It’s that scary place from your childish memories and ghost stories, indeed. But it is still a place which can be used for a lot of reasons. It’s a place that could provide some useful space or why not a sleeping or everyday activities area.
If your attic is just like many others – filled up with stuff you do not need, stuff, which are sentimental, stuff, that you do not remember they existed or stuff, which once belonged to you or someone else, then first things first- you have to clean it up, guys. It’s not the greatest and pleasant activity that one could think of, but nevertheless you have to do it so to put things in order. Dust, dander, and mold- those bad guys in that often-neglected room could be irritating your family’s lungs and kicking up allergies. At least this is the worst scenario. Attic allergens and irritants constantly seep into your living area through ceiling hatches, doors, recessed lights, and heating and cooling systems. In really really crash course there are few steps you oughta do before reimagining that space.
Vacuum the place + Dust the place. You can do it with an electrostatically charged cloth. Don’t forget- dust exposed roof trusses, attic fan blades, light bulbs, fixtures, hatches, and door frames. All the time wear some mask in order to prevent breathing in too much dust.
After you have put things in order and have got rid of some of the unnecessary stuff up there, you can think of the refurbishment and remodeling of the attic.
You can transform that place in quite lot of things, you know. You could put items in order and make a quite nice bedroom out of it. Why not gaming room, or a guest room when there’s a need of extra beds.
Think of the toddlers. It’s a good place to be made into a fairy tale place, where the little fellows will learn to play, draw, listen and read to stories.
Depending on budget, square meters or will, you can transform your attic into a bathroom. Why not putting things together and build your new office space up there- away from the noise and distraction.
The so called retreats are a great example for how a simple and non-pretentious place could lead the way and become a home spot, where you find solitude, time for work or leisure.
Let’s take a good example and think of the attic as a blank page, where you could draw anything you want. Think about you and your family needs. Think about your guests. Think about how you could put some extra light into that often dark place.
And since you want to make things the right way, there are some tips you must follow and have in mind.
If you rather transform the loft into a guest room or an extra room for you, have in mind these ones:
- First – make room for the stairs if there are none. One of the key considerations when designing loft conversions is think about space. Use as much as you can, but do not sacrifice the place needed for staircase both in the loft and on the storey below. Where possible, stacking the new flight over the main existing staircase is usually the best option. Where space is especially tight, a spiral staircase can sometimes be a better choice.
- If you have the chance arrange some extra bathroom up there. The attic is an ideal place for a master bedroom, providing you can find room for a bathroom. And if you can, squeeze it in. If your budget is too tight for the moment, you could put in the plumbing ready for a eventual future addition.
- Very important thing- think about storage and its options. Use that can be used- the extra space to form cupboards, rather than simply boarding it over. Use any unusual niches or spaces for more storage, use any free corner, try hangers or compact sheves.
- Use light as a proper way to create atmosphere, coziness and space. It can be used to develop different effects in the attic. Use recessed low-energy spotlights in the flat part of the ceiling below the ridge. You could also fit wall sconces on gable-end walls. If you have exposed beams, you can also fit directional spots to these, but try to conceal the light source to prevent glare. But let’s not forget that the natural light is the best decisions of all. So if you have got the opportunity try to provide it in the room.
- Since the space is quite restricted up here, use furniture, which is practical. Try double ups as an occasional guest bedroom, with flexible furniture such as a sofa-bed or a fold-down design.
- Soundproof the walls and floor! There’s no need for other words here.
- Decoration is not the most important task about the attic but if you have managed already to improve everything else why not dive into this one. But decorate effectively. Use wood, and not many unnecessary stuff. Where you have sloping walls/ceilings, paint them in the same colour as the ceiling. Where the sloping element is extensive, paint the whole room the same colour or, for a modern look.
When thinking of colors, paler nuances will improve the feeling of space.
