Hello all!

I have seen several apartments with mezzanine sleeping areas - I'm plus sized and wonder just how sturdy these things are! Any thoughts?

It's not just how sturdy - it;s how large. Some are only really crawl spaces - you can;t stand up - just crawl up a ladder and slither into a mattress on the floor. I would never consider this except for small children.

You'd need to know the specific apartment. Some are just very short sleeping lofts like nytraveler described. Others are nearly normal ceiling height. I've even see a few that were taller than normal height (being up in the pitched rafters).

I can't imagine any being too flimsy for even a plus sized person. But I can imagine them being too small - you need to know the actual dimensions . . .

I would not even consider some of them suitable for small children. You will find that there may not be much of a railing from mezzanine to downstairs level.

If you are considering one for yourself (presumably an adult), be sure to ask exactly "how" you're to get up to the mezzanine.

By ladder? Yes, I have seen this. A regular ladder you would have propped up against your house to do some painting or fix-up work. Could be steep as well.

Sometimes it is stairs, but not always. Be sure to ask for pictures if it is not something clearly designated on their website photos.

Another thing to consider is where the bathroom is. If you usually get up during the night to use the facilities and your apartment's bathroom is downstairs, is this something you want to go down and then up again when it is 3 in the morning?

Thanks for the responses so far! Luckily this one is nearly ceiling height, accessed by stairs, and appears to be a full "bedroom area" with television, lamps, etc.

I'm not a fan of the loft bedroom after having rented one last year.
The biggest problem are the steps/ladder, especially if you are plus sized. I'm 5ft and plump and I had a hard time. We had actual steps, ones that I had seen in the pictures, BUT, I didn't realize that they were half steps! You had to get going on the correct foot otherwise there wasn't anything to step on. It was OK except: in the middle of the night when you need the restroom, after a bit of wine in the evening, and if you just weren't paying attention and got going on the wrong foot.
It was also hot up there, heat rises. We had air conditioning but it just didn't cool off the loft area.
On a positive note, it was quite sturdy, it had a nice closet, two side tables with lamps, it was the size of a regular bedroom.
I wouldn't rent it again.