Loft Options
Most residence halls have furniture that is loftable to provide residents flexibility when arranging room furniture. Residents may lease steel lofts from IRC for an entire academic year. Assembly takes less than 10 minutes and requires no tools. Because these lofts are not made of wood, they do not have to be inspected by the Fire Protection Division of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS).
Wooden Lofts
- The use of wooden lofts is allowed only in Avent Ferry, Lee and Sullivan residence halls. Residents of Avent Ferry do not have the option to lease a pre-existing metal loft, but can bring a wooden loft structure in accordance with the guidelines below.
- Only approved designs will be permitted for construction. Residents are encouraged to review Housing's pre-approved loft options.
- Any other loft designs, or variations of the pre-approved designs, must be submitted to University Housing Facilities for review prior to construction. Residents are encouraged to let us know of any loft ideas a few weeks before the beginning of the fall term. If the design meets approval, the completed wooden structure still must be inspected by the Fire Protection Division.
- Residents will be notified if the structure does not meet the minimum standards. Residents will have a minimum of 24 hours to correct the problem(s) before re-inspection.
- Upon re-inspection, if a wooden structure again does not meet specifications, residents will need to remove the structure within 48 hours.
- The University is not responsible for injuries to the occupants of the room or their guests during and/or after the completion of the construction of the wooden structure.
- A wooden structure is defined as any structure made of wood that is built by or brought into the residence halls by students (i.e., lofts, bookshelves, tables, etc.). Lofts made of material other than wood must also meet the requirements outlined in this policy.
- Students should read the following information completely before they submit a design plan and begin construction. All construction must be performed in accordance with the following guidelines.
- Only approved designs are permitted. If your wooden-structure design differs from one of the approved styles below, or is an alteration of one of these designs, you must submit a design plan to University Housing Facilities, 01 Lee Hall prior to beginning construction. The design plan must include details of the type of materials (e.g., 2x4, 4x4, 2x6, etc.) and joints (e.g., lap, butt, mitered, etc.) to be used.
- All wooden structures that require dismantling must be removed by 5 p.m. on the Friday before the beginning of finals’ week of the term the student plans to leave University Housing. This will allow students to concentrate on studying for their exams without disruption.
Construction Details
- The main supports must be built of 4x4s or two 2x4s bolted together. The entire height of the structure must be in unbroken lengths. Four (4) columns or more must be used to give initial support to the bed frame(s). Upper deck materials can be made of either 2x4s or 2x6s, depending on length of upper deck.
- The frame of the bed must rest on the main supports. Cross braces for the frame must be used every two feet.
- All major supports should be through-bolted or lag screwed with 5/16" hardware minimum. All other joints (decorative finished, cross members, "X", "V", or parallel supports) should be secured with nails.
- "X", "V", or parallel-type bracing must be used to give the bed additional support. The cross bracing of the support or the columns must be done with 2x4 lumber.
- The construction of the support surface for the mattress must be placed 36 inches or more from the ceiling. The top of the mattress or other sleeping surface must be at least 32 inches from the ceiling. Water beds/mattresses are not permitted.
- No less than 1/2" plywood may be used and should function solely to support the mattress. The plywood support for a mattress may be cut into 2 pieces provided that the cut lies over one of the mattress supports.
- A ladder is not necessary for the standard and "L"-shaped bunk beds. A ladder must be added to a structure higher than a standard bunk bed. The ladder may be either part of the structure itself (as in the parallel supports) or it may be detached and set at an angle to the structure.
Requirements
- The wooden structure must be free standing, not nailed, bolted, or otherwise permanently affixed to the walls, floor, ceiling, or other furniture and/or fixtures.
- The wooden structure may not occupy more than 50% of the usable floor space in the room. (Floor space in the closets and bathrooms is not considered “usable floor space”.) Raised floors are not allowed under any circumstances.
- The construction should neither restrict exit from the windows or doors of the room nor impede any normal operation.
- The construction should not interfere with access to the heating/ventilating units, plumbing, electrical outlets or other fixtures in the room. Existing attached room fixtures (drapery rods, telephone outlets, heating/ventilating units, etc.) are not to be removed, relocated, or modified in any way.
- The permanently installed electrical system must not be altered and electrical wiring is not to be included in or attached to the wooden structure.
- The following items are not to be included in the wooden structure: draperies, beads, parachutes, wallboard, and/or fishnet.
- It is highly recommended that only wood officially composed of flame-resistant material is used; however, flame-retarding lumber and wood that is dipped/coated with a UL Class "A"-flame coating is also acceptable.
- Construction materials must not be stored in common areas hallways, stairwells, lounges, etc.). During construction, all corridors, doorways, outlets, and window areas must be clear of materials and furnishings. Debris resulting from construction must be removed from the building and placed in the proper waste containers. All of the above holds true for dismantling and removal of the structure.
- No university-owned property (i.e., box beds, springs, etc.) may be used in the construction or support of a wooden structure except the bed mattress. All university-owned furnishings must remain in their original room.
- Person(s) performing construction in the student rooms assumes full responsibility for any damages to the room and premises.
- No additions or alterations to the wooden structure are permitted after the final inspection.
Inspection
- All wooden structures will be inspected by the Fire Protection Division of Public Safety to ensure the structure meets the minimum standards and requirements and poses no threat to the safety of the residents in the building.
- Those wooden structures that comply with all of the requirements will receive an approval sticker for the school year. This sticker must remain on the loft in a visible location for the entire school year.
- Students whose wooden structures do not pass inspection will receive a form detailing the reasons that their structure failed. The students will be given the opportunity to correct any problems and the wooden structure will be re-inspected.
- Upon re-inspection, if a student’s wooden structure is still found in noncompliance, the student will be required to dismantle and remove the wooden structure from the building without delay.
- Each student who fails to remove a wooden structure when instructed to do so, either when vacating a room during the year or leaving the wooden structure in a room after the designated date for removal will be charged for removal and disposal costs.
- Room residents will be billed for repair and/or replacement costs for damages to walls, ceilings, carpets, fixtures, and/or furnishings caused by the wooden structure.
- Students will be informed of dates and times of their wooden-structure inspections at least 24 hours in advance.