3 Things You Should Keep in Mind before Setting up a Mezzanine in Your House

Basically, a mezzanine refers to an intermediate floor or balcony that is open to the floor below it. It is constructed along the cross section of a wall, making it a good way of personalising space with a high ceiling. Ideally, a mezzanine is an effective way of increasing your living space and adding extra room for purposes like storage. Before you decide to set up a mezzanine in your house, here are some of the important things that you should keep in mind:

Authorisation

Even though constructing a mezzanine does not affect the outside of your house, you may still have to get authorisation from relevant construction authorities. This is because the mezzanine will bring structural changes to the design and configuration of the walls. It is best to check with homeowners' associations and local authorities to ascertain if there are any regulations governing the establishment of mezzanines within house. There may be limitations on the type of materials you can use, how high it can be above the floor or the modifications you can make to the attic.

Necessary Modifications to the House

Adding a mezzanine to your house has many implications in terms of the additional weight that the house has to deal with. For this reason, you may have to extend the roof or ceiling to push it a little higher or put up more pillars to reinforce the mezzanine. Preferably, you should call in an engineer to design the mezzanine and determine if your house is structurally capable of standing up to the additional strain.

Agreement on Party Wall

In some cases, your house may be separated from an adjacent house with a wall. If you want to set up a mezzanine on such a wall, then seeking the consent of your neighbour may be necessary. This is needed for any interruptions that may occur in the course and scope of setting up the mezzanine. In this agreement, you should explain to your neighbour about the type of establishment that you want to put and the manner in which it may affect the wall separating the two houses. This is why you should call in an expert to give you details about any modifications that have to be made on the side of your neighbour's wall. If the neighbours agrees, then you should make a party wall agreement (preferably in writing) indicating that they are aware and agree to the modifications that you want to make.

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