Converting the roof of an old house into an attic: features of calculation and design

Attic It is considered an additional room where anyone can build a room for any purpose: a bedroom, a guest room or a children's room. The total area and layout are selected depending on the type and features of the roof. What types of attic floors exist and how to choose the right one will be discussed in the article.

• Attic in a wooden house
• Types of roofs above the attic space
• Advantages and disadvantages
• Features of the mounting system
• Original interior design options

HOUSES WITH AN ATTIC - PROS AND CONS

In the 17th century, French architects realized that attic-type rooms could be put to good use. Here you can arrange another bedroom, an office, a children's room, a studio for creative activities, and so on. Since then, the room under the angled roof has been called an attic.

For modern low-rise construction, recently there has been an increasingly clear trend of designing a building with maximum use of the entire usable area.

Projects of wooden houses have not been spared this trend either, especially since practice shows that it is more profitable to build a house made of timber with an attic

The biggest advantage of the attic project is that, unlike standard buildings, this solution allows you to significantly save material and reduce construction time. After all, using the space under the roof to equip a living room is much simpler than building a full-fledged second residential floor of the house.

These days, such buildings are very popular. Firstly, the attic helps to enliven the appearance of buildings, making it more interesting, unusual and attractive. Secondly, additional space that can be put to good use will never be superfluous.

The cost of construction will be slightly higher than the implementation of a one-story housing project. Nevertheless, the benefits are obvious. Construction time is from 20 days. You get an almost full-fledged additional floor with significant savings on its construction.

The following facts also speak in favor of such an architectural solution:

• additional space that can be arranged according to your wishes, the opportunity to decorate the interior in an interesting way;
• excellent view from the windows;
• the construction of an attic is much cheaper than a full-fledged residential floor, while not much inferior to it in functionality;
• when implementing such a project, there is absolutely no need to immediately arrange a living space; it can be completed during operation;
• the presence of an attic gives the building completeness.

The main advantage of a house with an attic is the optimal use of living space with significant savings in space and construction costs. There are almost no downsides to such projects.

Attic finishing

After the roof is ready and the attic windows are installed, you can begin to arrange the interior of the attic.

This operation is performed in this order:

• Work should begin by completing the floor. It should be noted that the construction of the attic floor of a wooden house does not have any special features - a waterproofing film is laid on the boards located between the beams, after which insulation and another layer of waterproofing are laid. If the beams are level, a subfloor is laid on them, otherwise logs are pre-installed.
• Next, the roof is insulated. To do this, a heat insulator is placed in the space between the rafters, which is fixed with wooden slats. Mineral mats are usually used as insulation.
• Then a vapor barrier film is attached to the slats.
• A sheathing is mounted on top of the slats, to which plasterboard, wooden lining or other finishing material is attached. Further design of the attic in a wooden house is carried out at your own discretion.

At this point, the arrangement of the attic can be considered complete.

WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF THE PROJECT?

The main advantage of the project is the rational distribution of usable space. The space under the roof allows you to equip several rooms for which there is usually no space in an ordinary house or, at best, is allocated a separate corner.

A timber attic project, depending on the area of ​​the building, can accommodate a study, a library, and a children's playroom. But it is necessary to take into account that such a room must meet certain conditions:

1. The attic space is located directly under the roof, so in order to reduce heat loss it is necessary to install effective thermal insulation.
2. The circulation of air flows negatively affects the condition of the walls and ceiling of the attic, so the house will have to be equipped with an effective ventilation system.
3. It is possible to provide a spacious room with a sufficient amount of light through the installation of skylights, which means that the rafter structure must ensure the reliability of the entire structure.
4. The strength of the entire building depends on the correct calculation and high-quality construction of the structure, so it is necessary to involve professionals in the development of the project, and not rely on one’s own strength.

