Building A Room In My Attic
If you prefer generating income from your home or would like a family member to stay with you if your attic is large enough you can turn it into a cozy apartment.
Building a room in my attic. When converting your attic you need to consider live loads people animals and anything that moves. 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. To convert your attic to living space you cannot provide access via a ladder. Decorate the walls with framed paintings that trigger your imaginations.
Some communities will allow homeowners to do their own construction but they are still subject to. A cozy sleeping nook is flanked by two built in bookshelves to create a symmetrical look in this attic bedroom. 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. If you re building a stair case from scratch consider a switchback layout.
Attic flooring intended for a living space must be installed in compliance with building codes. Your attic was probably built with dead loads in mind things such as boxes and trunks that don t move. 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. Provide a minimum of 6 8 of headroom the entire walking length of the stairs.
White walls and furnishings make the small room appear larger and more open. You can build the bookshelves or use the built in ones depending on your taste. As home improvement expert bob vila explains most building codes require a load capacity of 30 pounds per square foot. A freestanding midcentury modern fireplace fits nicely into the corner of this attic apartment.
The last step is to fill the room with unique furniture. Whatever you do likely your attic space is bonus space. Other options include creating more open flex spaces if you have a large open attic. You may need to reinforce.
Transform an empty attic room into a sanctuary of book lovers. Measure the headroom in your attic using your measuring tape. Consult a structural engineer or professional builder for assistance.