by Ben Weyl
On Sat., Jan. 31, Grinnellians witnessed the first—and probably last—second story to exist in a Grinnell College dorm room. Pat Tipayamongkol ‘04 had opened his large single, turned apartment, in Building D to all who would like to come to his loft-warming party.
The loft’s history began about a month before winter break. Tipayamongkol and his friends were hanging out and someone commented on how high the ceiling was and said they should build a second story. Soon after winter break, Tipayamongkol and a couple of his friends finished construction.
For Tipayamongkol, the question was not why build it, but why not? “I’m just like whatever, fuck it, it’s my senior year,” he said. “So, we just did it. I drew up some plans, and I tried to make them as ridiculous as I could make them. All we had at first was a screw driver, two handsaws, two circular saws and a bunch of wood.”
The loft warming party was also a success. “It was real classy,” Tipayamongkol said. We had a guestbook, and about 120 people signed it, but there were probably more people who just didn’t happen to sign it.”
The loft is not admired by all, however. Tipayamongkol discussed the loft with Mandy Fox, interim director of Housing, last week. “It is not clear whether Pat will need to take down the loft or not,” Fox said. “It’s being inspected for soundness of construction and code.”
Fox said that since the loft is not free-standing, Tipayamongkol will also have to pay for any fines for damage to the walls. Tipayamongkol does not believe there will be any damages when the loft is eventually removed.
The administration is also concerned about issues of liability, according to Fox. “Pat’s loft is very sturdy,” she said. “There was a lot of time and money invested in its creation. It’s more the lofts of the future that concern me liability-wise. I’m assuming it’s probably safe, but whether it is up to code is the issue. Since this is not a typical residence hall issue, I’m still learning the code issues involved.”
For now, Tipayamongkol wants to enjoy the loft while it remains and hinted at another open house to further spread awareness of the loft. He said that he might try to document the loft because it appears that the administration will rule out future lofts.
Fox agreed with Tipayamongkol’s prediction. “It is doubtful other students in the future will be allowed to build second stories in their room,” she said. “There will be a new policy regarding this issue in next year’s handbook.”
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