Finishing Attic Walls

The location of the top of the knee is marked and after checking the level long boards are attached to the ceiling joists.

Finishing attic walls. Staple insulation between the wall studs and ceiling joists image a. In the first step a knee wall is installed. I have a very similar attic wall to yours. Step 1 check the ceiling height.

I ve attached a few before and after pics. Finishing the attic my preference is to push the knee walls close to the eaves creating as much floor space as possible. Finishing an attic turns the finished parts into standard living spaces making them subject to all of the same rules that apply to other living areas of the home. Enforcement varies but codes typically say that at least half of a finished attic must be at least 7 feet high and that this area must be a minimum of 7 feet wide and 70 square feet.

Follow the rule of 7s. There are no special exceptions just because it s living space in the attic. Now let s read about the steps for properly finishing the attic walls and ceiling. I used xps because it was on sale for crazy cheap and i haven t put up the ignition barrier yet.

Building code also requires that the. In rare cases especially in new construction homes the attic may have been built unfinished with the correct flooring in place with the idea that the homeowner could later on finish the space. Knee walls and flat ceilings running plumb from the roof rafters to the attic floor joists knee walls eliminate some of the roof s slope at the expense of less square footage of floor space in the. At least 50 step 2 make sure the attic has a full size staircase.

Don t mash or compress the insulation into the space. Every attic is different but a few established norms and practices will guide your renovation. In most cases though the joists cannot support live loads and may not even be covered with boards. If you re finishing your attic insulating it to the proper r value can cause a dramatic loss of headroom if you limit yourself to fiberglass batts.

Low cabinets and bookcases fit snugly in the space under slanted ceilings. For a finished attic to be to code it must satisfy the same living requirements of other rooms sometimes called the rule of sevens any living space in a home needs to have at least 7 feet 2 1 m of clearance from the floor to the ceiling and there needs to be at least 70 square feet of space available at least 7 feet 2 1 m in each direction. It needs a certain amount of loft to work properly. A contractor or a local building official can help you assess how the rule will apply to your attic and how modifications like dormers can resolve height shortcomings.

Use r 30 insulation for the ceiling and r 13 for the walls. Step 1 framing of the top and sides of the knee wall.