As a homeowner, you may be considering adding more space to your house. Adding an attic is one of the most common ways to add extra living space to your home, and can often be achieved for much less than you think. In fact, once you have an understanding of what a walk up attic is, you’ll discover that there are actually several different ways to create one.
A walk up attic is an attic that can be accessed through a stairway, and is not the same as a dormer attic.
There are many uses for a walk-up attic, and over time home-owners have been discovering and using all sorts of ways to utilize this unique space.
This second story in your home can be used to store items that you’re using on a regular basis.
It’s an addition to your home’s primary living space, which is likely where you’ll find bedrooms, bathrooms, and other rooms.
On the other hand, depending on how you want to use the space, a walk-up attic is never going to host anything that is a part of your daily routine, like a bedroom or bathroom.
For some people, a walk-up attic is ideal for storing seasonal clothing, extra furniture, and other items that you use only a few times per year.
Things you should consider before building an attic
Sometimes, the attic is often referred to as a “forgotten room” because most homeowners don’t think about it much.
Of course, a properly built attic provides excellent protection for your home’s heating and cooling system, as well as an elevated space to house items and safely store valuables.
Still, if you’re planning to build an attic into your home, there are some important factors you should consider before embarking on the project.
This is extremely important, since you will have to live with your decision for many years to come.
The first thing to decide when considering adding a walk up attic is where to put it. It’s not just about the aesthetics of the space.
The location will also have a huge impact on how the space is used, which has serious implications for cost and durability.
So, make sure that you have enough space where you want to build the attic, as you can’t cut it down in size once you start building.
If you have a smaller home, you might want to consider adding a second story, which could provide you with enough room to live for a very long time.
One tendency that many homeowners have is to overestimate the amount of storage space they need, and often end up with an attic that’s far too big for their needs.
Therefore, before you begin, ask yourself:
- Will you use the space as living quarters, storage or both?
- What kind of insulation will you use?
- Will you need to vent the space to prevent it from getting too warm, or install air conditioning to keep it cool?
If you are building an attic in your home, it is important to know the potential problems you might have after it is complete.
In addition to the questions above be sure to answer the following:
- Does your attic have enough space for the changes you are planning?
- Are you going to be working with a professional contractor or are you going to DIY?
- Do you know who will be responsible for any future repair and maintenance issues?
- Have you considered the time and money you will have to invest?
Whether you’re building the space to live in, or to use as storage, be sure to create it properly for the purpose you want to use it for!
Disadvantage of walk up attic
Some people like the idea of a walk-up attic.
The attic space is concealed from all eyes so you can use it for whatever you want.
You have more space for living and storage, and you can even make an extra income if you rent out the extra space.
However, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that a walk-up attic can also be a handful to deal with.
Before you make any big decisions, be sure to consider the disadvantage of a walk-up attic.
For example, such an attic is only accessible by climbing. This can be dangerous if you are not physically fit.
Walking up the attic stairs can be unsightly and troublesome if you’re trying to move bulky items such as furniture and boxes.
How to create a walk-up attic
Planning to create an attic walk up space? Before you take your first step up toward your dream attic, make sure you have a plan.
Whether you’re building a new home or remodeling, you can start with an attic space design to help you use your space more effectively.
While you can do this on your own, hiring an attic space designer is a wise move.
While some homeowners simply don’t have the time, money or inclination to do attic conversion, others simply don’t have the space in their houses to do the job.
For these people, the best option is to create a loft by building an attic walk up.
The idea is simple, you take a smallish area and turn it into an actual room, and then add stairs to make it accessible if there are no other rooms already on the same floor
If you start with an unfinished attic, you will have to add the structure and insulation.
But, if your attic is finished, you will have some additional work of insulating it yourself or hire a contractor to do the work.
If you’ve got the tools, you can build a basic walk-up attic in a short amount of time, and if you’ve got a friend to help you can increase that speed.
