Most often, the attic is used to store old and unnecessary things, tools, supplies that have no use and are a pity to part with. But when the house is already furnished, then due to the growth of the family or the desire to equip an additional cozy room for a comfortable stay, it may be necessary to expand the living space and renovate the attic.
Over time, the need for a so-called “useful floor” may arise. Then the attic space receives a beautiful and romantic name - attic, evoking associations with Parisian quarters and the roofs of Montmartre.
The design of an attic in a private house directly depends on the purpose to which the room will serve. When converting an attic space, it is important to follow three steps:
- Layout.
- Insulation.
- Decoration of space.
Purpose
Before starting work, you should decide on the purpose of the room. Depending on the composition of the family and lifestyle, you can equip a study here, a relaxation room, or even a greenhouse. Having carefully thought through the interior and layout of the future room, you can create a full-fledged living space for any purpose.
The area of the attic is of great importance. If it is large, then you can organize several rooms at once. Most often, light-transmitting partitions are used for zoning. In this way, you can divide the children's room into a bedroom and a playroom, the recreation room into a billiard room and a bar.
Cozy bedroom in the attic Source dizainvfoto.ru
Many people do not understand how to arrange a small attic. If it is located under a gable roof, you can place a bedroom there. In this case, the central place in the room is occupied by the bed, and storage systems for various things are located along the walls.
Ideas for decorating a small attic
Space does not always mean comfort. A small compact attic has a special charm and powerful potential. What can be done in literally 5-7 square meters?
Sleeping doesn't require a lot of space - place a comfortable bed in the center, two small tables at the edges (although you can do without them!). Voila - a cozy bedroom for two is ready. In a bedroom for one, you can save space by using a narrow bed, and place a desk or a comfortable reading chair nearby.
Built-in shelves for storing your favorite interesting books and other things, a couple of bean bags or a conveniently located sofa - perhaps this is the best way to instill in yourself and your children a love of reading. Don't forget about lighting: reading in the dark is harmful.
There is no need for bright light and bulky furniture: decorate the attic with beautiful garlands, place a few bean bags or lounge chairs. Add at your discretion: a game console with TV, a hookah area, a tea table, and an area for board games.
Even a small attic is a great place to place additional functional space on the top floor. Don’t skimp on the preparatory and rough work so that you end up with a useful and cozy room for the whole family.
Stages of work
Every owner of a private home should know where to start arranging an attic in a private home. Owners of private houses often do not have the necessary knowledge and experience to convert an attic space into a living space. In this case, a clear action plan will help to bring the planned project to completion. The following stages of work are distinguished:
- Living space planning.
- Preparatory work.
- Floor and roof insulation work.
Attic insulation Source stroy-okey.ru
- Installation of lighting and heating.
- Design of the finished room.
After determining the main stages of turning a gloomy attic into a cozy room, you need to make a list of the necessary materials and tools. It is important to consider your financial capabilities, since during the repair process new expense items may appear (for example, waterproofing pipes or replacing wiring). The estimate must take into account the costs of finishing and decorative materials.
We use wood to decorate the attic
In the photo: residential attic in a wooden house
The secret to successful attic design is working with space. In this example, the harmonious integration of the load-bearing beams of the roof frame into the overall wooden interior decoration. A wooden residential attic is always very cozy.
In the photo: attic in a wooden house
Layout
The main obstacle to turning an attic into a cozy room is the lack of light. To make a full-fledged living space, you will have to think about installing additional windows. The easiest way to make openings is in the gables. This option is optimal, however, if there are transverse walls in the attic, this method does not work. In such cases, windows are installed in the roof slopes. This will not only fill the room with natural light, but will also give the house its originality.
Window in the roof slope Source mansarda.ru
A big problem when arranging an attic can be the entrance area. So that residents can quickly and safely get upstairs, you need to think about arranging a staircase. It is better to place it in the hallway or corridor. If the area of these premises is small, you can give preference to a compact folding option.
