Step 1 check the ceiling height.
Finishing off attic space.
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.
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.
Access to a finished attic finished attics need stairs that meet all of the standard staircase requirements.
So if you re planning to get a few years of use out of it the investment might make more sense.
For the right home and market a finished attic can feel like a cherry on top of the property.
If building a knee wall for storage like karl did with this project make sure to insulate that area as well.
An attic can be finished and used for a variety of different rooms such as a bedroom sewing room bonus room storage space or even a playroom for children.
Follow the rule of 7s.
Every attic is different but a few established norms and practices will guide your renovation.
Building code also requires that the.
Finishing your attic can add space and utility and increase the value of your home as long as it s done properly.
Here are some must do tips to follow when finishing your attic.
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.
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.
Staple insulation between the wall studs and ceiling joists image a.
Stairs can take up a lot of space in both the attic and in the floor below so they are important considerations for planning.
Don t mash or compress the insulation into the space.
It needs a certain amount of loft to work properly.
Figure you ll need to beef up the floor insulate and more.
Just keep structure safety and purpose in mind as you plan out your new space.
Use r 30 insulation for the ceiling and r 13 for the walls.
Access and egress code generally requires a full size staircase with a minimum 6 foot 8 inch clearance above it.
In most cases though the joists cannot support live loads and may not even be covered with boards.
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.
Remodeling an attic requires only a.
Here s a look at some building code basics when it comes to turning attic space into living space.
