Building A Room In My Attic

Transform an empty attic room into a sanctuary of book lovers.

Building a room in my attic.

You may need to reinforce. As home improvement expert bob vila explains most building codes require a load capacity of 30 pounds per square foot. You ll need a stationary staircase not a pull down in order to meet most building codes as well as ceilings that are at least 7 feet high in more than half of the attic. How to reinforce an attic floor with sister joists clear the joist spaces pull out all insulation and any debris from all of the joist spaces so you can see the full.

It needs more room than a straight run roughly 45 to 50 square feet per floor versus 33 but its footprint is more squarish than linear so it will often fit in spaces where a straight run can t go. The last step is to fill the room with unique furniture. Consult a structural engineer or professional builder for assistance. If you re building a stair case from scratch consider a switchback layout.

Other options include creating more open flex spaces if you have a large open attic. Whatever you do likely your attic space is bonus space. Attic flooring intended for a living space must be installed in compliance with building codes. A cozy sleeping nook is flanked by two built in bookshelves to create a symmetrical look in this attic bedroom.

Decorate the walls with framed paintings that trigger your imaginations. To convert your attic to living space you cannot provide access via a ladder. Provide a minimum of 6 8 of headroom the entire walking length of the stairs. Measure the old joists measure the length of the old joists and note how much they overhang any supporting walls or.

When converting your attic you need to consider live loads people animals and anything that moves. An attic room must measure 10 5 foot at the ridge line and at least 50 percent of the finished space must be 7 5 foot tall or more. Your attic was probably built with dead loads in mind things such as boxes and trunks that don t move. White walls and furnishings make the small room appear larger and more open.

A freestanding midcentury modern fireplace fits nicely into the corner of this attic apartment. Paint the walls with a relaxing tone such as grey. Measure the headroom in your attic using your measuring tape.