How Do You Build In An Attic Space

Adding a floor to an attic can increase storage space or create a new room.

How do you build in an attic space.

Be at least 36 wide. Chances are you ve got plumbing and bath fan vents running through your attic. The previous homeowner may have simply covered the joists with plywood to use the space for storage. Have risers that are at least 7 1 4 high.

Once you convert attic space into living space you need to bring it up to the standards of modern building codes. The best way to accomplish this is to have an inspection done by a contractor so that you can learn exactly what you need. Provide a minimum of 6 8 of headroom the entire walking length of the stairs. Building codes will not allow a permanent living area without a permanent stairs leading to it.

Make sure the attic has a full size staircase. Check that converting your attic is actually feasible. Then you ll need to build a grid like structure that can hold up the plywood flooring. That means you ll need 2x10 floor joists or maybe 2x8 in rare circumstances and at least 2x12 roof rafters.

Have treads of at least 10 deep. At least 50 percent of the attic space must have 7 foot 2 1 m clearance. If your attic joists won t bear the weight necessary to finish out a living space but the engineer cleared them to support floor decking for light storage you can install inch plywood or. Alternatively your attic may already have some sort of floor but this doesn t necessarily mean you can build rooms.

Do not be tempted to diy any building project you will be breaking the law and it could put you and your family at risk. If you already have an attic a pull down ladder can cost anywhere from 400 to 1300. Measure the clearance and estimate the square footage of your attic. Consult your local building code or a.

They ll most likely have to be moved to open up the space. The missing piece of information is those miserable little beasts called the building and energy codes. That s something you can do yourself as long as you follow the building codes for pipe and duct size slope and insulation. To convert your attic to living space you cannot provide access via a ladder.

Attics with existing flooring. You probably don t have a permanent staircase leading to your unfinished attic space but you will need one. In the case of a rental unit you may build a staircase on the outside of the house if desired.