The highlight of the attic interior
The design of walls, floors, ceilings, contrasting with each other, bright sofa cushions, poufs are quite capable of becoming a kind of “highlight” of the attic interior. A round bed or sofa in the shape of a month, hand-painted walls, and original-shaped hanging chairs look very original. Numerous, diverse light sources, paintings on the walls, photo wallpapers, homemade rugs, draperies on the windows, mirrors - what is best to focus on is decided individually in each case.
Hanging accessories will highlight sloping walls
Bright wallpaper on an accent wall will help revive the interior
See alsoRules for using pistachio color in the interior
Preparing the premises
Many people think that it is impossible to turn an attic into a living room, but this is not so. The first thing you have to do is clean up. Most often, the space under the roof is used to store all sorts of rubbish. Old things need to be thrown away, necessary things need to be found in another place. During the cleaning process, you need to be careful, as protruding nails and other sharp objects may be found in beams and ceilings.
Junk in the attic Source livejournal.com
After thorough cleaning, you need to measure the room. If the roof is gable, the entire attic area cannot be used. If the roof slope is 60 degrees or more, the height of the attic should be at least half a meter. If the slope of the slopes is 30 degrees, the height of the sloping ceiling can be one and a half meters.
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in interior redevelopment
We organize storage space
Ideas for arranging an attic should not bypass such an important point as storing things. However, uneven walls and the slope of the roof do not allow imagination to unfold. Therefore, the best idea would be to build closed cabinets. Several horizontal shelves and blind doors will allow you not to think about the beauty of the interior space of the drawers. But it will give you the opportunity to put a lot of things there, even the most complex ones.
The only thing you have to think about is that the shelves are not too wide. To do this, the top ones can be made very narrow, and the bottom ones will increase as the roof slopes. With the same success, you can build a desk into the sloping part of the roof. The lower part of which will also serve as a place to store things.
Insulation works
It is important to know how to make the attic habitable and truly warm. To make the future room dry and warm, high-quality insulation of the floor, walls and roof is required. First of all, you need to assess the amount of work to be done. If during the construction of the house the roof was insulated according to all the rules, additional insulation will not be required. In the absence of insulation, the following materials can be used:
- Stone or mineral wool;
- Styrofoam;
- Polyurethane foam.
Expanded clay can be used to insulate the floor in the attic. The process of insulating an attic consists of several stages.
- Installation of sheathing (in most cases, this role is played by ceiling beams).
- Laying insulation in the spaces between the beams. A waterproofing film is placed under it. The exception is polyurethane foam - this material repels moisture well;
Laying insulation and insulating material Source stroika-i-remont.ru
- Floor arrangement. Most often, fiberboard or plywood sheets are used for these purposes. You can also use a classic floorboard.
- After laying the insulation, the roof and walls are sheathed with plasterboard or plywood sheets. The gaps between windows and walls can be closed with polyurethane foam. If the window is installed in the roof slope, it must be sealed.
When insulating the floor in the attic, it may turn out that the layer of insulating material laid during the construction of the house has become unusable. This occurs due to leaks in the roof and wet insulation. In this case, you will have to install an additional grille and replace the damaged insulation. To prevent the material from getting wet in the future, a vapor barrier membrane is laid.
What is the minimum height for attic rooms?
In attics, the minimum required height of residential premises is 2.2 m. In rooms with a slope, it is considered an average height, starting from 1.9 m.
Why from 1.9 m? Because by law, parts below this height are not considered to meet the “purpose of the room.” Of course, in practice even a space with a height of 1 m can be used; 1.9 m is the “standing height”. You can approach such a wall without hitting the ceiling, and you can place most of your furniture next to it.
In an attic with a low wall (or no wall at all), the pitch of the roof is critical. The steeper it is, the faster the headroom is created. The second problem is the height of the collar beams (horizontal beams connecting opposing rafters) above the floor. For obvious reasons, they must at least be high enough to allow us to walk underneath them freely.
