If you’ve got an attic, then you don’t realize how lucky you are! That probably sounds strange, but think about it; you’ve basically got an extra room in your home. It adds value to your home, and you make the most out of all the space in your property.
There are plenty of ways you can use your attic to make it a great part of your home. If you look at any of the attic conversion ideas online, you’ll see you can turn it into another bedroom, a study, a games room – or just use it for storage. I’m not about to tell you how to convert your attic, but I will lay down a few things that I believe everyone should do to this part of your home.
Check for any cracks or holes
Most attics will end up with some sort of break or hole somewhere. It’s just a sign of wear and tear, and you usually find them in the roof or at the corners of the attic. Obviously, you need to check for these things because you can’t convert your attic if it has holes in it! But, it’s for more than just aesthetic reasons too.
Holes in the roof will lead to leaks, which will just damage the inside of your attic and cause flooding. So, if this is the case, then get an expert roofer in to fix your roofing and seal any holes. Also, holes or cracks allow pests to creep into your attic and make nests. If you find any nests – or other signs of pests – then bring in a professional pest control service to sort everything out. Once your attic has been checked for cracks/holes, and everything is repaired and perfect, you can start concerning yourself with a few of the other things on this list.
Make sure it’s insulated
Your home will lose a lot of heat through the roof. Therefore, your attic tends to be a cold and dreary place. In fact, this is probably why a lot of people don’t bother taking advantage of it, and they end up neglecting this precious space.
If you want to make your attic a more comfortable place – and somewhere you can actually use – then you have to make sure it’s insulated. There are plenty of ways you can do this, but it helps to get professional advice and assistance. Some people put insulation on the flooring, while others also put some on the rafters below the roof as well. Either way, ensure your attic is nice and warm by adding the appropriate insulation to it!
Board up the flooring
Some attics don’t technically have any flooring. When you go up into yours, you may be met with lines of wooden beams that run across the floor. Between these beams, you might have old insulation. Or, you could have nothing – which explains why your attic is so cold! You can technically stand on the floor between the beams, but it’s not a permanent flooring option if you’re serious about using your attic!
So, you need to board up the flooring. Lay down some proper floorboards so you can actually stand and walk around inside your attic. This also helps with the insulation as you trap it beneath the floorboards, making it more effective at storing heat. But, the main purpose of this is to let you put any kind of furniture in your attic, put storage boxes on the floor, and so on. Now, you can pretty much convert it however you like.
Install a good stair system
Naturally, the worst thing about an attic is getting inside it. A lot of attics come with ladders that fold down for you to climb up. Sometimes, you have to get your own ladder to try and get up there. Neither option is really ideal as it just doesn’t seem that safe or comfortable.
Ideally, you want to install a good stair/ladder system to get into your attic. You can install ones where you basically get a set of mini stairs that fold down, making it very easy for you to walk up. Even if you can only get a ladder installed, ensure it’s easy for you to open the hatch and bring the ladder down every time. The easier and safer it is to get inside your attic, the better it becomes.
So, with these ideas, you will basically create the foundations for an attic conversion. The floor is laid, you’ve got an excellent system for getting up inside, it’s well insulated, and you’re sealed up any breaches. Now, it’s just a case of choosing how to use your attic and get the most out of it!
