Southern California General Contractor
Dormer Room Additions
​by Chris Doering

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.

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.

BELOW IS THE AFTER SHOT of the new ceiling line below

BELOW IS THE NEW DORMER BEDROOM ADDITION w/BATHROOM

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

Open wood treads, painted white risers, with wood newel posts, wood hand rail and steel bar balustrade.

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.

Get a loft addition quote from the Aliso Viejo Loft Addition Experts!

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 - 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.

Coffered ceiling over the front entry way.

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

Glendale, California
High Ceiling Conversion Experts

  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. 

Open High Ceiling Conversions / Loft Additions 
Santa Clarita, California 
Los Angeles County Loft Additions
​by Jorge De Leon

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.

San Diego Room Addition Architects & Contractors
Loft Addition estimate by a licensed contractor
​by C.E. Brandcast

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. 

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.

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

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