Build House And Finish Attic Later

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.

Build house and finish attic later.

Access and egress code generally requires a full size staircase with a minimum 6 foot 8 inch clearance above it. What are the pros and cons if any. Every attic is different but a few established norms and practices will guide your renovation. Account for codes and safety casey dunn.

Building codes vary by location but most require at least a 7 foot clearance for attic expansions. 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. However in some cases the joists are intentionally built strong enough for the homeowner to later build out the attic. The ceiling load may include items like drywall ducts recessed lights bathroom fans and attic insulation.

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 general does it make sense to use an attic as a future expansion of livable space. In most cases though the joists cannot support live loads and may not even be covered with boards. Ie build the house now without finishing the attic and then later complete it.

Once you have a permit install subfloor panels over the floor joists so you can lay down flooring. Before finishing an attic get the necessary permits from your local housing commission so you don t get in trouble later on if you try to sell your house. First check for head clearance. 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.

Of course we don t want an in law suite but i was wondering if it makes sense to convert it into bedrooms and a play area later. So if you re planning to get a few years of use out of it the investment might make more sense. Here s a look at some building code basics when it comes to turning attic space into living space. Keep in mind that all building requirements for the project are governed by the local building authority and local code rules.

Figure you ll need to beef up the floor insulate and more. If the attic passes the space test chances are you can make everything else work but there are a few other big issues to consider before getting serious about finishing.