If you are looking to grow your living space, add a bedroom or study or simply increase the value of your home, converting your attic is a smart consideration.
As an often over-looked space, your attic could hold the solution to several home issues. If your family has grown but you would rather not move, if you have started working from home and need a dedicated office area or if you would like an additional room for a hobby or to relax in, turning your attic into a useable space could be the answer.
If carried out to a high standard by professionals in the field, it can also increase what your home is actually worth when it comes to selling it too.
But before you race upstairs and start laying floorboards, there are a few things you need to take into consideration.
Attic size
The first thing you need to determine before embarking on a conversion is how big your attic space is and what you want to use it for.
If you simply want it as a more accessible and clean storage space, size should not matter too much, but if you are considering creating a whole new room you need to think about head room and floor space.
The size of space will also affect the cost of conversion so that needs to be taken into consideration when deciding on your budget.
Pests
There are a number of creatures which may have taken up home in your attic space – anything from rats, birds and raccoons and, less easy to spot, termites, flies and wasps, could all be residing upstairs without your knowledge.
Before embarking on any work, any pests in your roof will need to be detected and removed and any debris left behind cleaned up.
Floors and walls
Attics are generally not constructed to take the weight a living space needs to. You will need to check and likely reinforce joints and trusses to ensure your flooring and walls can be safely installed.
Insulation
Replacing old insulation will help reduce energy costs and help regulate a comfortable temperature in your new room.
Speak to an Attic Projects Company who can advise on cleanup and insulation before construction begins.
Electrical and plumbing
To make your new room useable you will need to add electrical sockets, heating and cooling and ventilation. If you are considering adding a bathroom up there, plumbing will also need to be taken into consideration too.
These are also areas which should not be tackled by just anyone, but a professional. Improper installation could cause damage to your property or even cause a serious accident.
While converting your attic into a usable space is not a job you can jump into, it can be extremely worthwhile. So if you want to make sure your new space is safe and adds real value to your home, make sure you speak to professionals at every step of the project and pay for any work that would be better carried out by them. It may cost more at the outset but it will ensure safety, durability and resale value further down the line.