Features of the mounting system

The main features of the mono mounting system include the following:

1. The complexity of the work associated with the installation of an attic requires considerable financial costs. The ceiling height in this case is lower. When arranging an attic space, it is necessary to build a straight roof, so the walls should be located exclusively at angles less than 90 degrees to the floor.
2. Increasing requirements for the load-bearing capacity of the rafter system when it comes to roofing materials such as tiles. The best rafter section is 5x15 centimeters, the optimal pitch is 100 centimeters. In those areas where there is heavy rainfall, it is advisable to reduce the pitch - 60...80 centimeters.
3. Using a window in the attic, you can implement interesting ideas: for example, it can simultaneously serve as an exit to the roof.
4. Construction of special water drains from the walls. Here it is advisable to lengthen the rafters by 55 centimeters.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

A house with an attic floor must comply with both construction and sanitary standards. Technical standards and construction requirements must ensure:

• The ceiling height is not lower than 2.3 meters for a horizontal ceiling surface. If the ceiling is slanted, its minimum height for placing furniture with a mezzanine is 2.1 meters;
• The area of ​​the room for the bedroom should be at least 7 m2, and for a room with a sloping ceiling it is recommended to choose a room with an area of ​​10-12 m2;
• When choosing window openings, the recommended ratio of floor area to window area should be 1:10. That is, with a room area of ​​14 m2, the window area should be at least 1.4 m2;
• It is recommended to lay out the walls in a room with a sloping ceiling in such a way that their minimum height is 0.9 m;
• The placement of furniture is planned in such a way that the height of the sloping ceiling above the bed is at least 1.2 meters;
• Ventilation must be installed in both residential and non-residential premises;
• The insulation of the attic is carried out with non-combustible materials with the obligatory treatment of timber, rafters and cladding with fire-resistant materials.

As practice shows, compliance with these simple requirements allows you to ensure the safety and comfort of your home.

Multilayer plywood

Finishing the inside of the attic (the photo shows a variety of design solutions) can be done using a popular and easy-to-use material like plywood, which is made from wood veneer and has an ideal structure for use in any room. Due to its bending strength, plywood is ideal for wall sheathing and rafter systems. The use of any material with a wood base requires the installation of materials for heat and vapor barrier. But it doesn’t hurt to know some installation nuances:

• The gaps that appear between the plates are best hidden under color-matched moldings;
• traces of the heads of fasteners can be hidden with putty of a suitable color;
• Furniture varnish covering plywood will provide reliable protection for the wood surface.

Plywood is suitable for installation not only on attic walls, but also for covering floors. Sheathing requires the creation of a frame; the plywood sheets themselves are attached to it with nails or self-tapping screws. The sheathing process begins with inclined planes and gables, after which horizontal surfaces are sheathed.

ATTIC FLOOR CONFIGURATIONS

To create an attic roof on your own, you need to set the angle of inclination of about 30 - 60 degrees. Too large an angle will reduce the usable area. Many important issues remain to be resolved if the attic was not originally planned.

These issues are related to the creation of windows, doors, roof insulation, installation of stairs and much more. When choosing a staircase, it is advisable to give preference to a spiral one. It is the most “pleasant to the eye” and will also significantly save costs.

There are 3 types of attic configurations:

1. Separate one-level floor.
2. Floor with 2-level development.
3. A room with a mezzanine floor, where the base is developed into 2 levels.

Attics can be winter (with insulation) or summer (without insulation). In addition, they differ in roof structures: with a full and incomplete roof slope, with partially vertical walls. You can create an attic with your own hands if it was not built during the construction of the house. The construction of the attic floor begins with a project.

If you plan to use a ready-made cottage project, then do it a month and a half before the start of construction work. If you want to order an individual one, then in order to start construction in the spring, the optimal ordering date is the beginning or middle of winter, since professional work on an individual project requires a lot of time.

DESIGN - OPTIONS FOR WOODEN HOUSES

The basis of the attic project is the decision on the location of the walls. One of the options is suitable for an attic floor with a high roof and a slight slope, for a narrow or long room. Here a small part of the ceiling is separated and the depressions of the corners are slightly “cut off”, forming a broken hexagon with slopes and providing more space for placement. The attic project with the placement of walls using the second method involves the use of storage rooms that are not included in the main living space. More suitable for “steep” roofs with medium width.

