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THE LOFT DOG BLOG

Vaulted Ceiling Conversions

7/27/2022

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Southern California General Contractor
Dormer Room Additions
​by Chris Doering

Turning a high ceiling into a new room

Ideally, when we are looking to convert a high ceiling into a new room, we are looking for a two-story home with a high volume or flat second story ceiling. However, many homes in Northern and Southern California built in the 1980's and 1990's have a sloping ceiling where one side of the room is higher than the other. These are called vaulted ceilings and the slope down to different levels. See the example below.
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Although this space can be converted into a new room, the low side of the room will be not functional for living space. This home is the perfect candidate for what we call a vaulted ceiling conversion with a dormer addition.

A dormer addition is a small area of the ceiling/roof that is raised up to provide a full height ceiling on the second floor only for a portion of the room. It is used to extend the full height ceiling space above and commonly to provide space to install a new second story window. We then design the remaining lower areas of the second floor space and assign it to closet or storage space.

​Here's another picture of the ceiling below BEFORE the dormer addition.
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BELOW IS THE AFTER SHOT of the new ceiling line below
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BELOW IS THE NEW DORMER BEDROOM ADDITION w/BATHROOM
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Above: Notice that the dormer area (full height ceiling) is only for the majority of the bedroom width. The lower space remains and is used as a furniture niche and closet/storage space accessible from the new bathroom side.

Dormer room additions in vaulted ceilings requires a specialist general contractor. It is a great way to save tens of thousands in construction costs instead of doing a tradition full two-story addition.

Get a dormer addition quote from a general contractor that specializes in loft and mezzanine additions as well as dormer rooms within in vaulted ceilings. 
Get A Quote
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Santa Clarita Lofts Update

7/27/2022

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Santa Clarita Loft/ High ceiling conversions
Los Angeles County Loft Additions
Loft Addition Tract Research
​by Jorge De Leon
What are loftable homes? Loftable homes are houses in which contain a very high and open space that gets converted into an additional room or a room in which you can use for your own use. Houses aren't always loftable, and to the average eye one may not be able to tell what is and what isn't. To be able to find loftable houses you must be trained to find little details and know what it is you need to be looking for. Tracts in the Santa Clarita area are what the team here at TRUPLANS like to call Green and blue zones. Green zones would be the areas in which consist of 95% or more of the houses that are loftable or contain a high ceiling which then can be converted into a mezzanine or a loft addition.  Blue zones are what are consisting of 60-90% loftable homes.
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Many homeowners don't realize that they can receive what is known as an "inside addition" then never getting that desired extra room or space. If you aren't sure if your home is loftable or has a high ceiling please contact our TRULOFT team at TRUPLANS Inc.
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Loft Addition Stair Railing

7/26/2022

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Huntington Beach Open Loft
Orange County Loft Additions
Loft Addition Stair and Balcony Railing

If you're considering a loft or mezzanine bonus room addition there is a good chance you will be faced with the decision to add, modify or replace your stair and balcony railing. It is a common feature related to the high ceiling conversion type of remodel.
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Loft addition railing can really keep the space open in an area that you are planning to enclose. On the other hand a combination of open railing pictured above and a low wall can offer the open feel while hiding the furniture (or toys) behind it. 

This low wall was capped with a glass topper, or cap. The open railing are horizontal steel bars instead of cable. Where cable railing has a risk of losing tension over time, steel bar balustrades are longer lasting and don't lose tension.
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Open wood treads, painted white risers, with wood newel posts, wood hand rail and steel bar balustrade.
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Aliso Viejo Home Office Loft Addition

7/21/2022

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Aliso Viejo, California
Orange County Loft Addition

High ceiling home in Aliso Viejo gets a loft addition makeover. The big airy wasted space over the entry, living room and dining room was converted in this Orange County home to a new room addition. We designed and built it into a new open mezzanine bonus room with a home office over the entryway over the first floor. 

Often times these loft additions become one giant toy box allowing for better household management of toys and crafts. Here's a few before, 3D and after shots. See the full series of room addition photos in our TRULOFT photo gallery.