But be careful! If we make a ceiling on or under collar beams, in order to achieve an average height of 2.2 m, it must be at least 2.5 m above the floor, because (1.9 m + 2.5 m): 2 = 2. 2 m.
Video description
Useful tips for attic insulation in the video below
Roof insulation is the most important stage of work. If you plan to install the insulation yourself, you will need to choose the optimal thickness of the material. This can be done using a ready-made table or climate map (both can be found on specialized websites).
Insulating the attic roof Source pro-karkas.ru
A pitched roof requires the use of insulation with a density of at least 35 kg/m³. If the density is less, pieces of material will fall out of the spaces between the beams. The steeper the roof slope, the denser the insulation used.
After laying the insulation, you can begin installing the sheathing for finishing. The type of sheathing depends on the type of finishing material. The easiest way is to make a sheathing on top of the rafters - this method will save time and money. The crossbars are attached to the beams in increments of 30-35 cm, and decorative panels are already attached to them.
Good loft shape for adaptation
As a rule, it is easiest to adapt an attic if:
- Covered with a gable or mansard roof. The attic is at least 7 m wide.
- Roof slope of at least 30°.
- The knee walls are high, at least 1.5 m.
- There are no pillars, low collars, etc. in the roof structure.
- The interior can be largely illuminated by vertical windows in the gable walls.
Heating
Even if the attic is insulated according to all the rules, its year-round use is not possible without heating. There are several options suitable for heating an attic space:
- Fireplace installation;
- Installation of an autonomous heating system;
- Expansion of the stationary heating system;
- Use of electrical appliances.
Undoubtedly, a fireplace is the personification of home comfort and well-being. However, experts recommend using stationary heating. If people live in a house all year round, the heating in it works stably. It is enough to remove several pipes and install a couple of radiators directly in the attic room.
Heating in the attic Source ceskestavby.cz
This option will cost much less than a fireplace, and will also provide the required level of fire safety. If you still want a fireplace, you need to think about a place to store fuel and properly arrange the chimney.
The decision to use electrical appliances has its downsides. The equipment used must be powerful enough to heat the entire attic area. This means that energy costs will inevitably increase. In addition, many fan heaters dry out the air and create a lot of noise.
From an economic point of view, the most correct solution may be to install autonomous heating in the attic. When using a stationary heating system, you will have to increase heat transfer in all other rooms of the house. The autonomous system will properly heat the attic without increasing the heating load of the house.
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Expanding living space and organizing a comfortable place to relax is an issue that is relevant not only for residents of standard high-rise buildings, but also for owners of private or suburban living space. What do country houses and small country houses look like in most cases? They are often a one-story building, the design of which requires the presence of an attic or attic space, the arrangement of which summer residents often prefer to neglect and remember about it only when additional living space is needed. So the attic, which can fulfill all your desires for home improvement, turns into a dusty room, littered with unnecessary rubbish and used as a storage room, where it is difficult to find the necessary things. But sooner or later, an increase in the family or a desire to expand the living space of the house leads to the need to convert a dusty, dark attic into a bright and cozy room. In this regard, we have dedicated this article to this topic, in which we will describe in detail how to turn an unsightly attic into a living room, and also present many photo examples.
Content
- Room in the attic: how to cope with the lack of living space?
- DIY attic room: sequence of events
- Options for arranging a room in the attic
- Design of rooms on the attic floor: choosing a stylistic concept
- Choosing a color scheme: how to visually expand a room?
- Choosing furniture to create a cozy atmosphere in the attic
- Spacious living rooms in the attic: what to look for?
Room in the attic: how to cope with the lack of living space?
If you own a suburban living space, but despite this, you constantly trip over scattered children’s toys, do not find a common language with your family about the allocation of personal space and the rational organization of a recreation area, and also do not plan to put up with a catastrophic lack of space in the house, you need to arrange a room in the attic. Not only will it be an excellent place for privacy and a comfortable stay alone with your thoughts, but it will also allow you to turn an unassuming country house with a constant lack of space into a cozy family nest.
