ᐅ Single-family house – Convert the attic into living space or leave it open (high ceilings on the upper floor)
Created on: 20 Jan 2022 15:11
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oliotbHello everyone,
We are considering building a single-family house measuring 13 x 9 meters (43 x 30 feet) with dormer windows at the front and back for a family of six (4 children).
In terms of rooms, the upper floor is basically fine with 5 bedrooms and 1 bathroom (no walk-in closet). We are now unsure what to do with the attic space. One option is to leave the attic open, so the rooms would extend into the attic, resulting in rooms with quite high ceilings up to the roof peak. This would create additional possibilities, such as building sleeping platforms with a carpenter, climbing walls, etc. The other option is to close off the attic, add a second staircase, and create one or two extra rooms.
From a cost perspective, leaving the attic open would probably be cheaper, but there are pros and cons.
Disadvantages of an open attic:
Lighting would have to be mounted on the sloped ceilings since there would be no flat ceiling anymore.
Heating might be more difficult as the rooms would be quite tall.
No option to add an additional room upstairs if needed later.
Advantages of an open attic:
Cheaper.
Rooms can be used vertically more, so a more efficient use of living space.
A spacious open feeling.
Does anyone have experience with this?
We are considering building a single-family house measuring 13 x 9 meters (43 x 30 feet) with dormer windows at the front and back for a family of six (4 children).
In terms of rooms, the upper floor is basically fine with 5 bedrooms and 1 bathroom (no walk-in closet). We are now unsure what to do with the attic space. One option is to leave the attic open, so the rooms would extend into the attic, resulting in rooms with quite high ceilings up to the roof peak. This would create additional possibilities, such as building sleeping platforms with a carpenter, climbing walls, etc. The other option is to close off the attic, add a second staircase, and create one or two extra rooms.
From a cost perspective, leaving the attic open would probably be cheaper, but there are pros and cons.
Disadvantages of an open attic:
Lighting would have to be mounted on the sloped ceilings since there would be no flat ceiling anymore.
Heating might be more difficult as the rooms would be quite tall.
No option to add an additional room upstairs if needed later.
Advantages of an open attic:
Cheaper.
Rooms can be used vertically more, so a more efficient use of living space.
A spacious open feeling.
Does anyone have experience with this?
oliotb schrieb:
In terms of cost, it would generally be cheaper, but there are pros and cons.Who says it’s cheaper? Insulating a cold roof on the top side of the upper floor ceiling is less expensive than insulating the entire roof structure.
If money is not an issue, then you simply have to consider whether the rooms are suitable for this. A steep roof pitch can make a narrow room feel very uncomfortable.
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