Finish Short Attic

A straight run stair will chew up 10 to 14 feet of floor space.

Finish short attic.

Pull down stair or ladder. A stair designed with an intermediate landing and two runs needs about 8 feet on the lower level. A contractor or a local building. Converting your attic into usable finished space can increase the value of your home by maximizing the available square footage.

Attic hatch or door. 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. Enlarging an existing stairway or adding a new one will affect spaces below. Every attic is different but a few established norms and practices will guide your renovation.

Figure out how you re going to get up and down from the finished attic space. Follow the rule of 7s. Learn how to finish an attic s walls and ceiling with these easy step by step directions. Emre can pexels does a finished attic add resale value.

Building codes vary by location but most require at least a 7 foot clearance for attic expansions. 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. Add weatherstripping around the perimeter and a sweep to the door of a walk up attic. Use a zippered insulated tent to keep the enclosure draft free attic tent at 7 attic cover insulator 120.

Affix rigid foam insulation to the attic side of the hatch or door. An attic bedroom exploits roof space previously devoted to high school yearbooks and nesting sparrows. 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. Nail gun level.

Reclaiming the space under your roof also avoids many zoning and easement concerns common chores when adding onto a house. That s measured after you finish the ceiling if you don t have enough height you ll have to raise the roof line and that adds a lot to your construction costs. First check for head clearance. In a tight attic space finishing the walls and ceiling is especially important.

This attic was divided into three zones. 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. Cost skill level start to finish 2 days. Converting an attic to a living area yields a modest return on your investment.