Lofting Rules

Please note: Lofts are to be used only to support beds.  Platform lofts supporting other types of furniture are prohibited.

Rooms Equipt with Lofts

The following residence hall rooms are equipt with new loftable furniture.  No other lofts are allowed in these rooms.

• Lags Hall
• Waitt Hall
• Poppen Hall
• Dimmitt Hall rooms 201-216, 235-259, 301-329, 364-377
• Roadman Hall rooms 30-41, 130-142, 330-349

All loft equipment in residence halls must be approved by the Area Coordinator.

Student Construction : As a safety precaution, these guidelines for student construction within the room must be followed.

• The structure must be free-standing, not fastened to the walls or ceiling.
• All supporting structures in the loft must be assembled with carriage bolts and/or lag screws, and make no use of nails. (Nails work loose over time and pose a possible hazard.)
• The loft must be structurally able to support a student's weight.
• The structure must not block a doorway or a window. The door must be able to open perpendicular with the door opening.
• The structure must not restrict exit from any portion of the room. A minimum width of 22 inches must be allowed for exiting from a student room from any interior room arrangement.
• The structure must not block the heating system.
• A platform specifically used as a sleeping loft may be included. No other platform construction is acceptable.
• The construction must not include any materials or any design of a particularly hazardous and/or flammable nature, including suspended flammable fabrics, carpeting applied anywhere except as a floor covering, and flammable plastics such as styrofoam.
• Care must be taken when adding room furnishings and decorations to limit the potential fire hazard, e.g., synthetics that produce heavy smoke or toxic gases.
• There must be at least three (3) feet from the top of the main construction frame to the ceiling. (The reason for a minimum height to the ceiling is to prevent head injuries. Also, in the event of a fire, smoke and toxic gases tend to rise to the ceiling and a person could be overcome--even from the fumes of a wastebasket fire.)
• Residents must be prepared to respond to concerns of staff about the hazardous nature of construction and decorative materials and must remove materials that are judged to be particularly hazardous by the housing staff.

Although not required, it is also recommended that some form of nonflammable padding be applied to the loft at any point that touches the wall(s) so as to prevent damage to the wall paint, which would carry a fine to the student for repainting.