Attic Renovations

One day, you woke up with urge to do something new about your attic. Your stuff up there has been gathering dust for years. Not to mention that every year, more junk is added into a space that, come to think of it, can be utilized more efficiently.

Your mind begins to wonder. There are a number of ideas that thought of and all of which you equally want to try out. There’s always the possibility of adding a new bedroom to your house and the attic is the most likely candidate for that. This can be advantageous if you plan to sell the house in the future. Converting the attic into a bedroom is a good investment and can also help increase the resale value of your house.

Or, you could fully dedicate your attic as a storage area. You won’t have to worry with the extra costs of changing it into a livable area. You just maintain the status quo. Although you will have to clean the area once in a while and check if rodents or pests have began to make themselves comfortable up there.

So you have a bedroom and a storage room. Another idea would be a playroom for the children. All you need is to clear the current attic of junk, clean the floor and the ceiling, and lay down a carpet so the children won’t get hurt when they stumble down the floor, which they offer do.

Also, when you decide to make the attic into a livable work space, you will have to change the insulation system if it’s installed on the attic floor. This will simply not do. You have to redo the insulation and have it installed on the attic roof instead. If you’re worried about the costs, there are ways to keep it at a minimum. 

When redoing the insulation, don’t forget to give way to the vents and “breathing” ducts of the house. You can also save money this way. You see by properly insulation your attic and letting the natural air flows, it will no longer be necessary to provide for a heater during the colder months. The hot air from the ground floor will be sufficient to heat up a small space like an attic.

You can also convert the attic into a study if your house doesn’t have one already. You could place bookshelves there and a study table where you can write your articles, stories, or memoirs. This can be cheaper than converting the area into a bedroom. All you need are basic stuff and you can create an office in there.

However, before you begin your little project, you need to look up a few things. There are some building regulations that you will have to follow if you want to renovate your attic. Some of these regulations include following the standard
50 pound per square foot combined live and dead load for the attic floor.

Aside from lights and ventilations, the law has required that an attic which has been converted into a livable space meets a certain measurement for the ceiling height. Smoke detectors are also required to be installed as well as fire exits. Even bedroom designs need to follow certain specifications.

Everything will now depend on which path you will take. Are you going for a bedroom renovation or are you going for an office renovation plan. Or are you going back to sleep and let your attic be?

Let’s say that you live in a one bedroom apartment and you have guests sleeping over. You can give up bedroom and sleep on the couch but if this is going to be the scenario every time, perhaps it will be best to turn the attic into another bedroom instead?

The attic will make a nice bedroom because it is above ground. Not only that, a study shows that homeowners who convert their attics or add additional living space to their homes can carry a significant weight at the time that they decide to resell it.

To make this happen, the first thing you have to do is improve the insulation in the room. Most people do not insulate this section of the house compared to the bedroom or dining room because this is only used to store old junk

In order for people to sleep here comfortably, you will need to install additional layers of insulation as well as a drywall to hide the wooden frames.

It is one thing to fight against the cold and another when summer is here. For that, you will also need to provide adequate ventilation by putting roof rafters and windows so air can flow in and out of the room.

Next, you will have to fix the walls by using either drywall pieces or wood paneling. Choosing what to use really depends on your budget.

Since most attics are dark, you will have to light to this place by installing a skylight. You can put one or a few which will also save on electricity costs when someone is up here during the day.

After roofing and walls, you can now focus your attention on the floors. You can use the existing wood already on the floor or replace these with tiles. Another option will be to put a rug.

If a pull down stairway or trap door is okay to gain access to your attic, this should also be changed when what is already up there is already a bedroom. This is because it is a requirement in order for your construction to be approved. The staircase must be 2 feet by 6 feet with single or double hand railing.

As for lighting, you can easily put a few more bulbs by wiring this to the nearest power source. The same goes for heating and plumbing should you also have a bathroom upstairs.

Homeowners who decide to hire a contractor should look for several, ask for an estimate and compare each one. As much as people want to spend so much to make this renovation look good, there are limits to how much he or she can shell out to make this happen.

Those who have the right contractor for the job should make sure that the building permit and other requirements are in order so construction can begin. They should also be able to keep you updated on the progress of their work and be consulted if there are any problems because this is your home.

Turning your attic into a bedroom is one of the best decisions you will ever make as a homeowner because when everything is made according to your specifications, you will already be able to have guests come over and sleep there without you ever having to give up your bed.

Have you ever had a problem when there are not enough bathrooms in your own home? The solution of course will be to construct another one. So why not turn the attic into a bathroom?

Turning the attic into a bathroom or any other living space requires planning. The key to making this happen is coming up with the perfect design that will allow you to maximize every square foot of this place.

You can’t have a bathroom without a shower. Since there are so many to choose from, you should go for the wet room style shower to increase the sense of space. Make sure you consult with a good supplier on the showerhead and tiles who can give good advice to make the room feel spacious and light.

If you want to put a bathtub there, make sure the structure in the bottom can handle the weight. These same goes for your vanity table and toilet by supporting the walls and floor. For those using wood, replace the old 2x4’s or 2x6’s with 2x8’s. If this is not possible, add more of the old ones to support it.

