We have a 2 bedroom house that is 1 story and 100 years old. However, we have an attic with 600 square feet of usable stand-up space (we measured) and four full size windows in it, however the only access is is a crawl space the size of a boot box which is located in the back of a closet. We want to put in a pulldown stairway somewhere and make the attic into a bedroom. The only problem is is that the floor joists in the attic are 2" x 6" (the lumber is in good shape too). I know that there is no way that this would be able to support a floor and/or furniture - how could we safely re-enforce the floor (without having to put in support beams downstairs because there is NO room to do that) so that we would be able to have a bedroom up there? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!!!!
2007-01-15 23:25:01 · 4 answers · asked by ~*Mrs. GM2*~ 5 in Home & Garden ➔ Decorating & Remodeling
You can cut out a section of floor joist in the attic if you build up a frame like that around the windows, usually triple laps. Use nails for vertical strength, not screws. Put in all of your electrical and comm wires, but not in the same place. You want to do this before you put down plywood. If you plan to put in a bathroom, you will need to do the pipe work at this point, but I would have a plumber do this part. You will need to figure out what kind of electrical load you will have, and whether your existing box downstairs can support it, or if you will have to put in another breaker at the main to support a box upstairs. If you put in a bathroom, you will need to put in a GFCI breaker as well.
After the electrics and plumbing are in, you have to think about heating and cooling, or HVAC as it is known. Will your existing unit support, or do you need a separate unit? Where will your return be? Where are you going to put in duct? The HVAC problem will also bring up how far the peak of the roof is from the attic floor. You need at least seven and a half feet to the finished ceiling from the finishing floor or you will have real issues with hitting light fixtures and ceiling fans. That means you need at least eleven feet from the existing floor joists to the peak to put in ceiling joists, insulation, and possibly duct.
After you solve all of this, then you put in a floor. Plywood of 3/4 inch or thicker is recommended for floor to reduce flex, creaking, and distribute weight. Do not use pressure-treat! It gives off arsenic vapors, and is against code to put in any ventilated space.
After that you need to put in a floor plate of 2x4's and frame the walls. 24-inch centers are common spacings for frames now, but 16-inch is better. Remeber that you need to leave airspace between the insulation and the underside of your roof, or it will rot, so plan walls and ceiling accordingly. After the walls, frame the ceiling with 2x6's or thicker, and start mounting you electrical and comm outlets.
An important point here is that if you obstruct the louvres or soffet vents in the attic, you will need to make this up with addition venting. Now would be a good time to put in a temp. controlled peak fan to suck hot air out of the attic in the summer. If you do this, you could also put in an attic fan for spring and fall to use the outside air better.
After the electrics are mounted and terminated, insulate. More is better, and blown will not really work with what you are trying to do. The exterior walls will need to have solid foam thinsulate unless you want to stand off your wall by almost a foot. If you have never hung sheetrock, pay a painter to finish the job. A bad rock and mud job will make all of your hard work and investment look like crap.
2007-01-16 02:51:17 · answer #1 · answered by crossbones668 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
2x6 Is plenty strong enough. Nail some 1/2 inch plywood to it for a floor and you will be fine. I would hire a carpenter and have the entrance open up and a small stairway and a door installed. Then with that much room I would make that my master bedroom. Best of luck to you. A Bedroom with a view sounds nice.
2007-01-15 23:39:54 · answer #2 · answered by bill a 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get a contractor or a roofer to come in and fix the holes that you have. They are coming in from somewhere besides the chimney. You need to block the hole before you can do anything else.
2016-03-28 23:57:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yup i have to totaly agree with suninfla
2007-01-15 23:47:27 · answer #4 · answered by addybme 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