To start the construction of the attic in the house with your own hands is a pretty serious event. Its implementation is possible both at the stage of laying the project of the building, and in the future - after the construction (that is, already in operation). The main purpose of this room is to provide the family with a certain number of square meters of living space. And today we’ll talk about how to make an attic with our own hands.
Let's start with the project.
This part of the building is quite difficult to arrange. It is most convenient to design it in advance - at the stage when the whole house is being built. This is because organizing a residential attic in a finished building is not always feasible. The main reason for this is the considerable weight of the attic space, which creates significant loads on the foundation.
At what stages can the procedure for building an attic be divided?
- Stage drawings. At this stage, all sizes and other important features of the future premises should be provided.
- The procedure for dismantling existing roofing materials (if the construction of the attic is planned in an already finished house).
- Strengthening the walls of the upper floor, as well as (if necessary) - the foundation.
- The device walls of the attic.
- Roof construction with insulation, waterproofing, decoration.
- Installation of attic windows.
- Interior decoration As evidenced by numerous photos and reviews, inside the attic with your own hands it is possible to arrange in a huge number of options - from the most budgetary to truly luxurious.
If the process of erecting the attic is carried out in full compliance with the totality of technological nuances, you will receive a durable, completely reliable room.
What should be envisaged?
This stage - designing - is one of the most important in the process of building an attic with your own hands. Here it is necessary to provide for many factors - starting from the size of the room and the material from which it will be built, ending with the level of the roof slope, etc.
How to design an attic? There are three main ways. The first of them can be attributed to the most budgetary. It is a manual project. But for him you will need at least minimal experience in such a matter as designing premises and building structures.
Another way is to use ready-made documentation in the form of a specific project. But picking a good option that suits your home is not easy. Most often, at least minimal adjustments have to be made to finished projects.
The third way is to contact one of the specialized organizations capable of providing you with a project of an attic space that is ideally suited to your home in the shortest possible time.
What should a self-taught builder remember?
If you decide on an independent design, be sure to consider the loads that the attic structures will exert on the walls of the building and its foundation, as well as its appearance and the set of finishing materials that will be used outside and inside it. When you calculate the future load on the foundation of the entire building, you may come to the conclusion that it needs to be strengthened. In the case of designing a too massive and heavy attic, there is a high risk of cracks in the walls or deformation of the base of the house.
After consulting with specialists, you will be able to choose such building materials that are optimal in terms of long-term operation of the future attic, combined with minimal loads on the foundation. Having drawn up the project, it is supposed to coordinate it with certain state institutions. If it is properly designed, this process will not be delayed for a long time.
Do-it-yourself erection and decoration of the attic
Let's consider the option of building an attic in a residential building, which has already been built and commissioned. In this case, you will have to deal with the dismantling of the old roof, due to which the roof space expands, which increases the safety of the building being built. Dismantling the roof is optional with the involvement of specialists. This type of work can be done on your own.
First of all, it will be necessary to remove the material that makes up the exterior finish of the roof. Then the crate is completely removed from the rafter system. Then strengthen the walls of the adjacent floor. This is necessary in connection with a certain pressure that will be exerted on them by the erected structures. Strengthening the walls adjacent to the attic is extremely important. This is done on the basis of special calculations, according to which it is possible to determine the strength level of existing load-bearing structures.
At the next stage, we have to decide how to insulate the attic with our own hands. At the same time, the issue of waterproofing is also being worked out. Properly carried out this procedure will provide the room with a healthy microclimate. You can insulate the attic with a variety of thermal insulation materials, for example, mineral wool, polystyrene, etc.
What after?
Next, we move on to the process of erecting the walls of the attic with your own hands. This is done in strict accordance with a previously developed project. In most cases, a timber or a tree is taken for this procedure. The walls of the attic are insulated in the same way with mineral wool or expanded polystyrene. When choosing materials intended for both internal and external decoration of the walls of the room, try to prefer those that have a good level of fire safety.
Having finished with the walls, we proceed to the construction of the roof. The most important thing in this case is to calculate the correct angle of its inclination. If the roof is too flat, it will become inconvenient to operate the attic. The issue of high-quality waterproofing is also important. In the presence of the slightest errors in it, all moisture will be inside your room.
Another significant issue is the shape of the roof. Try to make it simple, without any curly or broken elements. This will facilitate the construction process and reduce its cost.
How to insulate the attic with your own hands? When choosing a heater, do not forget about such important qualities of building materials as frost resistance and the ability to withstand atmospheric changes. Their resistance against rodents is also important. The main requirement for thermal insulation material is reliable protection against heat leakage out of the room.
How are internal thermal insulation works?
The sequence of actions is as follows:
- A finish is installed, which is a plywood or drywall base.
- A vapor barrier layer is formed using special films.
- Thermal insulation material is laid (best in the form of mineral wool).
- The necessary waterproofing of the roof is provided with the help of special membranes.
- The external finishing material of the roof is being laid.
In addition, the erection of the roof of the attic with your own hands requires the installation of a rafter system, the installation of the lathing with a certain installation step, the size of which depends on the type of roofing material. Upon completion of installation, the roofs proceed to the installation of windows.
