You probably dont care but if you guys are stoned like me atm then you can watch all of the latest movies and series on Instaflixxer. Have been streaming with my gf for the last few weeks :)
Lots of good points you bring up. Luckily I would never end up getting a permit or doing it legit though. So I don't have to worry about most of these. Biggest one I would worry about is load and insulation
Nicely done! I am a designer and construction consultant and love the simplicity of this informative video. A dormer in the attic usually resolves the space and ceiling issue, but stairs introduce a complexity. If the house is a one story building, a room will be lost on the first floor and possibly the second to accommodate stairs to the attic space. If the house has stairs to an attic, they must be code compliant or will, otherwise, require replacement. The staircase below the attic stairs must have an 80" clearance to the underside. Plumbing and heating, which are not mentioned in the video, also need to be considered. There are three strategies to adding space to a house, and their order of cost effectiveness is: going down, up, or out.
Let me ask- if I only want to convert the attic to nice storage space, are there any restriction? My attic is and old wide open rafter roof, but only 6 ft at the peak, so I am not considering it a candidate for a real room. But it seems ideal for storage if I installed a floor and lighting.
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY ok thanks! Would you recommend making insulating the attic ceiling if I'm only using it for storage? Or only insulate the floor (ceiling of 2nd story, floor of attic)?
Very useful information, thank you. I'm gearing up to do a dormer addition on a bungalow style house that has 3 bedrooms and an unfinished attic. The roof pitch is high enough to add an addition to. It over 12 ft from floor joist to ridge. All this information you provided will aid me in this venture and ensure that it will pass inspection and create a living space for the customer to utilize.
I bought a remodled historic home built in 1920 that has an attic room and it seems to be exactly these specs, nice to know. (It's just way too hot in Texas summer, even with to central air vents, I'm looking to get a window unit, so I just measured). Thank you.
Very informative. I think Florida has our own building code that is similar, but not identical to yours. My first task is to actually get up there for the first time since I bought this century-old house 3 years ago lol. Electrician and exterminator have been up there, but not yours truly!
'Legally' is the key term. LOL. Our attic is monstrous! We meet all the codes, but I can only imagine the headaches a building department would cause us! IMHO, best to ask for forgiveness when it comes to our dictator government! If you build safe, build sound, build efficient, building permits are nothing more than money makers for permits, and then jack your taxes even more! To which I say, bite me! Good video! (My attic will have two sets of steps for safety and ease of access as well as proper egress windows). Again, building permits? Over build. Make it insanely safe!
I don't have any, but I found one on framing the opening which looks promising (first link) and then also Larry Haun, a renowned carpenter, building stairs (second link). ua-cam.com/video/hqtE0W8bHsE/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/FMLIFJgz3CE/v-deo.html Hope they help, Dexter!
Great video l have a 50s rancher with access to the attic through a closet ceiling. The unfinished attic has a low pitch roof. You can stand up in the middle. We were discussing a bump out addition but my thinking 🤔 is if the ceilings could be vaulted without removing the roof maybe we can make it a master suite instead of adding on to the house. We can use space in the hallway for steps. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for the comment, Dawann. Here's a book that might give some great ideas if you're interested. www.amazon.com/Attics-Dormers-Skylights-Pros/dp/B005SNJSUC
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY Thank You. A big oak tree came through my house so I have major work to do. I think I'll need to raise the roof a lot to get real usable space.
Excellent video. Thank you. On the stairs, another video indicated that the rise + run has to equal between 18-19". The guy was making it sound like 12" run was fairly standard, so you had to adjust the rise accordingly to the overall stair height. For example, assuming stair tread (run) of 12", if the total stair height is 134", then divide by 7. This equals 19.14. Round that up to 20 so that your rise plus run will be less than 19". So, 134" divide by 20 equals 6.7" rise. So you would have a stair case with 20 treads with 12" depth and a rise of 6.7". ???? What do you think? I am learning here, not trying to wreck your video. Thank you.
