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Gnerd
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 02:38pm
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I'm still in the design phase of cabin construction. I like the idea of a loft. The thing I wonder about, though, is whether a loft cabin would be harder to keep warm in single-digit temps compared to a single-level, one-room small cabin, due to the warm air rising up to the loft and leaving the lower level cold. Has anyone found this to be the case? Any other pros or cons of a loft?
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snobdds
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 02:42pm
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What's your insulation budget? That has more of an effect of whether you should loft or not.
Prepare for every response under the sun...
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 02:53pm
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I vote no loft for people space (btdt, didnt work out for us in our 1st place, 12x24' c/w 12x12' stand up height sleeping loft, ymmv). Ive mentioned why in some detail in several posts so I wont reiterate them here. Short story is it seemed a better idea than it panned out to be, all for practical issues.
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snobdds
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 03:00pm
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Also there are a lot of really badly designed lofts. No space for a real staircase and the loft starting at the top plate with no thought given to functionality with knee walls. It seems they are an afterthought and then it turns into storage space. Then no forethought is given to proper insulation and air flow with windows and a cross breeze.
Done right, they're fantastic. Done right they also cost some money. Probably why they are very rarely done right.
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ICC
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 03:17pm
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Yes, heat rises. In almost all cases the loft will be much warmer than the main level. Perhaps with a good cool climate match and windows in the loft area the temperature upstairs can be modulated to a comfortable level. I have been given the choice of sleeping on the floor downstairs or sleeping in the loft. I always choose the sleeping bag on the floor over the loft.
Lofts also require access. Good, comfortable to navigate and safe stairs consume a lot of space and if we are talking about a small cabin, I see too much conflict between the real usability and the space given to stairs. IMO, ladders are maybe okay for very ocassional use, but personally I don't even like ladders to a loft for a storage only loft.
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 03:20pm
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Yep... some hate them, some like them and some love them. Our cabin was built with several more courses of logs leaving a 3' knee wall, and has a 12/12 pitch roof so from the loft floor to the peak is around 12'. The loft is 13x22 feet so a large area, big enough we are putting a second bathroom up there this year. There are 2 windows on the end wall and a door. We sleep up there with little to no over heating issues. Is the downstairs cooler because of the loft, yes but not as much as you would expect, only about 5 degrees. We have a ceiling fan that we use occasionally but not often. We do open the windows in the evening and let the cabin cool down for better sleeping. A window is always open some at night... but that is more my wife, I don't care how hot or cold outside she has to have a window open at night.
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Brettny
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 03:20pm
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Theres no way around the fact that if you add more heated/cooled cubic feet of house it will be harder to heat/cool with the same size appliance. The bad part about the loft is that the added area is at the top of the building....also the hottest part of the building.
Now you go and add a more closed loft with 4 walls and your heating/cooling issues can be minimal.
You dont always need knee walls with a loft and they can start at the top plate. That all depends on your roof. For instance you will have massive head room with a 28/12 pitch roof over a nearly no head room 3/12 pitch. Most people just build a low pitch roof though.
There are rafter calculators online that you can easily figure out the head room you will have.
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paulz
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 03:36pm
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I did a half loft on my 12x25 and love it. Kitchen, table, cupboards under the loft at 7' height, front half open to 14' ceiling for airy feeling.
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snobdds
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 04:06pm
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If lofts are too hot, then that means the cool air moving from high to low has no way to proceed even lower in the building. Hot air rises, but it also pushes the cold air down. Given enough air movement and time, the upstairs and downstairs should equalize in temperature. Lofts need vents on the floor to allow cooler air to keep moving down, get reheated and proceed up again. No fan needed, all passive. That's just thermo dynamics 101.
The biggest and most consequential is stairs. Stairs need to be designed into the building very early on. If you use the roof line to your advantage, most stairs should follow an outside wall and turn 90* to follow the gable up.
So again, if the loft is just a byproduct of the building process and it was easy to build a platform, then yeah, the loft is going to always function as an afterthought.
Design the cabin from the top down, not the bottom up.
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jsahara24
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 04:35pm - Edited by: jsahara24
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I have a loft that is completely open, I installed a large ceiling fan (84") in the cathedral ceiling above the living room and a 54" ceiling fan in the loft. I put a temp sensor in the loft and in the living room, I am able to keep the temperature within 2*.....Now I understand that isn't always a possibility with an off grid cabin, and you definitely don't want to turn off the fan or it turns into a sauna....
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 04:55pm
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Does all this thermodynamics stuff really work that well in a 'small cabin' rather than a 'house sized structure'?
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snobdds
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 05:00pm
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Quoting: gcrank1 Does all this thermodynamics stuff really work that well in a 'small cabin' rather than a 'house sized structure'?
The laws of physics are not bound by size...
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 05:13pm
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True, but the practical effects can be less than hoped for.
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snobdds
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 06:01pm
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ll
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toofewweekends
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 07:22pm
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Even a short load bearing wall will give a loft a lot more useable space, especially with a steep roof. Mine is a 12/12 roof sitting on the top plate. Structurally solid, but it's tough to do anything with that little triangle space where the ceiling meets the floor. We have windows on each gable end for ventilation and light and a roughly 5x5 opening for a ladder/stair. The loft is warmer than downstairs, but not a huge difference in a 16x20 cabin. Way better than having a bed next to the kitchen...
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 08:25pm - Edited by: gcrank1
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We have two convertible futon couch-beds for the non-loft cabin, living room by day, bedroom by night. It works out quite well.
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willywilly2020
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 08:35pm
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Depends on your wants and needs. If you go loft I recommend half-loft cuz high ceilings are a nice aesthetic and has better airflow to regulate temps between upstairs and downstairs.
Also you'll want a really nice ladder set-up (plan for that in the designs) because otherwise you'll just hang out downstairs all the time and wonder why you build a loft.
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Princelake
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 09:05pm
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As others have said it’ll always be hotter and more space to heat. I’m going with scissor trusses so have a more open feel and head room for bunk beds and I’ll make sure I get bottom bunk lol.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2021 09:18pm
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Actually, in the winter heating season, the top bunk is the one to have. That is, unless you like to sleep cool-cold.
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Aklogcabin
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2021 11:50am
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We have an upstairs at our 16x24 cabin. 10' walls. 12-12 pitch roof. Near 12' to peak .I like it. Twice the floor space. Usually not enough space around. We have a door on one end window on the other. We have steps but I'm wanting to install an elevator powered by a 12v winch.
We built with having the family out in mind. Having the space is nice.
If I build another cabin I would build it with a loft.
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