Oftentimes, a home’s garage or basement will be renovated in order to accommodate the homeowner’s need for more living space. These areas are more comfortable than attics because of their uniform design and climate control. However, an attic offers a lot of possibilities for a one-of-a-kind additional bedroom.
If you want to increase the value of your home while giving yourself the sanctuary of your dreams, we have 5 tips to help get you started.
Inspect Your Attic
If you’d rather be in any room than in your attic, chances are it’s going to need to be cleaned. You’ll also want to check to make sure there isn’t any mold, water damage, or signs of pests or rodents. Also, check to make sure your chimney and air vents are in good condition.
Make Sure You Have the Space
For code compliance, the most important issues to answer concern the size and shape of the available area. While county-level laws vary widely, most construction codes will require the following:
When the height of the attic ceiling is insufficient, either the roof can be raised or a dormer window can be installed. Most dormers already incorporate a window, so if you’re planning to construct one during the attic conversion, you won’t need to worry about meeting the egress requirement.
Your conversion options will be limited by both federal safety rules and the specific requirements of your county’s building code. Getting the necessary permits is also a standard part of any attic conversion. In most cases, the local contractor you choose will be the one to apply for and secure the necessary permits.
Hire a Structural Engineer
All the rooms in the house will be affected by the changes you make in the attic, so you’ll need to think about a lot of engineering details. A local structural expert should be consulted alongside a contractor to help identify the load-bearing walls in the attic and guarantee that the suggested alterations won’t cause the roof to collapse. These professionals can assess how your desired renovation will affect the structure of your house as a whole.
Think Outside-the-Box
Successful conversations in an attic typically involve some out-of-the-box problem-solving due to the space and structural limitations of the space. The use of imagination is encouraged while solving the problem of slanted walls and other architectural quirks. You can make the most of the attic’s space by installing a workstation in the crook of a sloped ceiling, utilizing the knee walls for storage or built-in furniture, or installing shelves.
Accessibility Through the Years
It’s important to think about what modifications will be necessary to if you plan on living in the house for the rest of your life. It may be more convenient and cost-effective to incorporate design elements into a renovation project now that will make it easier to enter the space in the future, should your mobility needs change.
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