High ceilings, floor-to-ceiling large windows and exposed brick — Lofts have all the rustic charm in the world. Often, abandoned schools, old warehouses or industrial spaces transform into one-bedroom loft apartments with an open layout for rent.

The loft apartments often come with only a few community amenities, but their open floor plans, access to transportation and location closer to dining and city life are big pros.

Since they're typically located in warehouse-type spaces, the apartments don't often have interior walls, similar to studio apartments. Hard lofts for rent are large, often between 1,000 and 2,000 square feet.

Living has never looked so chic. Often, these are highly coveted in specific city neighborhoods or a particular street. Are you thinking of budgeting the monthly rent of a loft apartment?

Here are the most important differences between lofts vs. apartments to help your search before you sign and date your lease.

What does a loft apartment mean?

An authentic loft apartment, as mentioned, is often housed inside shut-down warehouses or an old industrial building used for storage in cities.

You'll see exposed brick, pipes and beams across the unit that give it that industrial feel. These spaces are mainly near cities and former industrial areas.

Often, these apartments will have a spiral staircase that takes you to a bedroom above the space that allows for some privacy, or the bedroom space is in the open space like a studio.

Some developers have started mimicking the look for newer lofts to meet the high demand for high ceilings and brick walls. So, keep that in mind during your apartment search for lofts vs. apartments.

Hard lofts vs. soft lofts

During your loft search, you may have heard the terms hard lofts and soft lofts. What do they really mean?

Hard loft apartments are the ones transformed from warehouses into large studio apartments. You get the original charm of the industrial building with the additional exposed plumbing, beams and big windows with a hard loft.

The square footage will be large in hard lofts. Usually, most of the floor and often, the elevator will be service-like elevator. You'll have the high ceilings of a factory in the hard lofts' space.

But what about soft lofts? Because of the high demand for this specific kind of dwelling, developers have started mimicking a traditional loft space in regular apartment buildings. These are soft lofts.

These soft lofts apartments come with a separate bedroom, and the rent is often more affordable since it has less square footage.

While it lacks some of the rustic charms of hard lofts, soft lofts often come with more storage, better amenities and bigger closets and can still be found near cities.

Soft lofts apartments are a good option if you're looking for just the industrial vibe since utility costs will fall under your budget. You can save on heating and have actual walls within the loft to allow for roommates.

Two things to keep in mind with loft apartments

While the natural light in lofts is incredible due to the large windows and high ceilings, this pro can bring some expensive cons.

Lofts, since they were industrial spaces, are notoriously difficult to heat or cool with the seasons.

Hard lofts often don't have efficient insulation to maintain the temperature, so your utility bill might be higher than average. Ask the landlord for an approximate monthly bill cost before signing the lease for such a big, open space.

Storage is another downside of a loft apartment. Since it's a loft space, there aren't a lot of opportunities for built-in storage. If you need a lot of storage, closets, bedrooms and space in general, a loft isn't the right choice for your lifestyle.

What is the difference between a loft and a traditional apartment?

Often, deciding between lofts vs. apartments can come down to lifestyle and budget.

A studio apartment is an excellent fit for a single person who needs limited rent space and not many square feet to spread out. There's more flexibility with amenities, neighborhoods and closets, and you're near your favorite shops.

There's a greater spectrum of budgets to choose from for studios. They have two rooms, the bathroom and everything else.

With hard lofts for rent, you can experience exposed brick and all the charm of converted warehouses. The loft space will be big. The unit often occupies the whole floor with no real walls.

Apartments like this are often best for single residents or couples as there's no real privacy in the unit. Consider this before you decide to rent one.

These apartment units resemble studios since they're one big room, and you can make your own separations with the furniture as needed. It will be hard to save energy in a loft space as the ceilings, and tall windows are hard to temperature control.

Hard lofts also often come with large full-sized kitchens and space for a dining area. While studio apartments often come with a small kitchen or kitchenette to save on space.

In the end, it will come down to price point and square footage. If you don't need much space, you should consider a studio apartment to rent over a loft apartment.

Can I have roommates in a loft apartment?

Having a roommate in a loft apartment will be extremely difficult due to the lack of privacy.

Hard lofts are often wide open spaces with no real walls, including the room above the spiral staircase. A separate bedroom is rare in these types of apartments. Think of it as having a roommate in a studio apartment.

A private bathroom is usually available, but you'll have to share both that and room space downstairs. Most hard lofts don't come with multiple bedrooms, especially those found in former industrial neighborhoods inside old warehouses.

The high ceilings will prevent closing spaces completely inside the loft apartments, so having residents that aren't a couple might prove difficult.

Is a loft apartment right for you?

With the rental market red hot right now, you must have your wants and needs nailed down before heading out for your search.

An open floor plan, exposed brick and industrial décor accents are all enticing factors, but it's essential to think of the day-to-day.

From utility costs to privacy, it's important to understand lofts vs. apartments before signing the lease. If you crave defined spaces and luxury amenities or are on a budget when it comes to utilities, you may want to reconsider.

A hard loft gives you flexible living space for art studios or space to create photographs and content while also creating space for you to live in.

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