Anyone done anything with their attic which isn't a full conversion?

[CroakInTheHole]

Shamelessly posting for traffic...!

Following on from the bedroom thread, I really want to make our attic into a better space but not a full conversion.

It wouldn't be a bedroom or anything like that but somewhere we could put things and maybe even use in some way every now and then.

Has anyone turned their attic into a useable or even semi-useable space without doing a proper conversion?

And if so, can I ask for pictures?

ww floored it, put rug down, and partial plasterboard walls and a wall of bookcases... it's now part library, part dumping ground, but has some decent insulating properties for the rest of the house. also put a hole through the top of the landing cupboard with permanent ladder for ease of access. no pics coz I'm downstaira and lazy...

This might be simpler than you’re thinking but couldn’t convert ours because of the height and position of the loft so we had it boarded and had a loft ladder installed. Cost very little and did create a very useful storage space.

@MissChanandlerBong81

This might be simpler than you’re thinking but couldn’t convert ours because of the height and position of the loft so we had it boarded and had a loft ladder installed. Cost very little and did create a very useful storage space.

Thanks, this is similar to ours. There's quite a good open space in the centre up there but the trusses at either side mean it would be difficult to convert into a proper habitable room. It is already part boarded though.

I'd just love to create a nice, organised storage space up there at least, it seems like such a waste!

Sorry op no pictures.

However in our last house we did a semi conversion ourselves.

We had a window put in - we were lucky as my cousin is a window fitter so we only paid cost price plus a nominal amount for labour.

We insulated it, plasterboarded it and put floorboards in ourselves. Put a nice light up (it was already wired in thankfully).

We had a plasterer in to do the skimming then decorated it ourselves, then had carpet put down.

We used it as an office. It had a 'fancy' deep-step pull-down wooden ladder to the landing and we had a desk, Wi-Fi booster, a couple of bookcases, nice accessories and plants up there. We used it every day. It was a lovely room. Although very warm in summer, a fan was essential even with the window.

It couldn't be marketed as a room when we sold it but for all intents and purposes it was and I've no doubt it added to the value and saleability massively.

It cost us less than £2k all in, including the fancy ladder, furniture, carpet etc. Although we saved a lot by dh doing all the insulating, plasterboarding and floorboarding himself.

We're in a terrace, so the loft has two triangular brick walls between us and the neighbours on each side. We've boarded the floor, put in a really good loft ladder and lined both walls with Ikea boaxel metal shelving (deep shelves). The total cost was probably about £1,200. The shelving isn't cheap but it's really sturdy. And now the loft is an easily-accessible "room" that will swallow huge amounts of stuff, and enables is to keep the rest of the house very minimalist while being secret (well-organised) hoarders

I should add - we had a beam running about half way down, width ways, at mid thigh height. Obviously one of the things that would have been removed with a full, expensive conversion!

We sanded it and painted it white. You had to step over it to get from the entry to the main room where the desk was etc. It didn't bother us as it was a minor impact and we were happy to step over the beam rather than pay an extra £10k for a full conversion!

Op I've been thinking about this as well.

Without the full cost of loft conversions I'd love to access it and maybe even have a bathroom up there?!

My beother did something with a company I try ink it was Attic Attack or something like that, basically a window and floor and nice paint etc but just ladder access and no steel beams etc

In my last house (so no pics, sorry) I had a velux window put into the lift space, wooden floorboards, plasterboard painted walls and eaves cupboards/bookshelves. I put a double futon on the floor and it made an awesome spare room.

Didn’t work for visiting older people as it only had a lift ladder (albeit substantial with nice wide wooden steps) and there wasn’t proper head height, but it was lovely.

Of course I couldn’t count it as a bedroom when selling, but a buyer can see if it’s useful to them and it definitely increased the value, as well as giving me a second bedroom for just a couple of thousand.

My parents did this - put flooring down, put a skylight window in on the back, put in a sturdy, extendable ladder that pulled down very easily. I think they did something to the walls too but can’t remember what. On and put in a light.

It had really good storage cupboards around the sides in the bits where you couldn’t stand up, that were all nicely labelled. And then my dad used the bit where you could stand up as his painting room. Just set up an easel, small table for paints and a chair. Perfect hideaway from us kids!

Oooh great thread! Mine is partially converted, has floor, plasterboard walls. Currently storage but going to put my office up there as baby 2 on the way. The thing I really need is a decent ladder, people who have done this did you get one made and by who, is it foldable or permanent, how much was it? There apparently used to be a big beautiful folding ships ladder which broke so there is a very large hatch and panel there already, I just don't know where to go about getting a new one?