Great info Dave. Just bought a 1936 craftsman with a real nice walkup unfinished attic space and really hoping it can be converted. Noted many things in you video but any ideas about proper ventilation and moisture barriers and r values needed as a minimum? Thank you
Thanks Vincent. Your new house sounds like a gem! Regarding ventilation, moisture barriers, R value, etc., it varies greatly by location and municipality. I consulted my building department and was told I had to have R-30 on my ceilings even on the slopes, and have 1.5 inch air gap because my shingle manufacturer required it. I didn't have to have a moisture barrier though. But I know others who have to have moisture barriers and R-38, but no ventilation required. Here's one I did on the insulation if you are interested and haven't seen it. It might answer some questions. ua-cam.com/video/44dPWgoxhXw/v-deo.html ... and here's an update on how the insulation is doing ua-cam.com/video/5oSQhPvCvz0/v-deo.html ... hope they help. Thanks for the comment, and I wish you the best on your new house!
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY Thank you so much for the reply Dave and I will be diving into more of your videos as I gather information. Your insight is invaluable.
Question: Currently my attic is vented from the sides at the floor. I am not sure about the overhead venting but I would imagine it has such. I want to make my attic a living space. I do not want the cold coming in. When preparing the living space do I need to maintain the ability to vent the house in the attic?
Maybe in your state but I will tell you not every state has those same codes like smoke detector being wired or arc fault because we just did this here in Illinois and the county inspection does not require wired it just has to be smoke and CO2 detection and the stair treads don't have to be that tall either also the ceiling doesn't need to be that tall either so great video just realize not all of your codes are the same in other places .
Yes, a circular stair would be legal. The problem with them is that it's nearly impossible to get any furniture up or down them. Something to consider if it's your only means of access.
It really depends on when it was converted, Kiran. Years ago codes were not as stringent, and as long as it was renovated to the codes of that day, it is legal. So I would just ask: “Was it renovated to the building code for living spaces at the time?” … Hope that helps.
Here is the code on spiral staircases: codes.iccsafe.org/s/THPOTIRC2021P1/part-iii-building-planning-and-construction/THPOTIRC2021P1-Pt03-Ch03-SecR311.7.10.1#:~:text=7.10.-,1Spiral%20stairways.,171%20mm)%20at%20the%20walkline.
Are you saying that the stairs have to be 36 inches wide? As in three feet wide? I don’t know anyone that has a staircase that is three feet wide. Are you sure about this?
I did. But I guess it depends on where you live. I've always hated the permit and inspection thing, but after you get a second set of eyes on it and them telling you it won't burn/fall down, there's definitely some peace of mind to it. .. Thanks for the comment!
Doing it yourself from scratch (if your attic is tall enough to begin with), just materials for stairs and a very basic room with no bathroom, probably around $7,000 in the US.
Our attic runs the entire top of our house. Our living spaces is about 1365 Sqft. So it's a very large attic. The ceiling height is I have to guess is probably 12ish feet or more at the highest point. So if we made walls like you had in your diagram it would be higher than 7.5 feet. The stairs may be tricky. We have an extremely narrow hallway. So we will have to see if we can put the stairs elsewhere instead of the hallway. Any suggestions?
Sabrina, sounds like your house is very similar to mine. If it's a long rectangular ranch, split down the middle with a hall, the simplest way to do it is have the stairs start at the front or back wall of your main floor and go up to the center of your attic. The staircase will likely have to be located in your living or dining room, unless you have part of another room you could sacrifice (or maybe part of a carport?). If your upstairs suite doesn't need to be accessible from the first floor, you could build stairs and a landing from the outside, like a fire escape. This would work well for someone Air B&Bing the space. In this video (if you don't miss it--it goes quickly) you can see where my stairs start and end ua-cam.com/video/RsauT215XFk/v-deo.html Hope this helps!
If you need a shorter run, you might be able to get around this using "alternating tread" stairs. Check your local codes on this, and here's a link to what they look like.. www.toptreadstairways.com/space-saving-staircase/
I like the fact that you are using a drill bit.
Was the closest thing to hand :-)
LOL... it's perfect
You probably dont care but if you guys are stoned like me atm then you can watch all of the latest movies and series on Instaflixxer. Have been streaming with my gf for the last few weeks :)
@Zaid Lionel Yup, have been watching on Instaflixxer for months myself :)
Useful stuff. was thinking about turning my attic into an unwelcoming guest bedroom.
