Many homeowners, when their family grows too big for a small house, will
consider room extensions to create additional square footage and space.
However, new additions can be expensive, time consuming, and can ruin
the look of your exterior façade. Instead, many people decide it best to
"build up" by remodeling their upstairs storage area. An attic
conversion allows you to utilize used space to its greatest potential.
Instead of building new additions horizontally, which can also eat up
valuable lawn and garden area, renovating vertically is an easy way to
develop pre-existing square footage into suitable living spaces.
Things to Think About
Before you make a decision about a major attic renovation,
you'll first want to ask yourself a few questions. You want to make
sure you have a clear goal in mind before hiring a contractor so that
you'll be able to communicate your ideas better. By considering these
questions about the project beforehand, you and your contractor will
both be able to get on the same page and work towards a final, common
vision.
What is its purpose? Do you want it to be a master bedroom, a
guest bedroom, a library, or a home office? Many times these spaces make
for a unique loft that you can use as an entertainment area. In fact if
you think about this upstairs space like you would a finished basement,
many new ideas begin to pop up: a pool table, a wet bar, or maybe a
home theater are all possibilities.
Are there obstacles? Look at the space and see what difficulties
will have to be overcome. Is the space big enough to work with? Is there
enough headroom? Is the roof pitched? Do these "obstacles" create
inconvenience or a unique look to the room? Are there beams and trusses
taking up additional space? Is the floor reinforced to hold furniture?
These are questions that contractors immediately think about, so inspect
the area to make sure it's worth it before committing to the project.
What isn't there? Remember, many times these areas weren't
originally meant to be living spaces, so think about what will have to
done to make it comfortable and safe. Unlike building additions where
all the planning is customized to the new project, building around
pre-constructed areas can be a pain: you could run into hidden problems
by working with old materials and pre-existing structures.
So keep in mind all the things you'll have to add in order to create an
adequate living area. Do you have easy access? Many times these storage
spaces come with pull down stairs, so you will probably have to add a
walk-up staircase. This area is usually meant to be sealed up and
ignored, so you'll have to add windows, dormers, or sky-lights to
brighten up the place. It can get really hot and very cold up there, so
extra insulation will be required in your attic renovation. Also, there
are the details of flooring, drywall, plumbing, and electrical work. So
make sure you think about all the details you'll need to invest in
before calling the contractor.
The Code
Whenever you add extra living space to your home, you'll need to get a
building permit approved by the city. This also goes for attic
conversions. Oftentimes the contractor will make sure everything is up
to code and will take care of permits from the city, but you want to
make sure the space is properly approved, otherwise it is against the
law and your attic renovation could be unsafe to live in.
But once everything is set in motion, attic conversions are a fun and
unique way to add square footage to your home. Though they can be a bit
expensive and the actual remodel could take several weeks (all of this
is contingent upon the size of the space), the final result will create
more value to your house and the extra room is well worth the expense.
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