A terrifically NYC useful post on Make Blog for how to make a Loft. If you live in NYC and are scraping by with one of those "under $100k per year" gigs, chances are you have one (or need one). justiNYC assumes that it won't be necessary to explain the space issues in the city that demand such an object- lets just say that they are necessary if you plan to not sleep on top of your television. Most affordable apartments (say under $2000 per month) are like glorified dorm rooms, compared to most anywhere else in the country. This is why it could be a good idea to try this loft recipe from the Elephant Stairs posse.
This idea is mainly geared towards college kids building a loft for their dorm room so that they can better utilize limited space, but we hope it inspires you to do more.
Sometimes youll get lucky and find a crib that already has a loft built for you, but don't bank on it. Hopefully this tip may help you in your time of need.