You’re about to bring a new addition to your family. While you’re excited, you also have no idea where you’re going to put the nursery. Building a new room is a little bit out of your budget.
What you can do instead is convert your attic into a little bedroom for the baby. The attic is one of the most under-utilized rooms in a house because it’s mainly used for storage. The truth is, it makes a gorgeous room and It’s cheaper than building an entirely new room.
To help you get started with this process, here are a few tips on how you can create the perfect attic bedroom.
1. Have the Space Evaluated
In most states, you have to have licenses and meet building codes to turn your attic into a bedroom.
So, while you should evaluate the space yourself to figure out what you want to do with it, you’ll need to have a contractor come in behind you to check things out and give you the okay.
When you turn your attic into a bedroom, the floors are going to be taking a lot more punishment between people walking on them and the extra weight of the furniture.
By having someone come in to inspect, you’ll be able to find out for sure if your floors can handle the weight or if they need to be reinforced.
2. You’ll Need Quality Insulation
An attic bedroom is going to obviously be closer to the roof. This means temperatures can get a little sporadic depending on the season. Quality insulation can keep things from getting too uncomfortable for whoever is living up there.
If you’re not completely sure of what kind of insulation your attic bedroom needs, you can ask the contractor who you have evaluating the place.
3. Built-In Storage
While your attic will make a great bedroom, you won’t have that much room for storage. This is why you want to utilize every bit of space you have available. To this end, you can use loft boarding to create shelves and drawers in the walls.
Doing this will keep less bulky furniture on the floor and give you more space to walk around. If you’re unsure about using loft boarding for storage, you can read more about it.
4. Simple Color Scheme
Again, attics are typically small but they don’t have to appear this way. If you paint the walls white or another neutral color, it will reflect light and make the room look a lot larger than it actually is.
If you’re worried about the space seeming boring because of the plain walls, you can create a focal point with molding and panels.
5. Utilities
There are a few necessary utilities that every bedroom needs. Since attics are typically only used for storage they don’t naturally come with these in mind. The main ones that you need to worry about are plumbing, lighting, and AC.
Plumbing
If your attic isn’t too small for it, you’re probably going to want to put a bathroom upstairs just so whoever is staying up there won’t have to climb stairs every time they need to use it. This is fine, but again, you have to make sure that the floors can handle it because showers and even toilets are a little heavy.
Unless you have experience, you don’t want to handle the pipes yourself. Call in a plumber to do this part. A plumber can also give you a little more information about putting bathroom appliances upstairs if you’re still on the fence.
Lighting
There will be some electrical wiring in the room due to the fact that every attic has at least one light fixture so you can see where you’re walking. You’re probably going to be adding a lot more light when you convert it into a bedroom.
This will be pretty easy for an electrician to do because it’s going to run on the same grid as the rest of your home. You want to go with lighting that’s not going to give off too much heat. Overheating can happen if it’s a small space.
Temperature Control
Even with the proper insulation, heat rises so your attic bedroom may still get fairly hot. You need to get a little air circulating up there. The obvious choice is going to be to install a ceiling fan.
The AC may already work in your attic but it may not be as powerful as other places in your home. You may need to call someone out to put it in its own zone.
7. Stairs
The little pull-down ladder was fine when the attic was still a means of storage.
You only used it when necessary but when someone is living up there, this will put a lot of wear and tear on that little ladder. You’re going to need something a little more sturdy.
You’ll have to actually install stairs. While you can go the traditional route of a straight staircase, don’t be afraid to get a little creative with shapes and sizes.
Create an Attic Bedroom That You’ll Love
Whether you’re about to have a new addition to the family, or you want to create a guest bedroom, converting your attic into one is a lot easier and cheaper than adding on a new room.
Use these tips for making an attic bedroom that is both safe and creative.