Windows in the attic are needed to ensure high-quality lighting of the interior. The number and size of them is determined depending on the area of the room. Particularly high demands are placed on the quality of the windows in the attic ceiling. The main requirement for them is resistance to precipitation, temperature extremes, and strong winds. Window construction should provide a good level of ventilation.
After the installation of the main building structures, they proceed to such types of work as the organization of heating, interior decoration, room decoration in accordance with the conceived design project.
Do-it-yourself frame attics
An attic of a frame type can be an excellent solution for any building - a residential building, a garage (up to the bath). What are its advantages?
- The design has a relatively light weight, and therefore there is no additional load on the main building. That is, there is no need to further strengthen the foundation and walls.
- Compared to the attic of the same material as the walls of the lower floor (for example, brick), the cost is much lower.
- Such an attic room has good heat and sound insulation qualities.
- You can make it to your taste - almost without restrictions in shape and configuration.
- Simplicity of construction - the materials are quite light, and therefore it is possible to lift them to the upper floor or the roof of the attic with your own hands, without the use of special equipment.
- You will keep the roof safe, while significantly increasing the useful area of the room.
How to build it?
Do-it-yourself construction of a frame-type attic is just as easy when the process of building a building is not yet complete. If you are planning to arrange it in a ready-made house, you will need to dismantle the old roofing.
To begin with, as with any construction, study the characteristics of the soil of the site, determine the bearing capacity of the foundation. If the calculation shows its inability to support the weight of even a relatively light frame attic without additional reinforcement, appropriate work should be done.
Then comes the inspection of the walls of the house for additional loads. As well as the foundation, the walls are strengthened if necessary. Only after this should you begin to dismantle the old roof and work with the ceiling.
What are the stages of the construction of a wooden frame attic?
The following steps are taken:
- First of all, a frame system should be made.
- Then - mount the walls of the attic room.
- These walls need to be properly insulated.
- Then we proceed to the production of works related to the installation of the roof.
- The roof is insulated, and the attic is finished with the selected materials.
- Now you can proceed to the interior decoration of your room.
What remains to be done?
Among other things, the construction process involves the installation of door and window structures. The procedure for making and installing a staircase in the attic with your own hands is not one of the simplest. You can use a ready-made design with suitable parameters or make everything completely yourself.
For the attic made of timber, you should stock up with the appropriate materials - edged boards, plywood, self-tapping screws, and, of course, the timber itself. The height of the frame structure should ensure the convenience of movement of a person of average height. The minimum vertical size of the room is 2 m. In the ridge zone, the height is approximately 3.5 m.
The most reasonable technology is the assembly of the frame on the ground with the subsequent ascent to the roof. Fix the entire structure on the surface of the house using special plates. The quality of the fasteners and nodes is greatly influenced by the attic wall material. In the upper part of the structure, the beam is connected with self-tapping screws. After installation and thermal insulation of the roof, the walls of the attic room are sheathed outside and inside, doors and windows are installed, then it is already possible to proceed to the interior decoration. Do-it-yourself attic decoration is a creative and interesting activity that allows you to realize many design ideas.
Useful Tips
Even at the planning stage of the attic, carefully analyze the condition of the entire building.
You can build an attic room in the form of a single space or divide it into separate rooms.
An important issue that also needs to be addressed at the design stage is the shape, design and location of the attic windows, as well as the entrance to the room.
Materials for construction should be both light and durable with a minimum load on the foundation. They must easily rise to the level of the roof. It will be optimal to choose a tree (as already mentioned) or a steel profile. Concrete or stone is much less suitable due to the increased load on the building.
Other materials
The same requirements apply to the materials with which to finish the roof. It is strength, lightness and reliability. We recommend that you use shingles or piece scrap. It is best to level and trim the walls from the inside using plasterboard sheets.
Once again we repeat - the question of how to insulate the attic from the inside with your own hands deserves special attention. Good thermal insulation of this room is extremely important, because it is located higher than the main building, and is more in contact with cold air currents. Heated air must not leave the room through the heater. Waterproofing is also important due to the need to withstand precipitation.
About the design features of the attic
Its rafter system is made up, which should be installed in compliance with a certain step. Most often it is 60 cm. The gaps between them are filled using heat-insulating materials like mineral wool. The insulation can be stacked in one layer, two or even three. To calculate the total thickness of the material for thermal insulation, the entire amount of heat loss in the room is taken into account.
From the inside of the attic, the roof is protected by a vapor barrier, then it is finished with lining, drywall or special finishing panels. Excess moisture in the under-roof space is disposed of through the ventilation gap, which should not be forgotten. Its width depends on what type of roofing material is used. On the outside of the insulating material, wind protection is installed, which has vapor-permeable properties.
As an optimal vapor barrier material, you can recommend a plastic film, ruberoid or glassine. It is necessary to lay the insulation, observing an overlap with a width of approximately 15 cm. Seams are glued with construction tape. If you chose foil waterproofing, then note that it should be laid inside the room with a shiny layer. This is done to reflect the heat coming from the rooms.