How To Turn Attic Into Conditioned Space

The missing piece of information is those miserable little beasts called the building and energy codes.

How to turn attic into conditioned space. If you are finishing the attic and turning the space into a conditioned attic with insulation that follows the sloped roofline at which point the gable vents become irrelevant then you want to maintain a vented air space directly under the roof sheathing to allow the board sheathing and the slate roofing to dry quickly. That means you ll need 2x10 floor joists or maybe 2x8 in rare circumstances and at least 2x12 roof rafters. Building a bathroom transforms your attic into a fully functional room that you can use as a bedroom or office. The attic is fairly small at about 1 000 sqf total.

Your stated goal is to turn your attic into a non vented conditioned space. At least half of your attic space must be 7 feet high by 7 feet wide with a total of 70 square feet. To convert your attic space you can hire an attic and loft conversions company who specialize in attic and loft conversions. In cold climates attic ventilation is a common method to remove humid air.

I m unsure of what to do and i m unsure of the most economical way to do it. If you want to save money by doing some steps yourself you could decide to tackle the renovation piece meal acting as your own general contractor and hiring specialists as needed. Once you convert attic space into living space you need to bring it up to the standards of modern building codes. Currently the attic is vented and has zero insulation anywhere.

From my research it looks like the best option is to make the attic a conditioned nonvented space. The average cost to add a bathroom is 8 000 12 000 depending on the size of the space and the scope of work involved a budget bathroom addition can cost as little as 5 000 6 000. A vapor retarder is recommended in cold climates. You could also hire a general contractor to oversee the project.

In some cases a conditioned attic assembly may be desired where scissor trusses make it difficult to insulate the floor or in cathedral ceilings where the intent is to turn the attic into living space. Codes vary from place to place but the rule of 7 for using an attic as an actual room typically applies.