Whether your family has outgrown the house you are living in or if you just decided to finally make use of that attic space, converting it into a loft is one of the smartest remodels that you can do on your home. Turning your attic into a practical bedroom, office, play area or even a dance/yoga room not only gives you a lot more space, it significantly increases the value of your home.
However, although an attic conversion may seem like an exciting do-it-yourself project and the perfect opportunity to try out that new wood router you got for your birthday, you should know that this is an intricate and complicated process. Sure, maybe you could be comfortable handling some of the areas of the conversion but you're better to hire a renovator to complete the whole project for a number of reasons.
Hiring One Person Makes Sense
Even if you are confident in your abilities to choose the right products at the hardware store and hang the drywall, have you considered the fact that you'll need to hire an electrician? If you are planning to have a bathroom up there are you qualified to do the plumbing or are you going to have to put of these professionals on the payroll as well? How about permits? Have you determined if any are required? These are all expenses that will cost you more in the long run when you pay for them separately.
While an attic conversion will add a substantial amount of value to your house should you ever be in the market to sell, if an inspector finds that things are not up to code, you will have a costly project on your hands to address any concerns.
Now, would you rather hire one renovator who will be prepared to tackle any curve-ball that your attic may throw at you or do you prefer to make your life harder by hiring several different people to handle various jobs just so you can play with your power tools? An attic conversion is a tricky process so why not leave it to a qualified renovator and you can spend your free time making custom furniture for the space or working on your landscaping.
What Exactly is a Renovator?
A renovator is someone you are going to be able to turn to through the years for any large projects you need done. They generally acquire a large amount of their business through repeat clients or word of mouth so you can rest assured that your attic conversion will be done right A renovator is going to be able to tell you the best flooring to use so that any traffic up there doesn't sound like a stampede of elephants in your living space downstairs.
There are safety issues that play key roles in the conversion of this space that a licensed renovator will be familiar with. There are a lot of speed bumps that you can stumble across when working on a space that doesn't see a lot of action that may cause you to run for the door but to a renovator, it's just another day at the office. Are you prepared to handle mold if you encounter it and pay to have the problem remedied? How will you feel about disturbing a nest of bats or raccoons up there? These issues are no problem for a renovator!
These professionals have done these jobs before so they know how to keep your living space clean while renovating one particular area. Not only that, they understand the importance of being a good neighbor so they can complete the project with little disturbance to those who live near to you.
Conversion
In case you are still questioning if hiring a renovator is your most cost-efficient option, there are a few other things you should know that you'll need to deal with. The structural integrity and support, roof design and headroom are all paramount things to consider before you begin. You will also need to evaluate:
Entrance - Is the entrance to your attic suitable to handle your conversion or will this need to be addressed in the project.
- Flooring - Does your attic have joists but no flooring present? Are you comfortable walking on a wooden plank while you are working?
- Rafters - Do your rafters offer the support that you need? If you have heavy beams you are in good shape, otherwise, you need to address your framing.
- Joists - Are your joists suitable to carry the weight of flooring as well as furniture?
- Windows - Will you be adding windows to the space? Are you comfortable cutting into your roof and making sure new windows are fitted and insulated properly?
Rather than hiring a building inspector, electrician, heating and cooling professional and a plumber, do yourself a favor and hire one licensed renovator and leave the stress to them to guarantee the quality and the safety of the conversion.
Posted by: TrustedPros