Renovating Your Attic

It’s hot, it’s dark and it looks like an unfinished construction project. But still, it is part of your house, and it should not be ignored. We’re talking about your attic.

Your Attic Is ALWAYS ImportantNo matter what use you may have designated for your attic, it is important that attention be paid to it, and that whatever its function, it is done properly.

Basically, an attic is the space above the ceiling of the top floor of your house and below the roof. Attics generally have exposed rafters and hard-to-get-to corners, because of the limited headroom caused by the pitch of the roof.

If it does nothing else, your attic insulates the living area of your home from the roof, which is subjected to the blazing heat of the summer, and forced to carry the snow loads of the winter. So whether you use your attic for dead storage or as a spare room, it must be insulated properly.

Proper Insulation Is a Key Component Insulating an attic is one of those projects that can go either way – a contractor is not necessary, but it is the type of job that, if you can afford it, a contractor is preferable. Installing insulation involves getting into tight spaces and calls for a lot of work on your hands and knees. It is not a pleasant job, but one that is so important if you want to keep your energy bills from skyrocketing.

Insulating your attic is a complete topic in and of itself, and will be discussed elsewhere. Here we will discuss some uses for your attic beyond empty or dead storage space.

Dealing With Awkward spacesSince attics are above the joists and usually below a pitched roof, you will generally find that you cannot access 100% of your attic space.

Additionally, most attics are hard to access, which also limits their use. It is little wonder that most attics are of little benefit to the homeowner.

But properly done, an attic can be turned into a spare bedroom, a den, an office, an art studio, a craft room, a gym – the list is endless. You need to do a lot of planning, and a lot of consulting with contractors or architects, but reclaiming this unused space is certainly a profitable venture.

The first thing you need to know is how much space you actually have. Depending upon the type of roof that was installed, some attics have more usable space than others. You’ll need to determine how many square feet of space can provide you with a usable ceiling height, since the pitch of the roof is going to automatically eliminate a certain percentage of attic floor space because there is no headroom.

Consider as DormerMany homeowners who want to maximize the use of their attic will consider installing a dormer. A dormer is a projection from the sloped surface of the roof that will give you more headroom, and hence more usable space. Very often, windows are installed in dormers, giving the attic a more finished appearance as well as providing it with natural light.

The areas of low ceiling height can be left where they are, or walled off for storage, depending upon how formal a room you want to create.

But How Do I Get Up There?Access to the attic should ideally be a straight staircase, but not many homes are outfitted with that luxury. If the only access to your attic is via a pull down ladder, it seems pretty obvious that you are not going to get much daily use out of it. Spiral staircases are a viable alternative, but different localities have different construction codes, and spiral staircases may or may not be acceptable. All this means that the first step is an architect or engineer. After his evaluation, the planning can proceed.

Is It Worth It? You Bet!If you’re lucky enough to be able to add an attic room, there are dozens of things to plan for depending upon the usage, including furniture, windows, skylights, heating and cooling, and so on.

There is no doubt it is a daunting task, but adding living space to your home adds comfort and value. It certainly is something that should be investigated.