The basic space requirements for a finished attic boil down to the sizes of the finished rooms.
Finished attic framing.
If your home is smaller than other homes in your area or simply lacks the necessary amount of storage or living space for your family finishing your attic is a relatively inexpensive way to increase your usable space.
Hire an engineer to inspect your house s foundation and framing to ensure they can carry the extra load.
The floor structure of an attic is also the framing for the ceiling beneath it.
Finished is important to remember when you re measuring an empty attic space.
At a minimum you may need to strengthen the attic s floor joists which are often too shallow or spaced too far apart for the job.
Flooring ceiling and wall materials and other elements will reduce headroom and floor space and it s the finished area that matters.
Converting your attic into usable finished space can increase the value of your home by maximizing the available square footage.
A finished attic weighs a lot more than boxes of off season duds.
Learn how to finish an attic s walls and ceiling with these easy step by step directions.
As long as they are not damaged the joists should be strong enough to allow you to move around in the attic for an inspection and to provide storage for typical boxed items.
Have a pro check the structure.
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In a tight attic space finishing the walls and ceiling is especially important.