BEFORE

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AFTER

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BEFORE - 3D DESIGN

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AFTER

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Get a loft addition quote from the Aliso Viejo Loft Addition Experts!
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Laguna Niguel Loft Plus Dormer Addition - Project underway

7/20/2022

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Loft Addition Orange County, California
​Laguna Niguel Loft Addition
High ceiling conversion in Laguna Niguel with vaulted ceiling is getting more than just a loft. The roof is being raised over a portion of the loft to create a dormer addition. This technique gives more headroom above and the ability to add a new egress (bedroom) window. 

This particular room addition has been designed for a new bedroom with an on-suite bathroom and storage space. The storage space is literally over the front entry way below. The floor system in that space has been raised to create a higher tray ceiling (coffer) to remain over the entryway. 

This project came to us as an over-sized two story addition with plans already in the city. We were able to save the homeowner several hundred thousand dollars by designing the new space as a gable dormer addition. 

BEFORE

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BEFORE - to simply add a loft addition with the vaulted ceiling would not allow for a new bedroom window. The roof will be raised for the width of the bedroom walls only. This is the technique we call, dormer addition.

3D DESIGN

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BEFORE

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3D DESIGN

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Coffered ceiling over the front entry way.

3D DESIGN EXTERIOR

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Gable roof facing left side with new window at second floor level.

3D DESIGN INSIDE

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Los Angeles Loft Addition Designer

7/6/2022

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Glendale, California
High Ceiling Conversion Experts
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  Greetings, I'm Chris Doering, owner CEO of TRUPLANS INC. I was never one to want the spot light. I've always been a "behind the scenes" kind of guy. My background is restaurant management first as a Benihana manager and then a marketing consultant in the restaurant industry.

  In 2004 I made the switch to loft additions after being asked by a family friend to help him build his construction brand. After he retired the workers asked if I could do the same for them, build their business. That is the beginning of an amazing journey in planning and construction services. The guys are so busy doing what they do best that I have to make the appearance to measure and design and get the plans permitted. So I'm usually the first one on the scene at your home.

  So, here's my mug shot above. I'm standing in a loft addition built by Aaron and Luis when TRULOFT began on its own. We converted a high ceiling into a beautiful open mezzanine bonus room. The project is located in the city of Glendale, California. 

  I am so very fortunate to be surrounded by the best of the best general contractors in our loft conversion industry. These are NOT employees of someone else's brand. The crews I design for and represent are actually all owners of their own corporations. Through TRUPLANS INC we created the TRULOFT expert design team and now service the whole state of California. 
I'm looking forward to meeting all the new clients across the state. We're expanding our loft addition construction niche in both directions from Orange County. We're in the Northern California areas and as far south as Chula Vista. Recently, the second mezzanine room addition in Richmond, California is getting underway.

So, no matter where you are in California, the best loft addition designers and general contractors are here to serve you. 
GET A LOFT ADDITION QUOTE
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Open-to-below conversion in Glendale, California with glass railing.

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Santa Clarita High Ceiling Conversion

7/6/2022

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Open High Ceiling Conversions / Loft Additions 
Santa Clarita, California 
Los Angeles County Loft Additions
​by Jorge De Leon
Santa Clarita homeowners TRULOFT is coming to you! Whether you're looking for a new home office space, family room, or gaming room, we come to you with the best of the best. Our professionals here at TRULOFT and TRUADDITIONS (a.k.a. TA LOFTS) can make it easy for you to build the space you seek.  Here at TRULOFT converting your high ceiling into a loft couldn't have been made any easier for you and your family.  

With the help of TRULOFT, you can get a quote for free and always contact us if you have any questions. Many people have looked into having a loft because they get the extra space they desire. TRULOFT and TRUADDITIONS have had decades of perfecting and mastering plans and construction for residents.
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GET A FREE QUOTE
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Is a Construction Project an Investment Strategy?

7/4/2022

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Financial Observation 
Protecting Savings by Adding On To Your Home - Room Additions

​California market 2022

DISCLAIMER - TRUPLANS INC is not a financial firm or investment strategist. This blog should not be considered expert financial advice. The opinions within are based on our observations from a planning and construction point of view and not as a financial advisor. For expert financial advice contact a qualified financial and investment professional.
2022 marks the year of inflation that is quite easily described as "out of control" especially here in California. Everything is more expensive as the U.S. dollar weakens. This weakening results in the currency buying you less than it did before. 

