solidly built flooring structure will reduce sound, wooden flooring usually has quite a bit of movement or creaking and you tend to hear footsteps when someone is walking on it upstairs. In order to soundproof the flooring a bit more, plush thick carpets should be considered for areas where you wish to reduce noise to the downstairs. This option dampens footsteps and lessens the feel of movement underfoot from a paneled wooden floor structure.
4. Space Utilisation
As parts of the roof dip down or create angles that you can move around easily, utilizing every bit of space is necessary. Building shelves or a built-in bench seat can ensure no space is wasted. Angles and sloping ceilings will also lend themselves to interesting design ideas and elements that may be incorporated.
From comfortable bedrooms, an open plan home office or upstairs tv room, lofts are a comfortable addition to any home and will unleash your decor creativity for these unique spaces.