Great video with useful information. You’ve taken extra effort to draw those pictures to explain. Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Lots of good points you bring up. Luckily I would never end up getting a permit or doing it legit though. So I don't have to worry about most of these. Biggest one I would worry about is load and insulation
Hey, I hear ya :-) ... Thanks for the comment.
Just be aware of condensation potential.
Nicely done! I am a designer and construction consultant and love the simplicity of this informative video.
A dormer in the attic usually resolves the space and ceiling issue, but stairs introduce a complexity. If the house is a one story building, a room will be lost on the first floor and possibly the second to accommodate stairs to the attic space.
If the house has stairs to an attic, they must be code compliant or will, otherwise, require replacement.
The staircase below the attic stairs must have an 80" clearance to the underside.
Plumbing and heating, which are not mentioned in the video, also need to be considered.
There are three strategies to adding space to a house, and their order of cost effectiveness is: going down, up, or out.
Thanks. I love this comment. Lot's of good info. ... By "going down," are you referring converting a basement?
Let me ask- if I only want to convert the attic to nice storage space, are there any restriction? My attic is and old wide open rafter roof, but only 6 ft at the peak, so I am not considering it a candidate for a real room. But it seems ideal for storage if I installed a floor and lighting.
@@nofurtherwest3474 There are no restrictions for storage
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY ok thanks!
Would you recommend making insulating the attic ceiling if I'm only using it for storage? Or only insulate the floor (ceiling of 2nd story, floor of attic)?
@@nofurtherwest3474 I would just insulate the floor (or ceiling below) -- that's standard practice
Very useful information, thank you. I'm gearing up to do a dormer addition on a bungalow style house that has 3 bedrooms and an unfinished attic. The roof pitch is high enough to add an addition to. It over 12 ft from floor joist to ridge. All this information you provided will aid me in this venture and ensure that it will pass inspection and create a living space for the customer to utilize.
Glad it was helpful. All the best on your project!
I bought a remodled historic home built in 1920 that has an attic room and it seems to be exactly these specs, nice to know. (It's just way too hot in Texas summer, even with to central air vents, I'm looking to get a window unit, so I just measured). Thank you.
All the best on your project, Angie!
Thank you, for this informative video. I have an attic space above a garage which I hope to make into a quiet hobby room.
Good luck!
Did you do it?
Did he ever start ?
Thanks for making one of the most useful videos on this subject! I would have missed a few of those... But that's why I'm on here doing research! :-)
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the comment Bill :-)
Very informative. I think Florida has our own building code that is similar, but not identical to yours. My first task is to actually get up there for the first time since I bought this century-old house 3 years ago lol. Electrician and exterminator have been up there, but not yours truly!
This is a great starter video for my journey to converting my attic! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
'Legally' is the key term. LOL. Our attic is monstrous! We meet all the codes, but I can only imagine the headaches a building department would cause us! IMHO, best to ask for forgiveness when it comes to our dictator government! If you build safe, build sound, build efficient, building permits are nothing more than money makers for permits, and then jack your taxes even more! To which I say, bite me! Good video! (My attic will have two sets of steps for safety and ease of access as well as proper egress windows). Again, building permits? Over build. Make it insanely safe!
Any videos about framing out an opening to add stairs that go through existing ceiling joists to get to the attic?
I don't have any, but I found one on framing the opening which looks promising (first link) and then also Larry Haun, a renowned carpenter, building stairs (second link).
ua-cam.com/video/hqtE0W8bHsE/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/FMLIFJgz3CE/v-deo.html
Hope they help, Dexter!
Great video l have a 50s rancher with access to the attic through a closet ceiling. The unfinished attic has a low pitch roof. You can stand up in the middle. We were discussing a bump out addition but my thinking 🤔 is if the ceilings could be vaulted without removing the roof maybe we can make it a master suite instead of adding on to the house. We can use space in the hallway for steps. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for the comment, Dawann. Here's a book that might give some great ideas if you're interested. www.amazon.com/Attics-Dormers-Skylights-Pros/dp/B005SNJSUC
Thanks again for the helpful info
Thanks for the video! 🙏
What if you are just finishing it for a movie room and master closet?
