Converting an attic to a living area yields a healthy return on your investment. Before beginning any conversion of basement space into living space, check the basement for leaks or other signs of moisture problems. Reason:To provide for adequately sized living quarters. Any alterations that you make to the attic will affect the whole house, which requires complex engineering considerations. Have at least 7 feet of vertical clearance in the majority of the room, be a minimum of 7 feet wide and have at least 70 square feet of space available. Fire safety is nothing to ignore. Like basement remodels, attic conversions have restrictions that make them less attractive for remodeling as they might first appear. Now that your attic includes painted walls and finished floors, move in furniture and dcor to make the room the living space you need. There isnt a solid rule of thumb for how, but suffice it to say, it involves reviewing the specific structural realities of your home and a thorough review of the proposed size and applicable building codes. Request a free estimate today. There are tons of awesome attic renovation ideas to inspire you online. Catherine and Bryan Williamson of Beginning in the Middle had their work cut out for them with the attic level of their 1900s home. The edge of the panels should sit at this mark. It can become a nursery, a playroom for children, an office, a home gym, a media/gaming room, a yoga/meditation area, a bedroom let your imagination run wild and create the space you've always wanted. (Yes, there are options to insulate the roof from above, but it is often more complicated for a variety of other reasons and not the easy fix you think it might be.). Though rafters leave more space between the floor and the ceiling of an attic, roof trusses have become more popular in recent years due to their higher versatility and lower price point. Doghouse-style dormers admit natural light and promote ventilation, while shed dormers maximize usable attic space. This is proof that an attic can be so much more than a room for storage. You can cope with the soppy mess of a basement flood cleanup. International Code Council, NTA. Before moving forward, its best to discuss the matter with a local building department official. Attic conversion has fit the bill for countless homeowners over the years. When your sliding screen door won't slide or always falls off, it can be frustrating. Converting an attic to living space is a sure way to increase the value of your home especially an added bedroom and bath. Once you take care of the basic structure of the room and put things like piping and wiring and venting in place, you will be left with a new floor and bare drywall staring at you. Staple the insulation into the joists as directed by the insulation manufacturer. Theres more to your attic than grandmas magazine collection. Now, you have a space with practically limitless options. If you are planning on a DIY attic remodel, you can expect to pay approximately $5,000 for materials including drywall, insulation and carpeting depending on the size of the attic. You will need to add both a subfloor and a floor to the space, which could be a pretty big expense. Also known as a gable conversion, a hip to loft conversion converts a sloping roof to a vertical wall. While having extra room for storage is always a good thing, there is so much opportunity in attic spacesespecially for those who have an eye for turning blank walls into something fabulous. Factors such as attic size, attic style, intended. It is good to know that it would be smart to get a professional to help with making the flooring be more sturdy. Beadboard paneling is easy to install and it's a great way to pull the room together. From the beginning of the project to the end,building codes and regulationswill rule every decision that is made when converting an attic to a room. Have another exit in case of an emergency, typically an easily accessible window. If running new HVAC infrastructure into the attic is too expensive, you will need to use fans to cool the space and possibly a space heater to heat the space. Enter a zip below and get matched to top-rated pros near you. Before you begin to think about attic storage ideas and what your finished attic will look like, you need to deal with building codes. You may need to add windows or skylights. The project gets a joy score of 10 out of 10, a rating based on consumers' opinion that they were happy or satisfied with the project. Think about all of these things and you'll start to get more of an idea of the scope of your project. A lot goes into creating an attic space. Try to compress the insulation as little as possible to avoid reducing the insulating value. Dont clutter the space. It is important that the attic space meet code for resale so do your homework upfront with a licensed contractor. Code stipulates that stairways must be 36 inches wide (or wider), with treads that are 9.5 inches deep (or deeper). If you are working around angled walls and other design oddities, get creative! At 900-square-feet, the existing 2 bed/1 bath floor plan was cramped for the family of four. Prices for a wood ormetal-woodstaircase kit ranges from $1,500 to $4,900; installation ranges from $600 to $1,200. Next step, decorate your converted attic! Reason:To