Build House And Finish Attic Later

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.

Build house and finish attic later.

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. 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. Reclaiming the space under your roof also avoids many zoning and easement concerns common chores when adding onto a house. Ie build the house now without finishing the attic and then later complete it.

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. An attic bedroom exploits roof space previously devoted to high school yearbooks and nesting sparrows. Every attic is different but a few established norms and practices will guide your renovation. 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.

Most houses attics are built without flooring and are not designed to carry the heavy load of finished space. Attic renovations require homeowners to finish an otherwise unfinished space and is not the same as remodeling other rooms in your house. However in some cases the joists are intentionally built strong enough for the homeowner to later build out the attic. Keep in mind that all building requirements for the project are governed by the local building authority and local code rules.

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. What are the pros and cons if any. The total cost of an attic renovation includes the labor cost of contractors inspection fees license fees and materials. 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.

Account for codes and safety photo by casey dunn. The ceiling load may include items like drywall ducts recessed lights bathroom fans and attic insulation. 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.