Finish Unfinished Attic

Nail gun level.

Finish unfinished attic.

In most cases though the joists cannot support live loads and may not even be covered with boards. To meet all three goals insulating your finished attic ventilating the roof and maximizing headroom use a combination of dense batt insulation rigid foam sheeting and air chutes. 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. Stairs can take up a lot of space in both the attic and in the floor below so they are important considerations for planning.

A bedroom dressing area and master bathroom. Converting your attic into usable finished space can increase the value of your home by maximizing the available square footage. Cost skill level start to finish 2 days. 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.

In a tight attic space finishing the walls and ceiling is especially important. Follow the rule of 7s. Attic floors generally need to be reinforced with additional joists and a subfloor. The lyons used a web of 16 inch deep engineered trusses to accommodate wiring plumbing and ductwork then topped the plywood subfloor with oak or tile.

First check for head clearance. If your home is smaller than other homes in your area or simply lacks the necessary amount of storage or living space for your family finishing your attic is a relatively inexpensive way to increase your usable space. An attic bedroom exploits roof space previously devoted to high school yearbooks and nesting sparrows. Every attic is different but a few established norms and practices will guide your renovation.

This attic was divided into three zones. A contractor or a local building official can help you assess how the rule will apply to your attic and how modifications like dormers can resolve height shortcomings. Reclaiming the space under your roof also avoids many zoning and easement concerns common chores when adding onto a house. Converting an attic to a living area yields a modest return on your investment.

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. If you don t have enough height you ll have to raise the roof line and that adds a lot to your construction costs. That s measured after you finish the ceiling. In rare cases especially in new construction homes the attic may have been built unfinished with the correct flooring in place with the idea that the homeowner could later on finish the space.

In general stairs must be at least 3 feet wide and provide at least 6 feet 8 inches of headroom.