Finish Off Attic Space

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.

Finish off attic space.

Just keep structure safety and purpose in mind as you plan out your new space. For the right home and market a finished attic can feel like a cherry on top of the property. The building is new 2 4 stud construction on a concrete pad. Finished attics need stairs that meet all of the standard staircase requirements.

Any living space requires at least 7 feet of headroom over a floor area of at least 70 square feet measuring at least 7 feet in each direction. 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. 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. It needs a certain amount of loft to work properly.

At the lyons house this meant that only a portion of the attic was usable though some of the low clearance area was tapped for storage. Step 1 check the ceiling height. 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. In general stairs must be at least 3 feet wide and provide at least 6 feet 8 inches of headroom.

Finishing your attic can add space and utility and increase the value of your home as long as it s done properly. The botton story has an 8 ceiling with can lights. Don t mash or compress the insulation into the space. So if you re planning to get a few years of use out of it the investment might make more sense.

Here are some must do tips to follow when finishing your attic. Stairs can take up a lot of space in both the attic and in the floor below so they are important considerations for planning. Follow the rule of 7s. Finishing an attic space.

The building is 20 x10. Most of the time it turns out to be unfeasible and here are the four main reasons why we usually don t see these projects move forward. Staple insulation between the wall studs and ceiling joists image a. If building a knee wall for storage like karl did with this project make sure to insulate that area as well.

User 3093107 posted in construction techniques on september 16 2020 09 17pm i m building an outdoor office for my wife. Every attic is different but a few established norms and practices will guide your renovation. Just because it seems like there is enough space in your attic to be converted into a finished room doesn t mean it s actually a good idea to try it. 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.

Use r 30 insulation for the ceiling and r 13 for the walls.