Family Bigger By One? Here Are 4 Tips For Converting Your Attic Into A Bedroom
A bright sparkle of fresh light has entered your lives. As you bring home your newborn baby, you want to hold, cuddle and caress their sweet little face forever. Their rosy cheeks and tiny cute eyes that are yet to open, captivate you; a proud new mother. You might have two older children already, who both share a single room. Your family works hard, but this new feature is going to need space and warmth.
One of your older children will have to move out of their room, but to where will they go? You may not have thought of it till now, but a renovated attic is like could be a bedroom for the child that’s so graciously giving up their spot for the baby. The family will need to tighten its budget to transition in, this new bundle of joy. Therefore, you most like won’t have any other choice than to expand upward rather than outward.
Image by – Christian Bickel
Measurements and possibility
With a flashlight and trepidation, investigate and review the attic; does it have enough room for a person to live up there or not? Is the roof structure strong and is it completely draft proof? Additionally, note down potential structural weaknesses of the floor. Support beams can be attached to any weak points to improve the rigidity of the upper floors.
Generally, the average height of an adult male is 5ft 10in, so a ceiling clearance of between 10 to 12 feet is desirable. If your daughter is the one moving in, or rather up, then by default she’ll most likely have more than enough headroom. The average home has a staircase which leads directly up to the attic from the first floor of between 5 to 9ft. This means than access to the attic is roughly one-third to half the size of the standard staircase.
Source – Marnee A.C. Losurdo
Legal stuff
Converting the attic into a functioning room increases the bedroom count by one, and immediately increases your property value. You will need to inform your homeowner’s insurance company that your home has been expanded and see whether your particular circumstance falls under the category of an extension. Should your new bedroom be refused a quote; it doesn’t mean you have to abandon the project. Instead, learn about water & fire loss services which can offer you professional coverage at competitive rates.
Lighting and ventilation
If your home hasn’t, you’ll need to install in a window to give the new occupant a source of natural light. You’re not trying to build a hovel up there, and when it comes to reselling the property, a skyline will increase the market value yet further. The attic room must have an adequately supported and sealed ceiling. During the construction phase, ask the contractors to fix ventilation shafts which filter out and into the sides of the room. This method stops moisture buildup, thus preventing mold from growing.
Credit – Thomas Mühl
Electrical and plumbing
If you want a sink in the room, you can cut plumbing costs by having it located in the main stack of the house. In the main stack, large pipes carry fresh and used water to and throw. Thus you won’t need as much piping or reconstruction of a wall.
Consult a professional electrician to examine and plan the current or additional electrical channels needed for sockets and lighting in the room. If your mainframe can handle the added demand than this should be simple enough.
