Figure you ll need to beef up the floor insulate and more.
Build house and finish attic later.
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.
Most houses attics are built without flooring and are not designed to carry the heavy load of finished space.
Account for codes and safety casey dunn.
If the attic passes the space test chances are you can make everything else work but there are a few other big issues to consider before getting serious about finishing.
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.
That s measured after you finish the ceiling if you don t have enough height you ll have to raise the roof line and that adds a lot to your construction costs.
Access and egress code generally requires a full size staircase with a minimum 6 foot 8 inch clearance above it.
Every attic is different but a few established norms and practices will guide your renovation.
First check for head clearance.
The ceiling load may include items like drywall ducts recessed lights bathroom fans and attic insulation.
Once you have a permit install subfloor panels over the floor joists so you can lay down flooring.
So if you re planning to get a few years of use out of it the investment might make more sense.
Building codes vary by location but most require at least a 7 foot clearance for attic expansions.
Before finishing an attic get the necessary permits from your local housing commission so you don t get in trouble later on if you try to sell your house.
However in some cases the joists are intentionally built strong enough for the homeowner to later build out the attic.
Of course we don t want an in law suite but i was wondering if it makes sense to convert it into bedrooms and a play area later.
In general does it make sense to use an attic as a future expansion of livable space.
In most cases though the joists cannot support live loads and may not even be covered with boards.
Keep in mind that all building requirements for the project are governed by the local building authority and local code rules.
Whether you envision your house s top floor as an away from it all master suite a quiet home office or a hangout spot for the kids read these 14 tips to help you finish your attic remodel.
What are the pros and cons if any.
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.