Remodeling a Small Attic | Home Guides | SF Gate

Attics can be converted into living spaces.

Attic spaces are most commonly used for storage, but they can also be remodeled to provide extra living space in a home if there is sufficient room. When you remodel a small attic, you have multiple options as you go about designing the addition, but building codes for living space need to be taken into consideration, as well as structural integrity and support.

Although any walls you add for the remodel need to be framed to provide a support for the drywall, they are not load-bearing walls, which means you do not necessarily need to follow the usual 16-inch stud spacing for load-bearing walls and can instead use 24-inch spacing if you desire. Most attics have sloping walls, and youll want to frame the lower sections to add storage and create a square look and feel to the largest area where you create the living space. Any framing additions should also tie into the existing wall, floor and roof framing for support.

As a general rule, attic floors do not provide sufficient support for a subfloor, which means adding floor joists. This is where things get tricky, as different floor materials have different requirements for required joists and subfloor material. As a general rule, you should use a minimum of two-by-12 engineered material to give you room to add wiring, ductwork or cables. The joists are then covered with at least two layers of 5/8-inch-thick interior-grade plywood.

Living spaces need at least one entrance and one emergency exit to comply with building codes. Although the exit could be a large window, the entrance needs to be a full-sized staircase and doorway with a 6-foot 8-inch clearance at the upper platform, large enough for a door, or it can be left open. The staircase could be interior or exterior if you dont have enough space inside the home and need to run a staircase up the wall of the home.

If you plan on making your attic space into, say, a sewing room or a craft area, you need at least 7 feet of clearance to the ceiling across a floor that is at least 70 square feet. The low-clearance areas around the edge of the room with sloping roofs will need to be used for storage, which is where the framing of small walls comes into play.

Avoid adding bathrooms in attics because you will run into costly plumbing inclusions. Such additions require you to cut into the existing walls and floors to tie into the pipes. In addition, if plan on adding things such as a waterbed, bathroom with a tub, natural stone tiles or anything of substantial weight, you will need to contact a structural engineer to see if you must also shore up the foundation of the home. Also understand that you will need a building permit to convert your attic, and additional inspections are required for wiring, plumbing or mechanical work (such as adding heating, ventilation and air conditioning vents).

Tim Anderson has been freelance writing since 2007. His has been published online through GTV Magazine, Home Anatomy, TravBuddy, MMO Hub, Killer Guides and the Delegate2 group. He spent more than 15 years as a third-generation tile and stone contractor before transitioning into freelance writing.

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Remodeling a Small Attic | Home Guides | SF Gate