Can I Finish My Attic

Follow the rule of 7s.

Can i finish my attic.

If your home is smaller than other homes in your area or simply lacks the necessary amount of storage or living space for your family finishing your attic is a relatively inexpensive way to increase your usable space. Plus the bottom support members of conventional trusses usually aren t large enough to support living space. 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. If you have this type of roof framing you cannot finish your attic without rebuilding the roof.

When done without proper planning or adherence to local building codes it can actually reduce the value of your home or stall a sale. This will allow you to easily fish wires for your future attic finish without cutting drywall. A pvc pipe can be run from the basement through a second floor ceiling for less than 100 while your new home is being built. 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. Provide a conduit pvc pipe from the electrical panel to the attic. In a tight attic space finishing the walls and ceiling is especially important. 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.

You can t simply cut out or alter these supports without seriously undermining the integrity of the roof structure. Design your roof trusses for future finish. Alongside a new bathroom finishing your attic as a new bedroom will be a useful way to utilize the space. You could create a new nursery for your newborn or create an exciting guest room for when your friends or family stay over.

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. You can learn the proper code specifications and plan to insulate and wire your attic for better purposes than storage.