Converting Attic Into Living Space

Embrace the angled walls and convert your attic into a master suite guest room office or a custom hideaway.
Converting attic into living space. Converting an attic has house wide structural implications. Turning that attic into living space is going to add some previously unaccounted for load upstairs. Converting an attic into a living space is a great method of adding another room to the house but it is not a job for the average diy person. When converting an attic to a living space it must meet the same building requirements as the other rooms in your home.
At usihome we design and manufacture roof trusses for all types of construction. Technical issues such as locating a safe staircase and the distribution of additional joists required to accommodate the new load bearing and stress factors. Storage is always at a premium in most homes and converting an attic into living space presents a wonderful opportunity to create some built in storage solutions such as this brilliant window seat storage unit with built in shelving and drawers to maximize the use of space. Regulated for a reason like basement remodels attic conversions have restrictions that make them less attractive for remodeling as they might first appear.
You ll need a skilled contractor for either project. In order to turn your attic space into living space the ceilings must be 7 feet from the floor. Price and stock could change after publish date and we may make money from these links. If you have unused attic space in your home you might want to think about converting it into a functional living space.
At least half of your attic space must be 7 feet high by 7 feet wide with a total of 70 square feet. Pull down stairs won t work for an attic room so you must add a permanent staircase. A guide to convert attic space to living space. Otherwise adding an extra room and optimizing the space at your disposal will be much more difficult.
Fire as a cause of injury and death is the main reason for these restrictions. Most people store old furniture toys and christmas decorations in the attic. To meet most building codes your attic should. In short you can only convert the attic of your house into a living space if you choose an attic roof truss at the time of construction.
Think of load as weight that additional load at the top of your house was not planned for structurally when your home was built. Codes vary from place to place but the rule of 7 for using an attic as an actual room typically applies. If your attic isn t 7 feet you could lower the floor or raise the attic height.