Homeowners who are using wood for the renovated attic must apply oil to protect this against water. You can even use the same material for the flooring since there are variants that are engineered for use in the bathroom.

This can then be painted with specially formulated bathroom paint with a plastic base that is also water resistant so it can easily be wiped down.

For sloping walls, you can easily make use of that by installing shelves which can be used to store your towels and other linen.

As for electricity and plumbing, make sure this is connected to the nearest possible source. This will ensure that your heater is working when the weather is cold outside and there is light.

The bathroom will also require a ventilation fan. Without one, you will notice that the room looks foggy, molds will grow in between the grouts, paint will peel off the walls and your towels will be damp. To avoid this from happening, you should choose the right fan based on the size of the room and also the one that produces the less noise so you won’t get any complaints from the neighbors.

Another thing you have to work on is better access to the renovated attic. This should be bigger or wider whichever is necessary and there must be anti-slip pads on the staircase so no one will get into an accident after coming out of the shower.

Before you can turn your attic into a bathroom, make sure you get all the right permits from the mayor’s office. If you don’t have the skill to make this happen, hire a contractor who has been doing this for a very long time and has the reputation to do the job.

Once you have these details in order, it is just a matter of time before you will see a big difference in your home and no one will no longer have a problem whenever they need to use the bathroom.  Since renovating is still an expense and you need cash for the project, why don’t you hold a garage sale and use the proceeds to partially pay for the construction costs?

What is more complicated? Building a house or renovating? If this is planned properly, you will be able to succeed in both. Aside from that, here are a few other things you will need to make sure everything goes smoothly.

First, you have to now what you want to happen to the attic? You must have an idea of what will this be converted into. Do you want to make this into a extra bedroom, a playroom for the kids, a gym or an office? When you have figured that out, it will already be easy to get the right tools and equipment.

A renovation should not cost you an arm and a leg. To prevent this happening, another thing you have to think about is your budget. Naturally, homeowners who are able to do it themselves will be able to save hundreds of dollars. If you are stumped by a small problem, try looking for information about this online or on television since there are shows that can teach you a thing or two so you can carry on with your work.

But if you are inexperienced and you want this done right, it is best to hire a professional. Just remember that hiring someone who does this for living will cost money.

You can try and save some dollars by canvassing around and calling up different contractors. Is the cheapest contractor the solution? No because if they are just starting out, you are not sure if they can do a good job or not.

So, you don’t make the mistake of hiring the wrong contractor. Your decision on who to get should not be based on how much they are quoting but rather on their experience in this line of work.

You should call up their previous customers and ask questions. If you are satisfied with your background check, then you can consider them as someone you can hire for the renovation.

But going back to the issue of your budget, if the contractor is asking a certain price and it has exceeded your budget, the best thing for you to do will be to find ways to save money. You can do so by installing cheaper but still durable appliances, recycle some of furniture in the room by repainting it so they look once again or have the work done in phases. This may take longer than what you anticipated but at least you are working within your limits.

If you stick to the plan and your budget, you will be able to complete the renovation of your attic. Unfortunately, there are many people who do not plan ahead, shop wisely or hire the wrong contractor end up with an incomplete project.

Surely, you don’t want to happen to your attic or any room in your house. So, before you do anything, think about what you want to turn the attic into and get ideas from interior design magazines or online. Some people follow exactly what they see while others make some slight modifications.

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to attic renovations. The important thing is that it you are happy as it shows your personality so forget what other people say and just go for it.

Not all homes with an attic will get the chance to convert such into a useful space like an entertainment room, a guest room or simply an additional area that you can utilize for personal use. Attic renovation projects could only be done if the space of that part of your house has the right measurement to be modified with the abovementioned plans.

Feasibility Study
You may hire a professional to look into your attic before even dreaming that it could become something that you want it to be. You can also do this procedure if you are knowledgeable about getting the sizes or the areas in the space provided. You need to get the area measured first and foremost.

Not because it looks large enough does it mean that it is possible to proceed. You need to think of the things and materials that would be added up to it once the project starts. These measurements need to be seen by the authorities once you get your planning permit and the list should meet the least local building prerequisites.

This process can also be done by the building inspector in your area. The person could guide you through the basic needs and requirements before you can proceed with the project. The inspector usually checks on the available headroom, the allowed volume of electrical passages, lighting conditions and ventilation sources among others.

You may also check out the local building code that can usually be requested at the local libraries.

Check on the Structure
One should inspect on the framing used in the construction of the attic to further know if it is feasible to do some grand renovations into it. Your roof should be supported by rafters for you to be able to consider pursuing with the plan. If the roof is supported by trusses, you should scrap the plan altogether because there might be not enough open space in the area.

But even though your attic got rafters as support, you would still need to inspect each for any leaks, damage like cracks, sagginess and the likes.

If the roof is at fault or you found it to have a water leakage, then you have to first change it or do some repairs before you could execute your renovation plans. This may add to the budget so you should be aware of the costs so you could be prepared with the right amount once you've started the ball rolling regarding the renovation.