prevent homeowners from creating living space that does not allow occupants to stand up. If you are planning to convert your attic into an attic bedroom, you might want to make sure the temperature is right in the space. To meet most building codes your attic should: If your attic is only accessible from a ladder or a pull-down staircase, you will need to build a permanent staircase before it can be used as anything more than storage space. Your next step is to choose and install flooring for the room. You can even get solar-powered shades that you can control with a remote to keep the temperature perfect in the attic. Sure, an A-frame may look fun, but its sharp angles may actually make everyday living not so fun. We have some quotes to get this finished with drywall. What Is Attic Insulation and Why Is It Important for Your Home? Typically, homeowners pay $200 per square foot to convert an unfinished attic into a code-compliant living space. There are requirements for egress windows, span requirements for floor joists, electrical requirements for circuits, etc. I also want to acknowledge that many homes in our area do have converted attics with steep stairs, floors that are probably built of 2x4s, and ceilings made of only 2x4 raters with not very much insulation. ), How to Clean Up (and Forget the Nightmare) of Basement Flooding, The Everything Guide to Selling Your First Home, 7 Home Improvement Ideas That Stretch Your Dollars the Most, 5 Reasons Youll Regret Painting Your Brick House, 9 Tips from a Burglar on How to Keep Them Out of Your House, 7 Household Expenses Youre Probably Wasting Your Money On, Bedroom Attic Remodel: Return on Investment. Converting an attic to a living area provides $75,000 in cost recovery, which is 75% of the $100,000 average expense. But at the end of the project, you will have added livable square feet to your home and you will have greatly increased the resale value. The typical attic is designed for storage, with builders foregoing the temperature control measures they would take in a living space. Theres really no cheap way around that. Althoughhomeownersoften view building codes as obstacles, the real missions of codes are safety and durability. Give your home bonus rooms without drastically changing its footprint. The structural framing beneath your roof rafters or trusses will determine if you can add livable space and what it might look like. Below are some of the average costs for everything you'll need to convert attic to storage and living space: Adding a Staircase- Between $2500.00 and $3500.00. Look up instead of out. Code requires the heating system in your home to be capable of maintaining a steady attic temperature of at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit (assuming the annual low temperature outdoors). Lindsay needed all of the room she could get in her 900-square-foot house, though it took her four years of living there to finally put this space to use. Think minimalistic when it comes to designing your space. Is using polyethylene sheeting behind the drywall a good or bad idea in a mixed humid climate? Unlike many basements, attics are dry, and being free of major appliances (e.g., the furnace), they are also quiet. Building and permit review adds costs, complications, and frustrations, but it also ensures we live in safe, well-built, and energy efficient homes, which is a great thing. In addition to the standards imposed by national safety regulations, the building codes in your county will likely include area-specific stipulations that will affect your conversion options. Before - Image Source. You might need to upgrade or replace a ladder or even add stairs. Turning that attic into living space is going to add some previously unaccounted for load upstairs. Your window area must be at least 8% of 200 square feet (16 square feet). Major variables include plumbing and electrical work. To create a comfort level in the attic thats on par with the other rooms in the house, youll have to find a way to stop heat loss in the winter and keep it cool in the summer. In one scenario, this would translate to a bare minimum of 7' x 10'. If youre not sure what youll need to do to keep your conversion comfortable throughout the year, contact a company that specializes in attic insulation. Can You Convert Your Attic to Living Space? But, in some cases, an attic can be so much more than just storage space. You need to have enough space for conversion to be possible and you need to have the fire safety features that are necessary for this to be a safe place that is not a fire hazard. Due to those new, beefier, floor joists, your existing attic stairs wont reach all the way to the top of the new floor. So typical living space above a garage. Consult with a professional electrician if you're adding new wiring to the attic. A permit is usually only needed if you are adding electrical wiring or ventilation, or if you plan to change the structure of your home in the process, such as knocking down an existing wall or adding a dormer. Your new room will be limited by the space and the soundness of your attic. If you have pipes in the attic already, putting in a bathroom up there won't be too difficult. Your attic room might not currently meet the code requirements, yet.
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