Steps In Finishing An Attic

Here s a look at some building code basics when it comes to turning attic space into living space.

Steps in finishing an attic.

Cost of finishing a walk up attic. Finishing a walk up attic adds stairs and flooring for a total of 8 100 to 26 000. In the first step a knee wall is installed. Measure the clearance and estimate the square footage of your attic.

In general stairs must be at least 3 feet wide and provide at least 6 feet 8 inches of headroom. Step 1 framing of the top and sides of the knee wall. Finished attics need stairs that meet all of the standard staircase requirements. Stairs can take up a lot of space in both the attic and in the floor below so they are important considerations for planning.

The price to install a staircase ranges from 1 000 to 2 900 depending on the style and materials. How to finish an attic needs to start with things outside your control. 5 steps to finishing an attic. Access and egress code generally requires a full size staircase with a minimum 6 foot 8 inch clearance.

At least 50 percent of the attic space must have 7 foot 2 1 m clearance. Remodeling an attic requires only a few specific steps. This old house s two minute expert explains what goes into creating a bonus room under the rafters. Check your local building codes to see what requirements they have for finishing attic or basement space.

The location of the top of the knee is marked and after checking the level long boards are attached to the ceiling joists. Look at where you can put stairs to the attic where windows can go and attic space you can use for storage because it doesn t meet height restrictions. An attic can be finished and used for a variety of different rooms such as a bedroom sewing room bonus room.