If you need to make some more room in your house for family members to stay, your teenagers to have their own space, or for a home office, you may want to convert your attic into a more liveable space.
Alternatively, if you want to sell in the coming months, you might be keen to upgrade this top part of your property to boost the home’s value.
Regardless of your reasons for making some changes, here are some key considerations to remember when you start the work on your attic in 2023.
Start by Decluttering
The first step is to declutter your attic. It’s likely that, as with most households, your attic has become a hold-all for an accumulation of “stuff” over the years and thus needs to be cleared out before you start making it a more functional, everyday space.
Many people store all sorts of things in this part of the home, such as old sports equipment, Christmas items, children’s and pets’ toys and gear, old clothing, etc. The sooner you go through every item in your attic and get rid of things you no longer need, the sooner you can start using the area properly.
Hire Professionals Regarding Permits and Safety
Another step you need to take before setting up your attic as a liveable zone is ensuring it’s safe to use as you wish and that you have any necessary permits in place to convert it. To avoid violating regulations, you should check building codes in your area. You may even want to hire a professional for this so you know for sure what is and isn’t possible and what alterations need to be made to keep the area and your home safe and up to code.
For example, you may need to add extra height to the attic to ensure it can provide head clearance. Seven feet is a standard regulation in many areas. If it doesn’t reach this height right now, you may have to hire contractors to raise the roofline. In addition, check that the floor is strong enough to hold not just people but also heavy furniture and other items without the risk that it could collapse onto levels below. A professional structural analysis will see if the floor can take the extra weight and inform you if you need to modify the attic to comply with safety regulations.
Keep in mind, too, that you often need to obtain a permit to make various changes to your attic, which, again, you can do yourself or hire a specialist to help organize. The same goes for electrical wiring and plumbing. You will likely have to install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the attic for it to be considered up to code, too.
Have an Electrician Install Lighting, Power Points, and HVAC
Next, have an electrician come and inspect the space and find appropriate places to install lighting for your attic, as well as multiple power points. You want plenty of places to plug in things like lamps, computers, phone chargers, media equipment, etc. You may also want to add USB charging points and ducted vacuuming outlets while you’re at it.
Plus, it pays to get heating and cooling sorted out for your attic at this early stage. It’s worth purchasing a quality chandelier ceiling fan, or another type of fan that will help move the hot air around that accumulates in this part of your house. In addition, you may want to pay extra to have a reverse-cycle air conditioning unit put in, especially if you live somewhere that gets very hot or cold at different times of the year.
Finish Off the Space
The final step is to finish off your attic space so it’s all ready for you and your loved ones to use. To do this, you may need to add more plaster or fix up any holes in the walls and then paint the whole area in a lovely fresh hue. Add one or more windows or a skylight if the attic doesn’t yet give you enough natural light, and put in some thick flooring. The flooring should be lovely underfoot and work double duty to help dampen noise so that the rooms below don’t get bothered by sounds coming from the attic.
Complete the room by setting it up according to how you want to use it. For instance, you may be keen to do your yoga or other exercises in the space, use it as a quiet library or study zone, turn it into a guest bedroom, or more. Add appropriate furniture and think about storage space, as needed, as well as some décor to bring it all together, like cushions, rugs, artwork, etc.
It takes a little time, money, and energy to convert an attic into more usable space, but once this is done, you should feel the job was well worth it. An attic can provide a significant amount of extra space and help you to enjoy living in your home more or even sell it for a higher price.
