Home 10 ATTIC from 12


adding an attic bedroom. The attic bedroom will need a standard stairway or door opening to enter and exit it. This may mean utiliz- ing some of the lower level finished space to support a new staircase. In addi- tion, a large window, or a


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THE WEIRS TIMES 2011 FALL HOME IMPROVEMENT GUIDE


second door to exit the attic will also be required. If a window is to be the second means of ingress/egress to/from the attic bedroom, then it will need to meet code requirements to allow a fully outfitted fireman to enter the attic bedroom.


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Knee walls may be required in an attic bedroom conversion project to limit the lowest roof height of the finished attic bedroom.


Attic Bedroom Roof Pitch


Another major issue that Log Homes


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needs to be addressed up front from when adding an attic bedroom is the evalu- ation of the roof pitch. If the roof pitch is too shallow there may be inadequate space for adding an attic bedroom. In some cases, you may need to consider adding a large dormer onto the roof to open up the at- tic for additional headroom space. In many cases you will need to include knee walls in your attic bedroom conversion plans to limit the lowest roof height of the finished attic bedroom.


Attic Bedroom Lighting


Adequate lighting is also


often a problem when adding an attic bedroom. You may want to include skylights in the roof, and certainly windows if your plans include the installa- tion of an attic dormer.


Attic Bedroom Heating and Cooling Sufficient heating and


cooling is another major concern when contemplat- ing adding an attic bed- room. Attics get extremely hot during the summer months so the need for air conditioning is a must. Likewise, heating needs to be factored into the plans. Sometimes it makes more sense to install a stand- alone heating and cooling system in the attic bedroom versus trying to extend the existing HVAC system up into the attic. Often the ex- isting HVAC system is not capable of supporting the additional living space and the work to pipe it in can be extremely difficult.


Installing Bathrooms in Attics


If your attic bedroom


plans also include a bath- room then there are a number of additional con- cerns that you will need to contend with. First and foremost, you will need to determine how to run the drain and supply lines up into the attic. This may or may not be possible. In


addition, you may need to elevate the floor of the attic bathroom to allow room for the drain pipes to work properly. Also, the existing water supply system may not have sufficient head pressure to pump water up to the attic. Then there is the issue of the weight of a full tub of water. Additional framing will be required to address the severe weight directly underneath the tub area.


Attic Bedroom Safety Finally, besides hav-


ing sufficient ingress and egress into your attic bed- room, there are a number of other safety issues that you will need to address. When adding an attic bedroom you will need to incorpo- rate smoke detectors and suitable bedroom electri- cal circuits into the plans. Also, if your attic bedroom plans include a bathroom, a GFCI (Ground Fault Cir- cuit Interrupter) electrical circuit will be required in the bathroom. Though adding an attic


bedroom into your home does present its own set of unique challenges it still does provide one of the highest rates of return for home remodeling proj- ects. However, as with any major investment in your home, proper planning is essential for its success.


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