Undoubtedly, the most favorable moment for converting an attic space is the stage of building a house, since it is at this stage that you can add the room to the house project and decorate it with the same materials as the rest of the rooms. In addition, you can initially think through the layout of the attic: its dimensions, height, foundation parameters, which are necessary for arranging a residential attic.
Room in the attic photo
However, if you decide to convert the attic into a living space in an actively used room, you will encounter certain technical difficulties. It will be necessary to carry out measures related to strengthening the floors, ensuring effective thermal insulation and a number of other necessary measures.
DIY attic room: sequence of events
If you are determined to convert the attic into living space, you just need to decide on the purpose of the room. There are a great many options: it can be a dressing room, a bedroom, or a living room, depending on your preferences. The next stage is to develop a design for the premises.
Having sketched out an approximate plan of the room on a piece of paper, pay attention to the height of the attic and the presence of walls, in the absence of which, calculate the height of the rectangular space of the room, which is at least two meters at the minimum point. If the height of the attic does not allow for the arrangement of the room, experts recommend raising the roof by building up walls whose height does not exceed one meter. Having reached a certain height of the walls, you can proceed to the next stages of construction.
Arrangement of the stairs
To go up to the room in the attic, you need to take care of the arrangement of the stairs. The most optimal place for its placement is the hallway or corridor. The choice of material for arranging the stairs is an equally important task, since it must meet the following characteristics:
- It should be easy to wash;
- Possess high performance characteristics that ensure its durability;
- In addition, it should be characterized by high aesthetic qualities, thanks to which a staircase made of this material will become an elegant addition to the overall picture of the interior. All these requirements are largely met by wood, the use of which allows us to produce not only durable, but also high-quality stairs, both from an aesthetic and functional point of view.
Window arrangement
Like any other room, a room in the attic of a house cannot do without natural light, the only source of which is windows. Before you start installing a window opening, think about the location of the window and outline its exact placement. If your project involves installing a window on the roof, you need to take care of installing a wooden frame into which the window will subsequently be inserted. The need to equip the frame is explained by the additional weight of the window and precipitation, which the installation of an additional frame will allow it to withstand. After the installation of the window is completed, thermal insulation measures are carried out, since the gap formed between the wall and the window will contribute to heat loss.
Installation of the general frame
After the installation activities related to the arrangement of the window are completed, they begin to install the general frame, which consists of parallel boards nailed to the wall and intended for placing drywall fasteners on them. A frame of parallel wooden beams is also arranged on the floor, and insulation is immediately placed in the space between them, most often a basalt slab or glass wool, after which the floor is covered with a rigid base and a decorative floor covering. Next, a frame for plasterboard is installed on the inner surface of the roof, onto which plasterboard sheets are subsequently attached. If the roof has a large slope, the frame beams must be fastened every 20 cm, and in order to increase the reliability of the fastenings, they must also be fastened crosswise. This will not only securely fasten the drywall, but also avoid the occurrence of cracks in the future. After installing the frame, think over and carry out the installation of wiring and the location of sockets and switches in advance.
Drywall installation
Having previously insulated the walls and vapor barrier, you can begin installing drywall. Experts recommend placing plasterboard sheets in two layers, which will not only increase the strength of the walls, but also provide additional thermal insulation.
Using screws, fix the first layer of drywall at a distance of 30-40 cm, after which the second layer of drywall is fastened, changing the distance between the sheets to 20 cm. Next, insulate the gaps formed between the walls and windows. To do this, use sealant and cut strips of drywall. Next, the joints and corners are strengthened using specialized paper tape equipped with a metal insert.
Organization of heating in the room
Heating is one of the necessary conditions for creating conditions for a comfortable stay. Experts suggest taking into account several options for arranging heating in the attic:
- Arrange the fireplace;
- Focus on the use of electrical appliances;
- Install an autonomous heating system in the attic;
- Or use a stationary heating system.