We put in two small velux windows when we were getting our roof replaced, at minimal extra expense because the roof was being done anyway. Then we paid for a really sturdy roof ladder to be put in.

This summer my husband boarded and insulated it, put sockets in, put down floorboards and built big cupboards in the eaves. We got carpet fitted professionally. It's now a lovely big room.

Will be an extra space to make up for our son having a tiny bedroom. We don't want him to sleep up there in case of fire, but we're putting a sofa bed and beanbags up there with TV unit.

I should add - we had a beam running about half way down, width ways, at mid thigh height. Obviously one of the things that would have been removed with a full, expensive conversion!

That's the purlin - it's kinda holding your roof up/your walls together...

Croak if you've trusses then a "proper" conversion is possible, but expensive. All those bits of timber holding your roof in place have to be altered/moved/replaced.
If you can board the floor and fit some shelving between them, that might be as much as your roofspace can take.
Try not to put too much weight in one area as you might cause bowing to the ceiling below.

To all previous posters...just make sure you're not invalidating your house insurance and you have permission to alter your loft from your mortgage company.
You really ought to get Building Regs unless it's purely storage.

No picture here as it isn't my loft, but friends boarded their very small loft and completely surrounded the walls with bookshelves apart from a small desk with a PC and desk lamp and a comfy desk chair. It was known as 'the study' and used pretty much daily by different members of the family despite access being via a pull-down loft ladder.

Some great ideas here.

We're considering converting for storage.

Please can someone link to the bathroom thread?

Lots of people are talking about putting floor boards down with no mention of new joists. The bits of wood the ceiling below is fixed to are only strong enough for the ceiling, not to carry the weight of a floor with heavy things on it. The joists supporting floors and all the things that go on floors need to be much stronger.

We had a loft conversion done that could not be a legal room because the only access was a spiral staircase. It had new joists and floor with velux windows and we could use it properly. Never for sleeping though, because of access.

... and followed building regs.

@pussycatlickinglollyices

To all previous posters...just make sure you're not invalidating your house insurance and you have permission to alter your loft from your mortgage company. You really ought to get Building Regs unless it's purely storage.

Exactly. Please note.

The bits of wood the ceiling below is fixed to are only strong enough for the ceiling, not to carry the weight of a floor with heavy things on it

Hmm. Tbh this really wouldn't bother me. I mean, I wouldn't go packing the room with antique solid wood furniture...but the odd bookcase and flat pack desk I don't see an issue with.

The one thing I do know is that when we did our DIY conversion, the weight the joists carried after conversion must have been a hell of a lot less! Before we did it our attic was crammed with stuff - boxes and boxes of books, a pile of smaller furniture items stacked up in a corner, huge piles of heavy camping gear, multiple boxes of assorted (heavy) shit. Clearing it out actually took a lot longer than the conversion 😂

Afterwards it was just a desk, soft furnishings and some mainly decorative bookcases.

Most people I know bemoan the state of their jam-packed attic. Never heard of anyones floor joists caving in 🤷🏻‍♀️

I found this on DIY doctor.

The concerns are

1. strength of joists - if overloaded they can bow, causing the ceiling below to crack. Worst case scenario being of course that the joists themselves go.

2. depth of insulation possible below the boarding over.

3. Escape in the case of fire. Do you want your only escape from a couple of stories high burning building to be via folding stairs, possibly on fire themselves.

"Please be aware that a loft floor is not meant to be regularly walked on. A loft or attic floor is only designed to carry a load of 25kg per square metre. The loft flooring is not designed to carry loads heavier than this. In fact the horizontal rafter sections in your loft are there solely to hold up the ceiling for the rooms below.

Where there is a heavy installation in the loft, like a water tank, that section of floor is always reinforced to allow for the extra weight. Often the rafters in that section are also given additional support using hanging timbers attached to the pitched section of the roof trusses."

www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/boarding-loft-with-loftzone.htm

I did this and put in a fixed staircase because I knew I would never be bothered with pulling a ladder down every day.
The window makes all the difference. I did have the floor strengthened and lots of insulation
It's full of junk at the moment but when I've sorted the boxes out I will have room on one side for a yoga mat and exercise ball.
The other side will be my ironing 'room' and will have a heated airer
I don't have a utility room, garage or shed so this space is great for us.
It's got all the suitcases out of the way, shoe cabinets, a bookcase, clothes rail, camping gear, extra food storage and when I get round to it my home made wine.
I use it every day

Interesting thread. When you board it, are there any weight restrictions or can it be furnished (as in bookcases, desks, etc) and used as an actual room?
I'm assuming an actual conversion will include strengthening the joists (or whatever 😬)

Oh, yours is amazing, Ted!