Who doesn’t want – or need – more space?
If you’re looking to add more space in your home, going up – instead of bumping out – may be the answer.
Better than storage, attic renovations and space conversions could add living space to your home as a primary bedroom suite, a guest room or additional space for youngsters or teens.
But before you consider raising the roof – in the best way – make sure you’re actually able to put something more than holiday decorations or family mementos on the top floor.
“There might be a situation where your building envelope is such that you can’t build out. You’re not doing excavation, concrete or foundation work, you’re going up,” said John Gemmi, owner of Gemmi Construction Inc. in Buckingham Township.
“When it makes sense it can be the best option,” he said.
Think of an attic space as a way to be extra creative. From light or bright paint and color choices to using personal mementoes, textures and cozy elements like blankets, throws and pillows that reflect your personal style and taste. An attic bedroom, sitting, reading or kid’s room, closet and dressing area, studio or office can be a freeing space to explore creative décor and design choices.
Because attic spaces are intimate by nature, they can become the coziest, most sought-after spots in the house, according to House Beautiful.com.
Take advantage of materials already there – especially in old houses – like wide plank flooring or exposed lath or beams. Work with what’s usable and chic to amp up the attic’s look.
Committing time, money and thought to a full-on attic renovation should include these three all-important factors, according to Chris Egner.
Egner is president of the National Association of The Remodeling Industry [NARI] and owner of Chris Egner Design-Build-Remodel / Four Seasons Sunrooms in New Berlin, Wisconsin.
A professional evaluation should be part of the planning process before tackling or contracting for an attic renovation.
Be sure to ask these fundamental questions:
• Does the attic have adequate headspace or a steep enough angle at the roof peak for headroom? Can it be used for living space?
• Is there an existing code-compliant staircase to the attic, or a staircase that could be “grandfathered”?
• Do attic floor joists – which are also the ceiling joists of the floor below it – stable and large enough to support “living space” or a live load?
“The ‘perfect storm’ is a roof with a steep enough pitch (angle) to give us enough height to open it up with a dormer, shed or gable dormer and to have enough headroom. An existing code compliant staircase and [beefy] enough joists,” Egner explained.
“Those are the most important things to know. If we have all those going for us we have a much more cost effective project,” he said.
A steep enough roof pitch angle provides other options, such as opening up the attic space with dormers.
Dormers are structures with windows which expand space and allow natural light to come into a space.
Dormers come in a variety of types, shapes and sizes. They’re one way to seriously expand attic space during a renovation.
“Dormers are a way to increase the usable footprint of your attic,” Gemmi said.
According to ThisOldHouse.com, there are 12 types of dormers. Among the more common types are arched, gable or “doghouse,” hipped, eyebrow and shed.
“A shed dormer gives you the maximum amount of usable floor space,” Gemmi explained.
“Doghouse dormers are typically found facing the front. They’re meant to bring in more light and visual aesthetic, or you can put in a window seat. They also give a little more usable space,” he said.
When it comes to any remodel or renovation project of an existing room or home space, think about ceiling height or for attics, roof pitch.
The pitch of the roof is key to determining if there’s enough head space to use the attic as a room.
Most people think it won’t be a big deal to put living space in the attic [even though] they don’t have stairs or head space, according to Dennis D. Gehman, a Master Certified Remodeler (MCR) and president of Gehman Design Remodeling in Harleysville.
“Many times we surprise clients with not enough head room” for an attic remodel,” he said.
When it comes to attic access, you need an adequate staircase in order to access it.
Code compliant staircases, or those that meet or exceed current construction standards for use in a home, take into account if the staircase is too narrow, or the rise is too high, as well as where they are located.
A staircase rise or riser is the vertical part between treads.
Building codes can vary from municipality to county to state. Pennsylvania has a Uniform Construction Code (UCC) which regulates accessibility, safety standards, best construction practices and inspections.
Egner said the space just above another staircase – often located in a two-story foyer or entry hall is an ideal place to build an attic staircase. Most homes with two-story foyers are designed that way for visual and aesthetic reasons, so changing the entryway aesthetic isn’t an option.
“The most common place to expand living space into an attic is typically access from the second floor into the attic over an [attached] garage,” Gemmi explained, “it’s the easiest way.”
For homes with an attic existing staircase in a bedroom it’s important to see if the steps can be “grandfathered” due to the age of the home, for size and pitch, he said.
A staircase located in an upstairs room used as a bedroom will also limit how the attic space can be used, he said.
“A traditional staircase [may be] in a bedroom that is not being used,” Gemmi said.
For one client, Gemmi used an existing bedroom to create a walk in closet and built stairs to the renovated attic bedroom space.
From local building codes and best construction practices, depending upon the home’s framing, electrical set ups, insulation type, floor joists and framing, it may not have been meant for the additional weight living space brings.
Attic floor joists must be up to the task to handle minimal “live load” weight as defined by U.S. building codes, of 40 pounds per square foot (psf).
“Two of the most important factors you need to think about if you’re considering converting an attic space is access to the space and are the joists adequately sized to handle the weight of the additional living space,” Gemmi said.
If you’re considering a bedroom and bath, think about plumbing, too. And attic spaces can be problematic to climate control, so a separate system, or “mini-split” system which provides heat and air conditioning independently of the main house system might be the best way to accommodate the new space.
“Attic rooms are either hot in the summer or cold in the winter. If you add to the existing HVAC system, it’s usually the new attic space is the farthest point from the furnace,” Gemmi said.
An extra bedroom, or rooms, a home office, sitting area, craft or hobby rooms are all attractive ways to use an attic space conversion.
“The majority of our attic conversion projects do include a bathroom, either a full bath, or a ¾ bath with a sink, toilet and shower. Seldom are we doing a bathtub, unless the area is intended as a primary suite,” Gehman explained.
Keep in mind any attic renovation meant as a sleeping area must also have emergency exit access.
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