Converting Garage Attic Into Living Space
Fire as a cause of injury and death is the main reason for these restrictions.
Converting garage attic into living space. To legally do this you must convert a garage by turning it into either a guest quarter or an accessory dwelling unit. To meet most building codes your attic should. Now that you ve done the preliminary research here are a few ideas for converting your attic into usable living space.
A guide to convert attic space to living space. One way is by working within the home s existing footprint and converting the attic into living space. Regulated for a reason like basement remodels attic conversions have restrictions that make them less attractive for remodeling as they might first appear.
Turning an attic into living space may require adding a staircase and beefing up the existing framing. If your property is large enough you might even consider building a new detached garage while converting the old attached garage to valuable living space. Yes your garage conversion can most definitely become a living space.
That means you ll need 2x10 floor joists or maybe 2x8 in rare circumstances and at least 2x12 roof rafters. A guest quarter is a living space that has a bathroom and a wet bar but no kitchen. Technical issues such as locating a safe staircase and the distribution of additional joists required to accommodate the new load bearing and stress factors.
Storage is always at a premium in most homes and converting an attic into living space presents a wonderful opportunity to create some built in storage solutions such as this brilliant window seat storage unit with built in shelving and drawers to maximize the use of space. When converting an attic to a living space it must meet the same building requirements as the other rooms in your home. Dormers are usually the best way to add light and additional floor space to an attic room.
While converting an attic into a living space can carry a hefty up front price tag the remodeling costs could end up being an investment that increases your home value. Because this room is next to the roof you ll find it feels cooler and warmer than the rest of the house depending on the weather outside. Converting an attic into a living space is a great method of adding another room to the house but it is not a job for the average diy person.