How To Make Attic Space Livable

Remove any existing loose or blown insulation in the attic.

How to make attic space livable.

Attics don t generally offer a great deal of floor space and ceiling height. Making sure your attic loft or mezzanine can be a usable living space is key. A modular sectional makes a great place to snuggle and lounge. Lay a sub floor if necessary.

Dormers range in sizes so decide which will work best for you and your existing structure. You can increase the space in your attic by adding a dormer which is a window structure that protrudes from the roof slope to provide more headroom space in the attic. Marketing and communications manager of builderscrack jeremy gray points out that a ceiling isn t typically designed. Make a plan to make it grand.

Use a builder s vacuum to get all of the small pieces. Wire the attic for electricity. At least half of your attic space must be 7 feet high by 7 feet wide with a total of 70 square feet. The missing piece of information is those miserable little beasts called the building and energy codes.

Insulating and wiring 1. Pull down stairs won t work for an attic room so you must add a permanent staircase. If one gets stained swap it with one in a less conspicuous part of the room. How to turn the attic into a living space if you re ready to turn your attic from a storage area to a bedroom home office or other living space here is what you need to know tips on how to make it happen.

You also have to decide where the loft stairs will begin and check how much space it will need. Once you convert attic space into living space you need to bring it up to the standards of modern building codes. Your attic needs to be easily accessible in order to fulfill its function well. Pull down stairs won t be appropriate in this case and you ll need a permanent staircase.

That means you ll need 2x10 floor joists or maybe 2x8 in rare circumstances and at least 2x12 roof rafters. Codes vary from place to place but the rule of 7 for using an attic as an actual room typically applies. Four key ingredients to create a livable moment in an empty space. Most attics will need a sub floor to be laid that you can build on top of.