Code Requirements
You need to follow rules especially regarding this matter because in any way, the code necessities must be met. If the attic is to be modified into a bedroom, a minimum of one exit from the outside is a must. This can be in the form of an egress window or stairs.

Additional windows or you can also install skylights in it to meet the required specs for ventilation and light purposes.

Mechanical Structures
There are elements in the attic that are immovable like the chimneys, so these need to be incorporated in your design. Electrical equipments and plumbing materials can be moved so these are easier to place out in the plan. Just a reminder about the chimney, though, check out your local codes for the allowed framing around such structures.

It is easier to precede with your attic renovation projects once you know that not only you are abiding rules but you are also on the right path of creating a safe space that you can utilize.

Everybody has a dream house, but people can't help it that if they already have one, they want to keep it changing or modified. Change is good because this will not only improve your house appearance but will also strengthen it in the process. If you plan to have a do-it-yourself attic renovation, here are some notes to check out that might help you decide what and what not to do.

Attic Renovation might be the answer for homeowners who want extra space in the house to be used as rooms and utilize its function. But one cannot just go on with the modifications without looking at the project at every angle.

The Space and Framing
These are vital elements to your attic modification plan. You must first know how much space will be available once the desired change is done in the place and if that space fits what's required by your local codes.

Rafters should be used as the framing for your roof and not trusses because the latter wouldn't allow enough space for you to pursue with what you have in mind. If your attic is the type that is open, the roof should have braces that are either cross or tie for support. This will also be great to be used as installation for ceiling fans for added ventilation.

Accessibility
You should also refer to your local building codes about the required number of exits, windows and entrances to the attic are permitted. In most cases, one outdoor exit is enough, but the room has to get enough air through the windows and proper lighting.

The Headroom
This is the first measurement that should be considered when deciding on modifying your attic into a functional room. Make sure that people are able to stand and move freely in the space or else it will be uncomfortable, unsafe and not fit for everyone. Again, building codes has reference regarding the matter and one has to abide by such.

The Overall Look
If you decide on renovating the attic, consider each and every part of the house. Decide on depending how the modification will affect each. You should let a professional see your home to make sure if you can proceed with the project. One should always think of safety before pursuing with any plan.

So before you can change the attic, you have to strengthen the foundation first. See if the first floor has any cracks or leaks that may contribute to the sturdiness of the overall construction. See if it is safe to add electrical elements from the main floor up to the attic and study the safest way it could be done.

Anything that may contribute to the success of the plan should be looked at. You may even ask the help of building inspectors to be sure with what you're doing. In the end, you will benefit from all these because your money wouldn't be wasted and you'll have an additional space in the house that is fully functional.

The most important thing to remember when you want a do-it-yourself attic renovation is to research on all the things that you have to know about before even drawing out a plan.

Read through books about design, browse though the local code requirements for safety and assurance and search the Web for practical ideas on how to go about it.

When you don’t have the faintest clue as to how much your renovation in the attic is going to cost, you should get an estimate to figure out how much money will be needed for the project.

A renovation attic estimate will cost depending on the dimensions of the room. Another factor will be the type of materials you wish to use to achieve that finished look. A contractor who is offering his or her services will of course have a few markups so they are able to make money for their business.

As for materials, you will have to buy the materials yourself from the home improvement store at retail price. But given that they go on sale annually, you can wait until the price drops or wait until the months of October when there are not that many people who renovate during this time of the year.

If you want to cut down some of the costs, in the attic renovation, you can do some of the things yourself. One good example is painting since you don’t have to study how to do it.

But for more technical stuff, you have to learn how to pick the right contractor that can give a good estimate. Here are some mistakes which you should avoid.

1. First, the homeowner doesn’t even bother to check if the contractor has a valid license.

2. Another mistake is not to ask for previous customers or conduct a background check.

3. Some homeowners fail to ask the contractor key questions. When this happens, the customer will likely pay more than the projected budget especially when he or she has no idea on the brands used for the attic renovation. 

4. Some people fail to check if the contractor has insurance coverage.

5. The homeowner makes the mistake of assuming that oral agreements are good as those written on paper.

6. The customer gives the contractor a huge deposit before starting on the project.

7. Another mistake is to trust the contractor at face value.

Of course, this could have been avoided only if you did all the precautions. If you did your part by talking to previous clients and compared the prices of various contractors, you will be able to find someone who can give a reasonable renovation attic estimate with which you can sign and agree on.

Aside from contractors which you can find through the phone directory, you can also check for such professionals online. Some of these individuals have websites. Once you input some information, they can give you a general idea of how much it will cost.

You will then have to invite them over to your place to get a more accurate measurement of the attic and discuss in further detail the scope of the work.

Remember that any renovation work in the attic or in any other room in your house does not begin until you sign that piece of paper. You should also not be forced or pressured into having it done by them.

Once you have your renovation attic estimate, tell them that you will get in touch with them in a few days. This will give you time to review what is in the contract and compare what other contractors have written as well.