Spend less in a basement renovation for a lower.
Framing finished attic.
Attics can be dark and forbidding spaces but they don t have to be.
High above ground level your finished attic space will be more valuable in the eyes of the appraiser explains berg who was an appraiser for 14 years before he became a real estate agent.
In a tight attic space finishing the walls and ceiling is especially important.
Here is the best way to repair insulation after heavy pest damage.
But finishing out an attic will almost always cost more than a basement.
Step 1 check the ceiling height.
Learn how to finish an attic s walls and ceiling with these easy step by step directions.
If you have a rafter framed attic the floor joists may or may not be large enough for living space and may need to be reinforced or replaced.
Most codes require a specified minimum amount of headroom and it s tough to meet this requirement when insulating a finished attic especially since most codes require insulation equal to r 38 or more.
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.
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.
At least 50 step 2 make sure the attic has a full size staircase.
A properly framed attic room can eliminate most of the odd angles and awkward spaces of an unfinished attic and a finished.
If you have attic trusses not conventional trusses the members will be sized to support living space.
Cost skill level start to finish 2 days.