If no one is sleeping up there, you can pretty much do whatever you want.
this is the Best! thank you for posting
You have the floor plan load but is it not important to consider the wall framing as well?
Thank You for your video. What is the roof pitch on you attic remodel ? I'm want to add a bedroom and bath in my attic space.
I think mine's a 12/12 if I remember right. It's a fairly steep roof. Good luck.
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY Thank You. A big oak tree came through my house so I have major work to do. I think I'll need to raise the roof a lot to get real usable space.
Excellent video. Thank you. On the stairs, another video indicated that the rise + run has to equal between 18-19". The guy was making it sound like 12" run was fairly standard, so you had to adjust the rise accordingly to the overall stair height. For example, assuming stair tread (run) of 12", if the total stair height is 134", then divide by 7. This equals 19.14. Round that up to 20 so that your rise plus run will be less than 19". So, 134" divide by 20 equals 6.7" rise. So you would have a stair case with 20 treads with 12" depth and a rise of 6.7". ???? What do you think? I am learning here, not trying to wreck your video. Thank you.
Can you do a spiral staircase?
You can do a code-compliant spiral staircase only if the space upstairs is 250 square feet or less, and has fewer than 5 occupants.
Great info Dave. Just bought a 1936 craftsman with a real nice walkup unfinished attic space and really hoping it can be converted. Noted many things in you video but any ideas about proper ventilation and moisture barriers and r values needed as a minimum? Thank you
Thanks Vincent. Your new house sounds like a gem! Regarding ventilation, moisture barriers, R value, etc., it varies greatly by location and municipality. I consulted my building department and was told I had to have R-30 on my ceilings even on the slopes, and have 1.5 inch air gap because my shingle manufacturer required it. I didn't have to have a moisture barrier though. But I know others who have to have moisture barriers and R-38, but no ventilation required. Here's one I did on the insulation if you are interested and haven't seen it. It might answer some questions. ua-cam.com/video/44dPWgoxhXw/v-deo.html ... and here's an update on how the insulation is doing ua-cam.com/video/5oSQhPvCvz0/v-deo.html ... hope they help. Thanks for the comment, and I wish you the best on your new house!
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY Thank you so much for the reply Dave and I will be diving into more of your videos as I gather information. Your insight is invaluable.
Beautiful sketches
Very helpful - thank you!
Glad to hear it. Thanks for watching.
This was super helpful! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
What about a spiral staircase?
Bruh I don't have stairs to my attic you open a catch in my room and crawl in +*+
What jurisdiction are you in? Thanks for the video!
City limits of Greenville SC
is that 36" minimum stair width a hard and fast rule? we've got the perfect spot for some stairs going up into the space but it's only 30" wide
Prob depends on the codes. But if no codes then sure if it works it works
Question: Currently my attic is vented from the sides at the floor. I am not sure about the overhead venting but I would imagine it has such. I want to make my attic a living space. I do not want the cold coming in. When preparing the living space do I need to maintain the ability to vent the house in the attic?
Mine is the same (soffit vents and a ridge and/or gable vents). Here's what I did. ua-cam.com/video/44dPWgoxhXw/v-deo.html
Did you do it?
Maybe in your state but I will tell you not every state has those same codes like smoke detector being wired or arc fault because we just did this here in Illinois and the county inspection does not require wired it just has to be smoke and CO2 detection and the stair treads don't have to be that tall either also the ceiling doesn't need to be that tall either so great video just realize not all of your codes are the same in other places .
Thanks for pointing that out. I was going by the IRC, though local codes may differ.
Great video. So a circular staircase wouldn't work/be legal?
Yes, a circular stair would be legal. The problem with them is that it's nearly impossible to get any furniture up or down them. Something to consider if it's your only means of access.
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY Ahhh, thanks. Very good point!!!!! I guess a sectional couch and refrigerator would be out of the question. 😁
@@GiggleFishy lol
Just build all furniture in the attic :D
Hi, I am about to move into a attic living space. It is an old house. How do I ask the owner that the attic meets the requirement?
