Finishing Attic Walls

Follow the rule of 7s.

Finishing attic walls.

I have a very similar attic wall to yours. Building code also requires that the. 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. Low cabinets and bookcases fit snugly in the space under slanted ceilings.

Step 1 framing of the top and sides of the knee wall. Now let s read about the steps for properly finishing the attic walls and ceiling. Don t mash or compress the insulation into the space. Step 1 check the ceiling height.

Staple insulation between the wall studs and ceiling joists image a. Every attic is different but a few established norms and practices will guide your renovation. Use r 30 insulation for the ceiling and r 13 for the walls. 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.

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. Finishing the attic my preference is to push the knee walls close to the eaves creating as much floor space as possible. I sealed all the gaps in the wall with canned foam and the xps is glued around the perimeter. 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.

It needs a certain amount of loft to work properly. The location of the top of the knee is marked and after checking the level long boards are attached to the ceiling joists. In most cases though the joists cannot support live loads and may not even be covered with boards. There are no special exceptions just because it s living space in the attic.

I used xps because it was on sale for crazy cheap and i haven t put up the ignition barrier yet. At least 50 step 2 make sure the attic has a full size staircase. 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. To meet all three goals insulating your finished attic ventilating the roof and maximizing headroom use a combination of dense batt insulation rigid foam sheeting and air chutes.

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. In the first step a knee wall is installed.