Mezzanine type
Storage mezzanine
Put stock in the height you already pay for.
A floor for stock, designed from the load, the way goods move and the operation below. Surveyed, drawn and costed as one job.
- Storage above, productive space below
- Designed from the load
- Planned with the racking
The floor
The stock decides the steel.
Build it out
A storage mezzanine turns unused height into floor area, usually without moving. Its columns go around the aisles, racking and routes below, so the ground floor keeps working while the deck takes the stock, and everything about it is sized from the load. The structure is the one on the mezzanine floors page; a floor for people instead is an office mezzanine.
What goes up
The height is already paid for.
Pull the tape up the wall. The floor goes in as soon as it clears the stock.
Fig. 02 : Section. Take the hook and pull.
- The lease is for the cubeSlab to eaves, the whole building is on the rent, and the stock uses the bottom of it.
- The stock stops at the rackingTwo pallets high. Above it, the height carries on, paid for and empty.
- A floor goes inAs soon as the stock is cleared, with room for the steel. No higher than it needs to be.
- Same footprint, twice the storageThe same racking again, on the deck, in height that held nothing.
Design inputs
What fixes the grid, the load and the price.
One floor, drawn twice: for cartons by hand, and for pallets by truck. Slide between them.
Fig. 03 : Section, one floor drawn twice. Take the handle and slide.
- The stored loadCartons by hand, or pallets by truck. Everything else is sized from it.
- The deck and its finishBoards under feet and trolleys. A harder deck under wheels.
- Clear height above and belowA deeper beam takes headroom from the floor below. The stock sets what is needed above.
- The column gridA heavier floor brings the columns closer, or puts a third one mid-span.
- The existing slabEvery column lands on it. Pads spread the load where it cannot take a point.
- Access and escapeA stair for people. A gate or a lift for pallets. A way out from every point.
- Fire strategy and servicesSprinklers, alarms and lighting run under the deck, and the design allows for them.
- Future changeThe next bay, the next tier, the next load. Cheaper to allow for now than to add later.
Process
From storage problem to working floor.
The paperwork is part of the design. Three questions every buyer asks, settled on the way and not after it.
Cost
What does a storage mezzanine floor cost?
There is no price per square metre. Load, spans, access, stairs, deck, fire and the programme move it more than the footprint does.
An indicative range in two minutes
Set the floor you want and the height you have to put it in. The tool draws it with pallets on the deck, prices it as a range and says whether the building will take it.
You set
- Floor length and width
- Clear height
- How many floors
- What each floor is for
You get
- A cost, as a range
- Floor space gained
- Whether it fits
- A drawing to turn and send
A costed layout for your building
Send the dimensions or book a free survey. Drawn around your racking and routes, costed, scope made clear.
A survey settles
- The column grid, around what is already there
- The loading, against what actually goes on it
- Stairs, gates and edge protection, where things move
- Building Regulations and fire, before steel is ordered
Questions
Storage mezzanine floors, common questions
What is a storage mezzanine floor?
A steel platform inside an existing building that adds a level for stock: frame, deck, stairs, edge protection and a planned way to get goods up, designed for the actual loads rather than taken from one specification.
How much weight can a storage mezzanine hold?
As much as it is designed for. The capacity comes from the stock, shelving, pallets and equipment it will carry, and the structure and slab are designed to that; it is never assumed from the word storage.
Does a storage mezzanine need Building Regulations approval?
Yes. A mezzanine changes the structure, floorspace, access and fire design of a building, so the route is part of the project, and the proposal says which approvals Northpoint Fitouts coordinates.
Do I need planning permission for a storage mezzanine?
Often not. Many internal mezzanines in England need none, but a retail floor over 200m², a change of use, external works or a lease condition can. Rules differ across the UK, so check rather than assume.
Will a storage mezzanine affect business rates?
It can. Some tenant-added mezzanines are rateable. Do not rely on a claim that a temporary floor changes nothing; ask the Valuation Office Agency or a rating adviser.
Use the height
Use the height before you take on another building.
Send the dimensions, what you store and how it moves. We send back a layout and a costed proposal, or survey the site for you.