Need More Space? Clean Out The Attic For Some Much Needed Room!

Remodeling the attic is a resourceful and imaginative way to increase the usable space of a home without building additions or making significant structural changes to the house. The first step of any attic remodeling project is a thorough assessment. If your attic has enough room for you to stand up in without bonking your head on a rafter, that is a good start. Read this attic renovation primer to learn some basic inspections you will need to do before planning to remodel your attic.

Inspecting your attic includes making sure there is enough clearance to create a livable space up there. Inspect the ceiling joists and framing to make sure they are structurally sound. The ceiling joists are the wooden beams you have to stand on when you go up into your attic. These will become the support for any flooring you install in the attic. The ceiling joists must be a minimum of 2″ by 6″. If the joists are any smaller, they will not support the weight of the remodeled attic and it will crash down onto the rest of the home.

Make sure there is enough space to renovate the attic. Eight feet of clearance from the joists to the roof is a minimum standard. Also, depending on the pitch of the roof, the roof itself needs to be a certain width to justify the renovation. If the pitch of the roof is 1/2, then the roof needs to be at least 40 feet wide. If the pitch is 2/3, the roof needs to be 32 feet across. A 5/6 pitch requires a roof at least 24 feet wide for a satisfactory attic renovation.

Next, have an electrician inspect your home’s wiring to establish if your current electrical system can handle the load of an additional livable room, accounting for all the lighting and appliances you will add to the renovated attic.

Also, look for any leaks or damage in the roof that will need to be fixed during the renovation. Once finished with the initial inspection, it will be time to formulate a plan.

Once you have preformed the initial assessment on your attic, you will be able to decide for sure if you are going to renovate. If your attic is a good candidate for remodeling, your renovation plan needs to include some essential points. These essential points are: access, HVAC, flooring, and light.

Access
Most attics are accessed through a fold down lumber stairway or a ladder through a trap door. At best, the attic is reached by a cramped staircase that does not allow for normal foot traffic. Your renovation plan must make allowance, both spatially and economically, for a standard staircase from the living space in your home up to the proposed living space in your attic. Study your local building codes concerning egress in living spaces. For example, your renovated attic will need to have at least one window installed that will act as a fire escape.

HVAC
HVAC is an industry acronym that stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning. Attics are typically heavily insulated for the sake of the entire home’s energy conservation. This mean attics are very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. Your renovation plan must account for these unique temperature ranges in the new attic. Your homes HVAC system will need to be expanded to accommodate and appropriately ventilate your remodeled attic.

Flooring
Since the majority of attics do not have a real floor, one will have to be installed. The “floor” of most unrenovated attics consists of nothing but the tops of the ceiling joists of the room below, usually with insulation laid down between the joists. If your attic is being used for storage, you likely have random boards laid across the joists for places to step and keep boxes of Christmas decorations and whatnot. Think about what kind of flooring you will use in your new attic. Make sure flooring is both glued down and thoroughly secured with fastening hardware to prevent squeaking down the line. Carpet is a good flooring option for attics, because it insulates and dampens sound. But carpet must be reinforced with high quality carpet padding and a secure base flooring.

Light
Attics are dark places. When renovating your attic draw up plans for adequate lighting. Electrical lighting is not your only option. If you install a skylight or dormers, the attic will be flooded with beautiful quantities of natural light during the day. Since the space is small relative to the rest of the home, paint the walls a light color to reflect illumination and help the natural light fill the room more effectively.

In the end, an attic renovation can be a wonderful thing. What matters most before beginning an attic renovation plan is adequate preparation. Find a reputable contractor that is willing to answer your questions. Inspect your attic for basic structural integrity and minimum clearance. Then work with a contractor and a design team to draw up a sound attic remodeling plan. Before you know it, you’ll be playing billiards in your new attic hobby room. Good luck!