A Livable Attic

Ideas for how to use your newly renovated attic such as an entertainment room or a needed extra bedroom.

A livable attic.

A bedroom dressing area and master bathroom. Converting an attic may seem simple flooring drywall lighting and voila you ve got a livable space. To give the bathroom a spa like feel luxe features were added like a soaker tub a frameless shower enclosure a new toilet complete with heated seat and led lights marble and glass mosaic tiles and a crystal chandelier. Converting an attic has house wide structural implications.

Turning that attic into living space is going to add some previously unaccounted for load upstairs. Think of load as weight that additional load at the top of your house was not planned for structurally when your home was built. Your attic is located at the highest point of your home and will need to offer a means of escape in the event of an emergency. But an attic or loft conversion must meet certain code requirements.

Local requirements vary and can be highly detailed but in general they affect the following. For the attic to be legally livable there needs to be proper stairway access from the floor below. An attic bedroom exploits roof space previously devoted to high school yearbooks and nesting sparrows. So if you re planning to get a few years of use out of it the investment might make more sense.

Converting an attic to a living area yields a modest return on your investment. Why insulation is so important when converting an attic into living space. This attic was divided into three zones. Your attic may presently have a fixed ladder a pull down ladder or no ladder at all.

How to determine if the unused square footage in your attic is able to be converted into additional living space. The most budget friendly option is a straight run staircase but the downside is that it takes up the most space around 40 sq ft. Reclaiming the space under your roof also avoids many zoning and easement concerns common chores when adding onto a house. Depending on the materials and finishes you choose newel posts hardware etc expect to spend 550 2 800.

To convert your attic to living space you cannot provide access via a ladder. Finishing the attic into liveable space nets an average of 9 3 out of 10 joy score or sense of happiness the owners have upon completion on nar s renovation report.