Despite the fact that the first option is considered the most beneficial if you want to give the room a special touch of privacy and comfort, experts consider the last option to be the most favorable. This is due to the fact that if the house is currently in active use and has a heating system, it is enough to carry out some additional installation measures, which involve leading pipes with radiators directly into the room located in the attic.
Lighting
Lighting a room in the attic under the roof is an equally pressing issue, about which it is necessary to say a few words when talking about how to make a room in the attic. Previously, we noted that laying wires is at the stage of installing the overall frame. It is important to clarify that in the attic room it is advisable to abandon aluminum wires and replace them with copper ones. In addition, according to experts, it is better to abandon the installation of distribution boxes indoors in the attic, and rely on the installation of an autonomous circuit breaker.
Options for arranging a room in the attic
When you decide to arrange a room in the attic, you need to clearly understand its purpose. A previously cluttered, dusty, uninhabited attic can be turned into a living room, bedroom, billiard room, library or even a greenhouse, depending only on the preferences and needs of the home owners. A cozy attic equipped according to all the rules can turn into a comfortable relaxation area where all family members can spend their free time not only for the benefit of the soul, but also for health. A well-thought-out interior and equipment of a room in the attic will allow you not only to spend time there reading a book, but also exercising on exercise equipment and playing board games.
In the case where the area of the attic space allows, it is possible to arrange not one, but several rooms in the attic at once, for which it is necessary to carry out proper zoning of the room. Designers propose zoning the attic space using transparent partitions that allow light to pass through. This will allow you to arrange several rooms in the attic at once - a play corner and a room intended for relaxation. In the area of a spacious attic space, you can organize several rooms, this time separated by capital partitions, which is undoubtedly a more labor-intensive process. In most cases, owners of country houses prefer to equip a bedroom, which, located under a gable roof, turns out to be very cozy, especially when the basic rules for planning an attic space are followed.
For example, in this case, designers advise placing a double bed in the center of the room, while installing mezzanines along the walls for storing bed linen and other small household items. If you plan to install two beds at once in a room in the attic of a house, then it is better to place them in a part of the room with descending ceilings, while the center of the room should be left free. Thus, in the attic room you can equip:
- Game corner;
- Gym;
- Library and reading room;
- Billiard room;
- Recreation area;
- A number of utility rooms, such as a storage room.
If there is a lack of living space and a small area of a country house, the attic can be equipped with:
- Bedroom;
- Living room:
- Children's room.
Design of rooms on the attic floor: choosing a stylistic concept
Having prepared the attic for the arrangement of living space, you can safely begin choosing the main stylistic concept, design and arrangement of furniture in the future living room. For a bedroom located in the attic, experts advise giving preference to folk motifs or choosing romantic design trends that have become popular. In addition, by decorating a room in a country, chalet or Provence style, you will make your bedroom no less cozy. In addition to the traditional trends that are appropriate in the decor of an attic space, it is also important to decorate a bedroom in the attic in a classic or loft style. The latter is most appropriate in the decoration of attic spaces characterized by an impressive area. By decorating a bedroom in a loft style, you will become the owner of a spacious and at the same time cozy sleeping area that meets the requirements for modern premises.
To decorate a living room, designers advise choosing a minimalist style, eclecticism, retro styles or styles in which spicy oriental notes are clearly visible. It is these styles that can turn your living room into a truly cozy and comfortable space.
Choosing a color scheme: how to visually expand a room?
Since the attic space in most cases is not characterized by a large area, it is better to decorate the bedroom or living room using light colors. However, this raises an equally important design task - to competently decorate a small room and at the same time avoid fading, which will adversely affect the overall picture of the interior. In this case, designers suggest resorting to a well-known design technique, the essence of which is that inclined walls must be painted in light colors, while vertical ones in richer, brighter shades. Recently, a design technique that involves combining the colors of the walls with the colors of a blanket or curtains has been gaining popularity.