The dimensions of the attic space vary depending on a certain ceiling height, because channels are installed at the base of the ceiling under the perpendicular. The result is a rectangular space.

These projects are very popular in suburban construction, and there are enough reasons for this.

Firstly, organizing living space under the roof allows you to reduce the cost of building materials, and at the same time get an additional living area.

Secondly, building a house with an attic saves the time required for its construction.

The roof, provided with reliable thermal insulation and a heating system, allows you to organize full-fledged living quarters, as well as place an additional storage system. An additional bonus is the romantic skylights in the roof itself, which not only serve to insolate the interior space, but also allow you to admire the stars all night long if you wish. Windows can be placed in gables or in the form of dormer windows along the slopes.

Construction of an attic under a sloping roof

The owner of a house with a sloping roof has the opportunity to create an attic that is no different from other rooms, that is, with vertical walls and a horizontal ceiling. The walls are formed as follows:

1. Racks made of timber are installed on the floor, attached to the rafters from above.
2. Horizontal frame purlins are nailed to the racks.
3. Sheathing and, if necessary, finishing are attached to the frame.

The easiest way to use a suspended ceiling is to not forget, of course, to first insulate the roof.

Video: insulating an attic under a sloping roof

The consumption of materials in the attic under a sloping roof is lower than under a pitched roof.

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PROJECT OF A FRAME HOUSE WITH AN ATTIC

Providing advantages in terms of living space, the construction of a frame house with an attic will make it possible to economically use not only land, but also financial resources: buildings of this type are quite light and do not require additional strengthening of the foundation, which affects the price of the building. In addition, construction on a finished project occurs in a short time, which is also an important advantage.

When arranging the attic floor, it is important to pay attention to the illumination of interior spaces that have residential purposes. For the necessary insolation of the space, you can use skylights, which are located directly in the roof and provide the necessary access to sunlight

In our catalog you can familiarize yourself with various projects of frame houses with an attic floor and choose a solution taking into account all your wishes and price preferences.

Of course, for a good rest it is important that the country cottage is comfortable and spacious. An excellent option for those who want to get maximum comfort at the most optimal cost is a frame house with an attic.

Arrangement of the attic

Roof installation

As an example, consider the arrangement of an attic in a wooden house with a broken rafter system, since this design is considered classic. It should be said right away that the process of building a house is the same as when constructing a one-story building.

All the features consist only in the arrangement of the roof under which the living space will be located. Before you start work, you should familiarize yourself with the features of this design in the diagram, after which you need to make a drawing indicating all the dimensions of the parts, adjusting them to the parameters of your home.

This will greatly simplify further work, since it will be possible to complete all the details “on the ground” in advance, and then just assemble the frame.

In addition, you can think through the design of the attic in a wooden house in advance in order to purchase all the necessary building materials.

Note! Before assembling the frame, it is necessary to treat all structural parts with an antiseptic.

The design of the attic roof of a broken-type wooden house

So, the instructions for making an attic look like this:

• After the walls are erected, the floor beams are installed.
• Then rafter racks are installed on the beams. You can attach them to the beams using metal corners. In addition, you need to connect all the racks together with crossbars.
• Next, the lower rafter legs are attached to the beams and the top of the racks. All elements should be reinforced with bevels.
• Then the installation of the upper rafter legs is carried out, which are connected to each other at the top in the ridge unit, and rest on the drains from the bottom. The upper rafters must be strengthened with ties, which will subsequently serve as the basis for the attic ceiling.
• At the window locations, additional rafters are installed to which the window frame is attached.
• After the structure is ready, the lathing is installed, which is attached on top of the rafters.
• Next, a vapor barrier film is overlapped to the sheathing and then the roofing material is laid - metal tiles, corrugated sheets, slate or other material.

This completes the installation of the roof. Separately, it should be said about the execution of the pediments. As a rule, they are a frame, which is subsequently covered with facing material.

In some cases, the gables are made of the same material as the walls of the house.

Note! All load-bearing parts of the roof should be made of timber with a cross-section of at least 100x100 mm.

