Finish Off Attic Space

Every attic is different but a few established norms and practices will guide your renovation.

Finish off attic space.

Here are some must do tips to follow when finishing your attic. It needs a certain amount of loft to work properly. So if you re planning to get a few years of use out of it the investment might make more sense. Finishing an attic space.

Finished attics need stairs that meet all of the standard staircase requirements. 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. Just keep structure safety and purpose in mind as you plan out your new space. Staple insulation between the wall studs and ceiling joists image a.

Building code also requires that the. For a finished attic to be to code it must satisfy the same living requirements of other rooms sometimes called the rule of sevens any living space in a home needs to have at least 7 feet 2 1 m of clearance from the floor to the ceiling and there needs to be at least 70 square feet of space available at least 7 feet 2 1 m in each direction. At the lyons house this meant that only a portion of the attic was usable though some of the low clearance area was tapped for storage. At least 50 step 2 make sure the attic has a full size staircase.

Follow the rule of 7s. If building a knee wall for storage like karl did with this project make sure to insulate that area as well. For the right home and market a finished attic can feel like a cherry on top of the property. Most of the time it turns out to be unfeasible and here are the four main reasons why we usually don t see these projects move forward.

The botton story has an 8 ceiling with can lights. Step 1 check the ceiling height. If you re finishing your attic insulating it to the proper r value can cause a dramatic loss of headroom if you limit yourself to fiberglass batts. Just because it seems like there is enough space in your attic to be converted into a finished room doesn t mean it s actually a good idea to try it.

When done without proper planning or adherence to local building codes it can actually reduce the value of your home or stall a sale. The building is new 2 4 stud construction on a concrete pad. The building is 20 x10. In general stairs must be at least 3 feet wide and provide at least 6 feet 8 inches of headroom.

Enforcement varies but codes typically say that at least half of a finished attic must be at least 7 feet high and that this area must be a minimum of 7 feet wide and 70 square feet. Finishing your attic can add space and utility and increase the value of your home as long as it s done properly. Stairs can take up a lot of space in both the attic and in the floor below so they are important considerations for planning. Use r 30 insulation for the ceiling and r 13 for the walls.

Any living space requires at least 7 feet of headroom over a floor area of at least 70 square feet measuring at least 7 feet in each direction.