Attic Bedroom
Conversion
Converting an attic to a bedroom is a good way to add living space and value to
your home at the same time. This improvement will have the highest resale value
in a two-bedroom, one-bath house, but just about any home will benefit from
more living space.
When adding any kind of bedroom, it's important to remember that the room may
not always be used as a bedroom. Buyers like rooms that can be used for many
purposes, and you probably will, too. |
Cost vs Value
Click here to get
the average Job cost,
Resale value and Cost recouped in a metropolitan area. |
Design Tips:
| (floor plan) |
A balcony can add to the resale value of a
converted attic room. Even without a balcony, French doors with a railing can
give the room a bigger feeling -- and a view. |
| (stairs) |
To integrate the new room with the rest of
the house, try to extend existing stairs instead of adding a whole new
staircase. This approach usually costs less, too. |
| (flooring) |
The attic may have existing wood flooring
that can be finished or refinished, but carpeting will absorb sound a lot
better. For versatility, choose a neutral color carpeting. |
| (lighting) |
Use as much natural light as possible. Lamps
and fixtures that cast light upwards will do the best job of lighting the
room. |
| (space) |
Make sure you plan for a closet that matches
the size of the room. A small closet in a large bedroom doesn't make much
sense. |
| (windows) |
Make the most of the room's attic feeling.
Lots of natural light from large windows will make the room airy instead of
cramped. Instead of adding a false ceiling, which might cramp the room, let the
slope of the rafters shape the ceiling and add skylights to brighten the room
even more. But remember that attics are vulnerable to temperature extremes,
summer and winter, so it's important to use insulation and extend heating and
cooling systems to any attic living space. |
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