Scheme of interior decoration of the attic

LOG HOUSES WITH ATTIC FLOOR

Projects of houses with a wooden attic are in quite high demand on the market for several reasons:

— wooden cottage projects are considered the most prestigious and interesting in the West, and are also traditional for our country;

— house designs based on rounded logs make it possible to erect a building that has excellent operational and aesthetic properties;

— ready-made projects with an attic floor can significantly reduce the total cost of construction work.

BATH OR GARAGE WITH ATTIC

A bathhouse with an attic is, in fact, a two-story bathhouse where you can conveniently place a relaxation room, billiards, and karaoke. It is worth considering that the billiard table has considerable weight, so it will be necessary to install additional ceilings in the bathhouse.

A garage with an attic involves installing a bathroom or kitchen in the latter, which will require the installation of utilities and networks. The larger the garage, the larger the room in it.

The most convenient option is a garage for one car measuring approximately 5 by 6 m, with a ceiling height of 2-2.2 m.

LAYOUT

Projects of individual houses made of wood and a well-thought-out layout, carried out at a professional level with the highest quality, are a guarantee of a long service life of the building, the reliability of all its structures, careful design of all systems and the possibility of expanding them to the limits you need, as well as the complete absence of any unpleasant “surprises” .

Properly created projects give you the opportunity not to worry about the quality of construction and protect you from a lot of potential problems that in the future would require making unplanned, expensive decisions. And, of course, cottage projects are completely ready-made instructions for builders.

The most common type of attic is simply a large space under the roof. Accordingly, it is used in two versions: either an unheated attic for storing something, or a full-fledged living space in the form of, for example, a room.

It’s great when you have the opportunity to optimize all the free spaces of your own home, to make every meter of the building functional and attractive. But there is one “but”.

According to technical documents, the ceiling height for the attic is 1.5–2.5 meters. If the height is lower, it’s definitely an attic; if higher, it’s already a floor. And here, when preparing certain documents, it is worth paying attention to the specific issue of the under-roof space. An attic is not a living space, and a one-story house with an attic is already considered a two-story building. According to these different functionalities of the premises, different taxes are applied.

But can additional expenses be stopped if it is possible to arrange a bedroom for guests, create a playground, an office for work, or set up an entire winter garden? In order to optimize space or gain additional advantages during construction, there is hardly any point in thoughtless savings.

In this case, the first step is to fully evaluate the design and take into account all the features.

TYPES OF ATTIC ROOFS

The attic space intended for housing is called a mansard roof. Recently, they have become very popular, as they increase the usable area of ​​the house and do not require large material and physical investments.

It should be remembered that the best option is to plan the attic in advance, even in the house design. This will help when planning the location of window openings and the overall load.

1. Gable. Such a roof will not require much effort or expense from you. Fewer building materials will be required compared to other options. But if you want to get a large usable area of ​​room space, then this type of attic roof is not for you.
2. Broken. This option, on the contrary, provides a large attic. But engineering calculations will be quite complex in this case, and large material investments will also be required.
3. Single-level. In this case, the attic room will be shifted to one side of the building. This option is more suitable for professionals than for beginners. It requires large expenses and very complex calculations. But if you have experience, then it’s worth a try, as the attic space will be very spacious.
4. Two-level. This is the most intricate option. Here, most likely, you will have to resort to the help of specialists. Such an attic should be planned initially and included in the project at the very beginning of the construction of the house.

The best option is a roof that has different slope angles. Also, in order to equip an additional room - an attic, it is necessary that the roof has increased thermal and waterproof properties. It is recommended to use roofing materials such as slate or tiles to increase thermal insulation.

The first step is to start from the roof structure itself:

• with one slope - the ceiling has a slope, at which the space under it will be small and uncomfortable;
• with two slopes connected by a ridge - the most popular type;
• broken slopes - a variation of the previous option, but with a more complicated design and with the most free space under it;
• with four slopes - the ability to install four windows on each slope;

There are also asymmetrical roofs, under which several rooms can be arranged using remote consoles present on a single-level roof. When choosing a contractor for the construction, repair or construction of a new roof, special attention should be paid to its versatility, as well as the presence of a business reputation.

