Creating An Extra Room In Your Roof: The Real Storey
Sun Herald
Sunday May 9, 2004
THERE'S something in the attic. It might be a bedroom, a playroom, parents' retreat, living area, guest room, home theatre, games room, music room or home office.
An attic can be whatever you fancy, hence the popularity of attic conversions or, if you prefer, loft conversions.
``Loft" and ``attic" both mean that area between roof and ceiling. While strictly speaking a loft is unpartitioned, these days the terms are interchangeable. It's just that some prefer ``loft" because it sounds loftier.
``Garret" means the same thing, too, but since it conjures images of starving artists, let's stick with attic.
Assuming you need more living or bedroom space and are considering an attic conversion, the first thing you should do is to check your local council's regulations.
Heritage restrictions can limit street-front design, and attic conversions are prohibited in some areas.
Presuming there are no such difficulties, take a torch, a ladder and a measuring tape, squeeze through the manhole and check out the roof space.
If you can't stand up in the middle of the space, you've got problems. The ideal roof pitch for an attic is from 32 to 38 degrees. If your roof isn't steep enough you can add headroom and thus add to the cost by raising the roof, or you might consider the alternative of adding another storey.
A top-storey addition would give you about a third more space than an attic conversion but would cost a great deal more.
An average attic conversion costs about $80,000, while a basic additional storey won't leave much change from $200,000.
If you can stand up in the roof space, so far so good. Measure for height, then, taking care to step only on the joists to avoid crashing through the ceiling, measure the floor area. If half the area has headroom of 2.3 metres or more, it probably meets most councils' requirements for an attic living room or bedroom.
If flashing the torch around reveals a forest of trusses, don't despair. Modern trussed roofs, with rows of triangular frames, are more difficult to convert than older roof styles, but it's still doable.
Some trusses will have to be removed to allow space for a room, and other timbers strengthened. Just keep in mind the old chippies' saying, ``It's the roof that holds the house up", and get expert advice.
The same goes for the ceiling timbers. They weren't designed to carry a floor and will need to be reinforced.
So if you intend doing it yourself rather than hiring a builder or attic conversion specialist, play it safe and first get a building inspection by an architect or engineer.
The work involved including structural changes will depend on the purpose of the room.
If you want an unpartitioned living space or bedroom, complications should be minimal. If you want to turn a large attic into two separate rooms, you'll need to consider where to place dividing walls and doors to provide separate access. And if you want to include a bathroom or toilet, linking into existing plumbing limits your layout options but can save a packet.
Whatever the planned use for your attic, light and air are prime considerations. Attics are famously cosy but there's such a thing as being too cosy dark, stuffy and claustrophobic. To take advantage of natural light and ventilation and views, if you're lucky factor in standard windows, dormer windows, skylights or all of the above.
Standing in the roof space, you'll be reminded that heat rises. It can be 20 degrees hotter up there than below, so effective insulation is essential.
To cut down noise, plan to insulate the floor, too. Someone slithering across an attic floor in slippers can sound like the Serengeti migration from below.
The space between the ceiling and the new attic floor is also handy for concealing pipes and wiring.
Lastly, work out where to put the staircase. Conventional staircases take up a surprising amount of room so the ideal site for an attic stair is an existing dead space such as a section of corridor or a cupboard. For houses with little or no space to spare, there are alternatives to the conventional staircase. A spiral staircase takes up far less room, or, if even that would be too cramped, you could opt for a fold-down ladder.
* To find an architect to suit your needs, contact Archicentre, the home advisory service of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, on 1300 134 513 or visit www.archicentre.com.au.
FOR THOSE WITH LOFTY AMBITIONS
ROOF: The pitch for an attic roof should be from 32 to 38 degrees.
INSULATION: Heat rises and noise annoys, so insulate walls, ceiling and floor.
STRUCTURE: Low headroom and trussed roofs require structural changes to create an attic space.
PLUMBING: Locate bathrooms or toilets where they can be easily connected to existing plumbing.
WINDOWS: For natural light and ventilation, install standard or dormer windows, and skylights.
STAIRS: If space doesn't allow for conventional stairs, install a spiral staircase or fold-down ladder.
© 2004 Sun Herald
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