When arranging the living room, you also cannot neglect the rational choice of tones and shades with which you plan to decorate the attic space. Thus, light shades such as light brown, light gray, beige, peach and white will visually expand the room and, at the same time, make it lighter, which is also important when arranging small attic spaces.
Choosing furniture to create a cozy atmosphere in the attic
To create a complete design of a room in the attic, it is necessary to clearly think through not only the general stylistic concept and color design, but also the most optimal arrangement of furniture. Only in this case will you become the owner of the most harmonious and comfortable room.
Despite the fact that wood is the most suitable material for decorating an attic in a country house, experts do not recommend using excessively massive interior items in the design of an attic characterized by a small area. In this regard, a wooden bed, chest of drawers and bedside tables should be quite compact in size. As for the shade of wooden furniture, designers recommend using a current technique when the shade of wooden furniture matches the color of exposed wooden beams and rafters. A bed in the attic can be installed near one of the inclined walls, separating it from the main room with a light curtain. The wardrobe is installed near one of the gable walls.
To create a truly cozy and comfortable atmosphere, the attic must be supplemented with a fireplace. The warmth of the fireplace will not only warm the room under the roof of the house, but will also create a truly unusual atmosphere in it. If you cannot install a fireplace in a room in the attic, in accordance with all fire safety requirements, the best option for you would be to install an artificial fireplace, which, like its original, not only looks stylish, but also visually hides minor imperfections in the walls in the room .
Spacious living rooms in the attic: what to look for?
If you have a spacious room in the attic at your disposal, arrange it according to all the rules and take advantage of the spacious area of the room to create a real living room, in which there is room for a TV, upholstered furniture, a coffee table, and bookshelves. When arranging spacious living rooms, do not forget about the harmony of materials: natural light wood and stone, both light and dark tones, will create a cozy, homely atmosphere in the living room, which can be supplemented with live plants in pots and decorative tubs.
We must not forget about the “symmetry” of interior items, which will make the room visually more attractive, while maintaining balance and the necessary equilibrium. For example, symmetrically installed lamps, chairs and sofas with the same upholstery, as well as decorative pillows and a large number of living plants - all this will make your living room elegant and harmonious.
Electricity in the attic
There are different ways to conduct electricity into the attic. The easiest way is to lay the wires over the walls, hiding them in plastic mounting boxes and behind the baseboards.
Wiring in corrugated tubes Source k-dom74.ru
Hidden wiring looks neater, but the wiring will have to be placed under the inner lining. To avoid fire, the wires are placed in a special corrugated tube.
Insulating the attic of a house
Insulation of a converted attic
When converting an attic, an important point is its insulation. To make the attic comfortable, the appropriate temperature must be provided. Since warm air tends to rise, insulation will prevent it from dissipating.
Room design
After insulation and finishing, you can begin the stylistic design of the attic. If you plan to arrange a bedroom in the room, you can use Russian folk motifs or a romantic style. The design in the Chalet or Country style looks good. A large attic can be decorated in the Loft style.
Loft-style attic Source zaggo.ru
Options for arranging the attic
In principle, there are no restrictions in terms of arranging an attic space converted into an attic. But, as practice shows, either bedrooms or rooms for young people are usually organized here. It is difficult for elderly people to climb to the attic floor. Therefore, the layout is tailored specifically to these needs.
The number of rooms depends on the area of the attic. And the larger it is, the more imagination you can use, creating something original and unusual. Today, using modern technologies and materials, it is not a problem to organize a kitchen, bathroom and toilet in the attic. So we can safely talk about the usefulness of the formed space.
You can even organize a bathroom in the attic Source yandex.ru
Furnishings
A complete design includes not only color design, but also the proper arrangement of furniture and household items. Wooden furniture will fit harmoniously into a classic interior, but it should not be too massive. Chests of drawers, bedside tables and armchairs should be compact enough so as not to clutter up an already small room.