When building a house, when choosing the type of roof you need to consider:

• load on supports and foundation;
• roof height and width;
• check building codes and regulations;
• At the planning stage, think through to the smallest detail the arrangement of the attic itself.

BASIC CONDITIONS FOR COMFORT

Studying the arrangement option will allow you to optimize and use the opportunities to the maximum. And the most important thing for any arrangement of a residential attic remains comfort.

The main conditions for creating a comfortable additional room. Each of them should be given special attention, thought through, and worked out:

• insulation;
• waterproofing;
• vapor barrier;
• lighting;
• sound insulation;
• layout with separate zones.

Comfort in a room primarily depends on how warm it is. And high-quality waterproofing will give you confidence that rain will not seep into the attic. Condensation from the difference in temperature inside and outside the house, as well as noise from rain, are unlikely to contribute to a comfortable stay, so you should think about such possible problems in advance. When creating a project, important attention should be paid to the quality of lighting. Proper planning of all electrical systems is one of the prerequisites for future coziness and comfort.

HOUSE WITH ATTIC: OUTSIDE VIEW

The supporting base of the house and the attic itself can be made of various materials. The main thing, of course, is their quality. But the entire roof with its elements must be both light and strong at the same time. Concrete and stone are unlikely to be appropriate here, since the floors may not withstand too much load. Slate and metal tiles remain widely in demand in modern construction due to their worthy characteristics. And mineral wool or its analogues will serve as an excellent insulation.

The facade of any house is its face. It’s great if this face looks neat and fits harmoniously into the surrounding area. Decorative finishing in the form of siding or artificial stone will give the outside a special look. And even if the landscape of the site is not impressive, then with proper finishing of the facade, the surrounding area will also be transformed.

Construction in the form of a square is a common variant of a cottage. To prevent such a structure from looking gray and too ordinary, it is enough to attach a veranda to the house near the porch. Open or closed to weather influences - to the taste of the owner. And if you add a balcony to the house on the attic floor, then the overall appearance will acquire its originality.

Types of attic spaces

A wooden attic is a living room located in the attic, that is, actually an attic space. According to professional construction terminology, an attic, or attic floor, is a living space located on the top floor of a house, and is characterized by the presence of an attic roof. This suggests that the attic facade is partially or completely limited by the roof surfaces.

The design of the attic should correspond as closely as possible to the main building. Depending on the type of roof:

• single-slope
• gable
• broken line

In addition, there is another classification, according to which attics are:

• single-level with a gable roof. This room is an ordinary attic, converted into living space. The design and construction of such premises is not difficult and can be done by hand. Disadvantages include a lack of usable space and a low ceiling
• single-level with a sloping gable roof. In such attics there are 4 slopes at different angles. Despite the fact that the construction of such attics costs several times more, craftsmen often prefer them due to the fact that the amount of usable space increases
• attics with remote console. Such attics are more difficult to build, but the difficulties are justified by the spacious rooms with the possibility of vertical mounting of window structures
• multi-level attics with mixed roof support. Due to the complexity of the design, the construction of such an attic will require preliminary and very detailed calculations, as well as the drawing up of a detailed floor plan. The construction of a multi-level attic occurs simultaneously with the building.

The type of attic floor depends on its height:

• full floor. In such a room, the height of the vertical walls reaches more than 1.5 m
• attic - a room in which the smaller wall has a height of 0.8 to 1.5 m
• semi-attic. In such a room, the walls have a height of less than 0.8 m.

The most important requirement for an attic roof is the presence of a slope angle of over 35 degrees. As this angle increases, the level of comfort for living on the attic floor increases.

The most suitable ones for creating wooden attics are:

• gable hip roof
• gable roof with pediment
• mansard type roof.

In projects of such roofs, there should be no vertical support posts, because this facilitates interior finishing work.

Pitched and hipped roofs, due to the peculiarities of their design, reduce the usable area of ​​the attic, and therefore are almost never used to create attic spaces.