IMPACT ON CONSTRUCTION
At first thought you might anticipate the construction market to decrease and slow down due to higher costs for everything from planning to materials and construction labor. However, that is not the case at all when it comes to designing and building room additions in California.  Business has actually been picking up across the board for our firm. But why?
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HOMEOWNERS PROTECTING MONEY BY PUTTING IT INTO THEIR HOME
We're not talking about people going out and buying a huge safe and storing larger sums of cash in their homes, although we've heard that too. The protection that many homeowners have shared with Truplans Inc is by adding onto their home. Square footage of living space typically has a direct increase on the value of a home and making your home bigger is certainly one way to divert wealth into a tangible asset. 

This has been our observation and explains why we've seen an increase in construction quotes and building plans in 2021 and 2022. 
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COST EFFECTIVE CONSTRUCTION
Of all the different types of room addition and remodeling projects the high ceiling conversion is one of the most efficient ways to add onto your home in a relatively short period of time. 

If you are fortunate enough to own a home with a high volume or high vaulted ceiling there's a good chance you can infill the space and convert it into a new room addition.  Truplans Inc owns the TRULOFT brand, an alliance of all the best loft addition experts in California.  Getting a loft addition construction quote is easy.

GET A LOFT ADDITION QUOTE
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Infill Addition - San Diego

7/2/2022

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San Diego Room Addition Architects & Contractors
Loft Addition estimate by a licensed contractor
​by C.E. Brandcast
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High Volume Ceiling Space Conversion

If you have a high ceiling space in your home, whether vaulted or just a high flat ceiling above, you may be able to realize your dreams of a much larger home without ever having moving or build an addition in your yard. In most cases that old fashioned high ceiling space can be filled in and made into just about any type of room you need.

An infill addition is just that, you are filling in the high ceiling with a new room addition over your head, yet under the existing roof. There are expert licensed contractors with special experience just for this type of construction. When you're standing on the first floor the space above your head is simply referred to as a high ceiling, vaulted ceiling or high volume ceiling space. When viewing the area from the second floor it is commonly referred to as open-to-below. 

San Diego County has a good number of these homes that can be filled in by an experienced "inside addition" general contractor. The space is nearly complete with a roof over your head and concrete footings and foundation already under your feet. The trick is knowing how to span the space properly and retrofit the new structure to accommodate a new room addition. In a sense the space is ready and waiting to have a loft addition, new mezzanine, or an enclosed room addition such as a bedroom. 
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In Carmel Valley, this open-to-below space received an infill room addition to create two new rooms; one open loft area and a new home office next to the master bedroom.

If you have a tall ceiling in your home and need additional space, this may be your best option over having to go to the trouble of selling your home and buying a new one. Get an infill addition quote here.
GET AN INFILL QUOTE
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Loft Addition Estimate

7/1/2022

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Southern California Loft Addition Contractors
High Ceiling Conversion Experts
​Construction Estimates / Loft Addition Cost

Loft Addition Experts & Contractors

TRULOFT is the home of the experts for loft addition design and engineering with corporate partners dedicated to loft construction. TRULOFT is a statewide California service for high ceiling conversion architectural design and structural engineering. 
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TRUADDITIONS CORP, a TRULOFT partnership corporation, is a licensed contractor (corporation) that specializes in loft addition retrofitting and architectural blending. TruAdditions hosts a website called TALOFTS.com and TRUADDITIONS.com
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CA LOFT (California Loft), a TRULOFT partnership corporation, is a licensed general contracting corporation that specializes in loft addition retrofitting and architectural blending. CA LOFT hosts two sites CALOFT.com and HighCeilingConversions.com 
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LOFT TRIMMERS, a TRULOFT partnership corporation, is a licensed general contracting corporation that specializes in offering trim, paint, flooring and stair railing services for finishing loft additions. The finishing touch for high ceiling conversion projects. 
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TRULOFT by TRUPLANS INC is the premier statewide expert for high ceiling conversion design, plans and permitting. We also provide all the construction quotes for our corporate partners. TRULOFT is where all the best  loft addition design, construction contractors and finishing crews can be found for the state of California. Each corporation is a special craftsman in the unique mezzanine addition services industry. Find out loft addition cost and get a quote from the best.

Get a Quote from a Loft Addition Contractor Here
LOFT ADDITION ESTIMATE
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