An attic sometimes referred to as a loft is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building.
Build house use attic.
Ie build the house now without finishing the attic and then later complete it.
Just put your insulation in the roof and don t build the traditional attic make it a loft.
Building codes vary on headroom and space.
It s important that the attic be properly insulated vented and sealed from the main part of the house.
In general does it make sense to use an attic as a future expansion of livable space.
An attic may also be called a sky parlor or a garret because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the top floor of a building and the slanted roof they are known for being awkwardly shaped spaces with exposed rafters and difficult to reach corners.
Precise measurement is the most difficult as you need to consider all underlying obstructions carefully before proceeding with your plans.
The attic is an important part of your house but if it s not properly designed or maintained any number of problems particularly with ice buildup and water damage can occur.
Use of joists in attic flooring covering the ceiling joists in the attic using plywood is a cheap way to make better use of the wasted space in your house.
Attics need to be properly insulated.
However most require that at least half of the attic has a height of 7 feet 6 inches.
Standard joist spacing for the installation of attic flooring materials is 16 inches on center oc meaning the distance from the center of one joist to the center of the next joist is 16 inches.
If your attic isn t ventilated well that humid moist air will build up in the attic space and can cause mold to grow.
In addition the living space must equal at least 70 square feet with a minimum width of 7 feet.
The issue with a whole house fan is that the hot air needs somewhere to go.
They are usually only for insulation anyway.
The subfloor installation is easy.
That means you ll need 2x10 floor joists or maybe 2x8 in rare circumstances and at least 2x12 roof rafters.
What are the pros and cons if any.
Don t forget to factor in the inches you will lose with flooring and ceiling coverings.
Once you convert attic space into living space you need to bring it up to the standards of modern building codes.
If the attic has the potential to become a regular living space talk with a contractor about adding a fixed stairway.