Finishing Attic Walls

Low cabinets and bookcases fit snugly in the space under slanted ceilings.

Finishing attic walls.

In the first step a knee wall is installed. In most cases though the joists cannot support live loads and may not even be covered with boards. Finishing an attic turns the finished parts into standard living spaces making them subject to all of the same rules that apply to other living areas of the home. Staple insulation between the wall studs and ceiling joists image a.

There are no special exceptions just because it s living space in the attic. 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. I sealed all the gaps in the wall with canned foam and the xps is glued around the perimeter. A contractor or a local building official can help you assess how the rule will apply to your attic and how modifications like dormers can resolve height shortcomings.

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. Building code also requires that the. Use r 30 insulation for the ceiling and r 13 for the walls. Now let s read about the steps for properly finishing the attic walls and ceiling.

Don t mash or compress the insulation into the space. I have a very similar attic wall to yours. 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. I tried linking panels with spray foam instead of taping.

Knee walls and flat ceilings running plumb from the roof rafters to the attic floor joists knee walls eliminate some of the roof s slope at the expense of less square footage of floor space in the. 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. Step 1 check the ceiling height. Every attic is different but a few established norms and practices will guide your renovation.

The location of the top of the knee is marked and after checking the level long boards are attached to the ceiling joists. Finishing the attic my preference is to push the knee walls close to the eaves creating as much floor space as possible. Follow the rule of 7s. Step 1 framing of the top and sides of the knee wall.

I ve attached a few before and after pics. It needs a certain amount of loft to work properly.