Many people hope to make the most of their home, and will spend even years slowly adding more and more to a certain space. Many people, once settled in their home and looking for expansion opportunities, will often look to their attic space in an effort to increase room size. While many simply store items here, if you have enough room you can often craft a new bedroom out of the space. When doing this it pays to know how to proceed. There are many decisions you can make as soon as you decide to progress down this path.
We’d recommend the following:
Know Supporting Beams
Your attic space likely spans the breadth of your top floor. There might be difference in roofing heights or setups, and sometimes this can be separated. However, there is almost no doubt that the main supporting beams of your home will likely be supported by this area, or they might even continue up into the roofing arches. This means that when renovating, you need to be careful. You need to know exactly the beams you can move and the beams you can’t.
You can find this through the architectural blueprints of your home, and if you don’t have these through clear observation and even hiring a speciality roofing expert. It also pays to know exactly how strong the supporting ceiling of the room below is. Usually, buildings are fit to modern standards of support and thickness, but old and listed buildings may be lacking in this department to a small degree. Implementing strategies for personal and structural safety is paramount before you begin adorning the room with new furniture or items for decoration.
Entrances
It’s likely that you haven’t a staircase purpose-built for entering your attic. If you’d like to install one you will need to divide and implement space that allows for this structural addition. However, learning how to make a drop down loft hatch door can be one of the best ways into the attic, especially if operating with a budget, financially and in terms of space. This allows you a quick and easy entrance, and the size of which can be determined depending on what you hope to use the room floor.
Transporting Items
Now, it can be hard to transport items up into an attic to craft the room to your liking. Breaking down equipment such as beds and desks can be done with the flat-pack mindset, but certain items might be bulkier and require further planning. If the windows open wide and allow for it, renting an item transport cherry picker elevator can be useful in bringing items up. However, for the most part it simply pays to be cautious, consider the weight limit of the ceiling for the room below, and intermittently decorate. Respect the central beam and also the height allowances of the bedroom, and also the fire code requirements. Minimal is often better in attic spaces.
With these small considerations in mind, reinventing your attic is sure to be a pleasant and ultimately successful process.
feature post