Option for decorating a bedroom in the attic Source dizainexpert.ru
If the room is spacious, it makes sense to use the available space profitably. You can put a large soft sofa or ottoman, a TV, and equip bookshelves and cabinets for storing things. You can complement the interior with green plants in decorative flowerpots.
Do not forget that the design of the attic room should be combined with the overall interior concept of the house. A good-quality house made of wood and stone involves finishing with decorative lining or solid wood. You can complement the interior with massive accessories and textiles made from natural materials (wool, cotton, linen).
Sometimes it can be difficult to decide on the choice of decorative materials and the style of a room. In this case, the following tips may be useful:
- Minimalistic design will help save money and space in the room. Massive cabinets can be replaced with practical containers and wall shelves. If there is a bedroom in the attic, the bed can be placed against the lowest wall;
- Symmetrical placement of interior items will help make the attic more attractive. We are talking about the harmonious placement of lamps, armchairs and sofas;
Harmonious arrangement of furniture in the attic Source 6sotok-dom.com
- Decorating a room in the Loft style is an excellent option for spacious attics. For example, a bedroom in this style will become not only a place to sleep, but also the most stylish room in the whole house.
Many designers advise installing a fireplace in the attic room. This option is quite expensive, but you can minimize costs by installing an artificial fireplace. It will not only add coziness, but also visually hide small defects in the walls and ceiling.
Photo
Rational use of free space in the attic
Full room in the attic
Refurbishment of a cottage attic
Country attic design
Original design of a bedroom in the attic
Unusual attic redevelopment
Children's room for four children
The attic is used only as a bedroom
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Briefly about the main thing
Anyone can make an attic a living room. Simple rules of arrangement will help create a functional room for relaxation for the whole family. Particular attention should be paid to insulation - it is this stage of work that minimizes heat loss through the roof. It is better to entrust electrical wiring to professionals; high voltage in the network can be very dangerous.
Knowing several ways to design an attic, you can choose the option you like and bring it to life. You need to decorate the room in the chosen style, taking into account the available budget - decorating a bedroom or children's room with expensive carpets and curtains is not at all necessary. A couple of warm blankets, live plants in bright flowerpots - all this will create the right atmosphere and fill the attic with comfort.
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We evaluate the condition of the wood from which the truss is made.
A farm inspection is also the best opportunity to check that the wood is healthy and free from fungal or insect infestations. Pest control, local repairs and preserving the wood for the future are absolutely essential.
This may require professional assistance and the use of specialized agents. These can be quite strong chemicals, but heat or microwaves are also used. High enough temperatures can kill insect larvae and destroy fungal spores.
At the same time, after such treatment, it is safest to wait a few months to adapt. It's time to check whether the procedure was truly effective. After the roof is insulated, these elements will be closed. We won't even know they are decomposing. Until they become so weak that they begin to sag. But then you may have to dismantle the entire building and replace the damaged wood elements. You should know that timber built into an insulated roof performs in worse conditions than when it was exposed from the attic side.
Quiet floor of the adapted attic
We have already mentioned that the designer’s task is to assess the load-bearing capacity of the floor and its possible strengthening. However, it must be remembered that when adapting the attic for living space, you need to take care of one more important feature of the ceiling and the floor placed on it. We are talking about the ability to suppress noise, especially so-called impact sounds, such as footsteps. The most effective solution is to create a so-called floating floor.
Then on the structure of a correctly leveled ceiling we place:
- A thin layer of so-called acoustic polystyrene (or hard mineral wool).
- Cover with foil.
- Lay flexible foam tape along the walls, around chimneys and pillars,
- Fill the screed with a thickness of 4-5 cm.
However, the screed is a very large additional load. It can only be issued with the consent of the developer. Therefore, on many ceilings whose strength is insufficient, floors are often laid from light beams covered with wood or cement-fiber boards. In such a situation, only a floating floor can muffle the sound of footsteps. This is the top finishing layer, such as panels, placed on a flexible shock-absorbing substrate. Ultimately, footfall absorption will be improved by using a thick carpet or rug.
