How to utilize the space most effectively on the attic?

Hi T., I'm an interior designer so I have lots of ideas!:) A couple of things to consider...if you have the budget to add a bathroom in the attic it will increase the resale value of your home plus make it a lot more convenient for you. Even a 1/2 bath would help, but a 3/4 bath is best for resale. (of course you would legally need permits). Also, although skylights are great for adding more light, they can also let in a lot of heat and cold air. Even though you're installing HVAC it will still be hotter in the summer and colder in the winter than the rest of the house. So, if you do put in skylights make sure they are well insulated and are coated so the light doesn't fade stuff in your room. (Same goes for windows). Depending on where the chimney is (if you have one)maybe you could split the space up and have half for storage and half for bedroom or build closets into the sloped part of the walls. Good luck!

well for 2,300 i just paid a contractor to finish my attic, space was 25 by 18 and the ceiling might be 10 feet to give you an idea and that was just drywall some extra studs and labor. to maximize space keep the roof line, and have knee walls only as high as you need them in order for the room to be functinal,the more square the room is the more space you wil waste behind those walls, those spaces make great closet space though. I'm not sure if that even makes sence the way it's written but i hope you know what i mean, the walls in my sons room are only 4 feet high and then slope up to follow the roof to the peak so that we used as much of the space as possible. it's turned out very nice and is a great space so good luck it's a great idea.

Mine & my husbands room has the sloped ceilings with the stairs kinda in the middle of the room, we have 2 large closets by the stairs the a half bath (toilet & sink) closed off into another small room with a sliding door to save space then there are 2 biult in large dressers (well, drawers) so there is nothing sticking out and taking up unneeded space, all we really need is our bed and a night table, plus we have crawl spaces behind the dresser and closets on both sides. we also have windows on both "speak" side of the house for light, but becareful, you might want to double insulate the upstairs because you would be surprised how eay our room heats up in the summer (even with central air we still need a window unit) and in the winter the average temp is maybe 55 up there.

I would look for sales at the home improvement stores and also look at their drywall- look for ones with a little damage that maybe you could make work. We were able to get drywall at half price because a corner was damaged. The corner was hidden behing the woodwork. Also, check for open boxes and things like that- there is usually a discount. Also, bring the different ads to the stores. They will usually price match. I was even able to use a Lowes Coupon at Home Depot because I told them I was going to shop there instead and they honored the coupon rather than lose the business. Good Luck!

Hi. You can save a lot of money by doing this yourself, just make sure you check to see what things have to be done by a professional. I know electrical work, depending on what kind, needs to be professionally done. You should be able to check with the city to see what's necessary. My partner and his dad are long time construction guys, they say to check around at places like Lowes and Home Depot for the best prices and financing options. They even say that a lot of the people who work there can be GREAT for information, whether that be on how to do something or the best item to use, even for cheap but professional labor. Ben's also saying to simply google 'atic remodeling' and utilize the articles and ideas that come up. As for the windows you may want to try Window Depot. They have a store in either Dayton or Fairborn. Their prices must be pretty great because they won quite a few govt contracts for window replacement last year. Our old atic was made over into two bedrooms and a bath. The thing we loved about it was the space it provided. Since the ceiling was sloped there were LOTS of built in storage units, shelves, closets, etc along the walls. It was wonderful. Good luck with the remodel. Try to have some fun with it and don't let it overwhelm you. Remodels can be stressful but they can also be lots of fun!

If you've not yet done so, ask your Realtor. A good Realtor should be able to direct you to resources, contractors, etc. and also give you guidelines on the best way to 'stage' the space. Then again, since your house has been on the market for two years, you might want to also switch Realtors at this time.

Skylights are more expensive than a window (or even two). I ran into that problem when we remodeled our 3 bedroom house that only had four (count 'em 4!) windows. We used windows with a crank so it opens like a door. That didn't take up much room in the wall but we still get just as much air as a push up or down window.

If at all possible, put dressers and shelves into the wall. I'll explain a basic idea of what I mean. Cut a hole in the wall about the size of your dresser. Put dresser in hole. Use trim around outside to cover the cut wall and help dresser look like it was always there. Doing it isn't much more difficult than that but you have to measure your crawl space and the wall vs. shelf or dresser area. I helped do this in someone else's home and it gave lot more floor space without losing storage.

Insulate that space or you will sweat in the summer and hoard blankets in the winter. I recommend insulating more than you think need, that way you will have plenty.

Good luck and try to have fun doing this. You are customizing your home!

First of all, be careful about skylights, if not properly installed you can have tremendous troubles with leaking whenever it rains!! Secondly, in our old house we had the former attic finished off and the area with the 4ft knee wall made a great "child's height" closet. The closet space ran the length of the room with a shelf/closet rod at the uppermost height of the level wall (4ft). We had a dresser we slid in underneath a section of the shelving, and other sets of drawers and organizers as well for toy and misc stuff. There was a wall built about 4 ft out with double bi-fold doors for easy wide-open access. We had two 2ft flourescent lights inside so it was very bright. We also painted the walls inside bright yellow and the sloped ceiling sky blue and put up glow-in-the-dark stars. In one corner of the "closet" the kids put bean bag chairs and would go in there and hide and play together. They loved it because it was bright and cheerful and big enough for both closet space and "secret hideaway" space. That area became more than just a closet to my kids, it was an extension of their room, and a room within a room. Everything was right at their height to reach (nothing was higher than 4ft). Also, to make up for the fact that it was not a very bright room since there were only two windows, we ended up painting the entire room bright yellow so it always felt flooded with sunshine. I hope this helps you. Good luck with your project!