Access to a finished attic finished attics need stairs that meet all of the standard staircase requirements.
Finishing off attic space.
When done without proper planning or adherence to local building codes it can actually reduce the value of your home or stall a sale.
If you re finishing your attic insulating it to the proper r value can cause a dramatic loss of headroom if you limit yourself to fiberglass batts.
Access and egress code generally requires a full size staircase with a minimum 6 foot 8 inch clearance above it.
Here s a look at some building code basics when it comes to turning attic space into living space.
To meet all three goals insulating your finished attic ventilating the roof and maximizing headroom use a combination of dense batt insulation rigid foam sheeting and air chutes.
In most cases though the joists cannot support live loads and may not even be covered with boards.
Step 1 check the ceiling height.
Finishing the attic into liveable space nets an average of 9 3 out of 10 joy score or sense of happiness the owners have upon completion on nar s renovation report.
Remodeling an attic requires only a.
Staple insulation between the wall studs and ceiling joists image a.
At least 50 step 2 make sure the attic has a full size staircase.
In general stairs must be at least 3 feet wide and provide at least 6 feet 8 inches of headroom.
In rare cases especially in new construction homes the attic may have been built unfinished with the correct flooring in place with the idea that the homeowner could later on finish the space.
Just keep structure safety and purpose in mind as you plan out your new space.
If building a knee wall for storage like karl did with this project make sure to insulate that area as well.
Follow the rule of 7s.
So if you re planning to get a few years of use out of it the investment might make more sense.
Don t mash or compress the insulation into the space.
An attic can be finished and used for a variety of different rooms such as a bedroom sewing room bonus room storage space or even a playroom for children.
For a finished attic to be to code it must satisfy the same living requirements of other rooms sometimes called the rule of sevens any living space in a home needs to have at least 7 feet 2 1 m of clearance from the floor to the ceiling and there needs to be at least 70 square feet of space available at least 7 feet 2 1 m in each direction.
Enforcement varies but codes typically say that at least half of a finished attic must be at least 7 feet high and that this area must be a minimum of 7 feet wide and 70 square feet.
Figure you ll need to beef up the floor insulate and more.
For the right home and market a finished attic can feel like a cherry on top of the property.
Building code also requires that the.
Finishing your attic can add space and utility and increase the value of your home as long as it s done properly.
Every attic is different but a few established norms and practices will guide your renovation.
Use r 30 insulation for the ceiling and r 13 for the walls.
