Attics are a prime opportunity for expansion. The space is already enclosed. No foundations have to be poured. Electricity is nearby and can be tapped into. Unlike basement additions, floor moisture is not a problem. In short, attics may be the place to go when you want more space.
Attic Remodels: The Lowdown
Oddly shaped and positioned, attics are unique spaces that warrant extra care when it comes to remodeling. Take note:
Begin with code: Building code positively rules attic remodels. From minimal floor space to ceiling height, a host of regulations will guide your remodel. Rafters vs. trusses: Rafters, mainly found in older homes, lend themselves to attic expansion. Rafters look like giant triangles that form the peak of your home’s roof. Trusses look like large triangles composed of smaller triangles. They make attic remodeling impossible unless they are replaced. Get in shape: If triangular houses such as A-frames were functional, they would be more popular. Instead, sharp angles make storage and living difficult. Building knee walls–short vertical walls about 3’ tall–is one way to help fix this. Flooring: Unless expressly built for use as a living space, your attic floor may not be strong enough. All attics’ joists can carry a minimal dead load weight (i.e., 10 pounds per square foot). But live loads are a different matter. Often, minimal live load requirements are four times that of dead loads. Insulation: If your attic already has insulation, it is probably useless for your intended attic remodel. The reason? Because that insulation is below your feet, between the joists. Today’s attic remodels increasingly are getting foam insulation sprayed between the rafters before installation of drywall.
How to DIY
Angle iron bolted-to-ceiling rafters provide support for the chains holding up the “levitating” beds.Use reclaimed wood to build a charming desk.
Find This: Girls’ bedroom project by Novogratz from The Pioneer Woman More than anything, though, they wanted to maintain a clean and white minimalist Scandinavian look that would make their attic bedroom a delightful, welcoming place. In the end, they loved their new space so much that they shifted bedrooms: the parents moved to the attic and children moved to the former primary suite! Find It: Minimalistic attic bedroom from Skies of Parchment
Read more about our Diversity and Inclusion Pledge to make The Spruce a site where all feel welcome. The most important improvement, though, was painting the walls light-reflective greens, yellows and oranges. For a final, bubbly touch, O’Hagan, an accomplished fine artist, painted cheerful polka dots on the attic’s end walls. Find It: Katie O’Hagan’s delightful girls’ attic remodel from Rivertowns Real Estate News Find It: Reclaimed wood attic wall from Pretty Handy Girl For the walls, she color-matched Behr eggshell sheen to Dutch Boy Nantucket Mist, while furniture received durable, high gloss Behr matched to Dutch Boy Sheet Metal. Painting a chevron pattern on the walls gave the attic a buoyant, electric air. For a sports-loving boy, nothing could be better than pennants on the wall and a bedspread in favorite team colors. To top things off, sports mascot Bucky Badger–custom made by Mom with a computer printer and four 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper–presides over the bedroom. Find It: Boy’s attic bedroom from Balancing Home With Megan Bray She and husband Ben brought the attic of their 100-year-old Southern cottage out of the Dark Ages and into modern times by adding windows and ample artificial lighting. Yet they also retained winning elements of the original attic by leaving the brick fireplace exposed. Find It: Attic office studio project from Skies of Parchment The owners of this Maplewood, NJ home sacrificed nothing when it came time to floor the attic. Buttery yellow wide plank flooring captures and reflects the ample light that streams from the added floor-to-ceiling windows. Courtesy Of: Olger Fallas Painting
How to DIY
Install multiple skylights in a row, one per pair of rafters. Build a wall of drywall at the end of the house and inset a custom-built triangular shelving unit.
Find This: Modern attic conversion from ECOS
How to DIY
Build a knee wall to cover up the triangular space where the rafters meet the top plates of the exterior walls. Hack an IKEA furniture item–dresser, shelves, storage unit–and build it into the knee wall.
Find This: Attic conversion by Custom Contracting, Inc., Arlington, MA