It really depends on when it was converted, Kiran. Years ago codes were not as stringent, and as long as it was renovated to the codes of that day, it is legal. So I would just ask: “Was it renovated to the building code for living spaces at the time?” … Hope that helps.
Thank you so much. I love it.
Glad to hear. Thank you!
Is a spiral staircase allowed?
Here is the code on spiral staircases: codes.iccsafe.org/s/THPOTIRC2021P1/part-iii-building-planning-and-construction/THPOTIRC2021P1-Pt03-Ch03-SecR311.7.10.1#:~:text=7.10.-,1Spiral%20stairways.,171%20mm)%20at%20the%20walkline.
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY Very helpful! Thanks so much!
Are you saying that the stairs have to be 36 inches wide? As in three feet wide? I don’t know anyone that has a staircase that is three feet wide. Are you sure about this?
Yes. But handrails are allowed to protrude up to 4.5 inches into that space.
It I don’t want it to be a suite can I just throw these rules out?
As long as no one is sleeping up there, you can pretty much do what you want.
I want to make my attic a living space. Verybhelpful
The height requirement of the ceiling is 7', not 7.5'
Do you need a permit for this kind of remodel?
I did. But I guess it depends on where you live. I've always hated the permit and inspection thing, but after you get a second set of eyes on it and them telling you it won't burn/fall down, there's definitely some peace of mind to it. .. Thanks for the comment!
You should say what state you're in.
I probably should have, Angela. This video was based on the International Residential Code, but I'm in South Carolina. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
How much would all this cost, rough estimate?
Doing it yourself from scratch (if your attic is tall enough to begin with), just materials for stairs and a very basic room with no bathroom, probably around $7,000 in the US.
I was quoted 3000 to make my attic steps up to code. Luckily my attic is huge and insulated and has a bedroom up ther alredy.
which country are you referring?
USA.
Insightful
You just gained a sub 🙌
Thanks so much Duane!
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY you have a very great youtube channel. I feel this can be a successful channel. Just do not give up on it.
Our attic runs the entire top of our house. Our living spaces is about 1365 Sqft. So it's a very large attic. The ceiling height is I have to guess is probably 12ish feet or more at the highest point. So if we made walls like you had in your diagram it would be higher than 7.5 feet. The stairs may be tricky. We have an extremely narrow hallway. So we will have to see if we can put the stairs elsewhere instead of the hallway. Any suggestions?
Sabrina, sounds like your house is very similar to mine. If it's a long rectangular ranch, split down the middle with a hall, the simplest way to do it is have the stairs start at the front or back wall of your main floor and go up to the center of your attic. The staircase will likely have to be located in your living or dining room, unless you have part of another room you could sacrifice (or maybe part of a carport?). If your upstairs suite doesn't need to be accessible from the first floor, you could build stairs and a landing from the outside, like a fire escape. This would work well for someone Air B&Bing the space. In this video (if you don't miss it--it goes quickly) you can see where my stairs start and end ua-cam.com/video/RsauT215XFk/v-deo.html
Hope this helps!
are these all legal requirements?
They are where I live at least. I believe these are in the IRC (International Residential Code) requirements.
I need to start small and work big lol.
I thought the rise and run had to be the same... back to the drawing board for me.
If you need a shorter run, you might be able to get around this using "alternating tread" stairs. Check your local codes on this, and here's a link to what they look like.. www.toptreadstairways.com/space-saving-staircase/
Too many rules. People should be able to do what they want with their private property.
In reality all rules are only put in place to prevent idiots from getting killed by their own stupidity
@@Uber_Versace Free Will...
@†ANGÉ|† you didn't get what I said I said rule exist to prevent stupidity.
Not "stupidity is illegal"
those rules are there to protect those who end up buying those properties and don't want to get killed by the previous owner stupidity...
@@Pablo.Fanque isn’t that what an inspector is for? Just make the inspection mandatory, not the permits
according to this my entire house is not livable space.
😦
😐
Yeah a window for egress will be just dandy from a 3rd floor. Stupid rules
You need to add stairs on the side of the home silly
Cc