Feasibility Study for Tulane Attic Conversion
Budget: $50 – $0 USD
We want to convert our attic into livable space. Right now, we just want to know how feasible it is, so we do not have many design requirements. At this point, we only need information about the structure, not in-depth designs.
We will do most of the work ourselves and have many handy/qualified friends and family members. My husband wants to add an extension to the back of the house because a previous owner already did the foundation work for it, and we finish it for under 100K, but I want to explore the attic option for the purpose of preserving our outdoor space.
Our house is a really simple shape, as pictured in the bird's-eye drawing. It's basically a rectangle with about half of it bumped out towards the street. The space I'm interested in working with is the 30x35ft area that I highlighted.
Roof section drawing: The trusses are either modified queen or tri-bearing. Max height in the attic is 9ft (interior measurement.) Width of the attic is 30ft (exterior). On the ground floor there are center walls running along the length of the house, which are located almost directly under the roof peak and vertical truss members. Under those center walls are piers (in the crawl space).
We like exposed beams, so we are happy to keep some of the vertical members in place and possibly add joining members.
It would be really cool to have some of the attic room open to below, but if that makes it really complicated and expensive, then maybe not.
Another consideration is moisture. I think we are required to insulate the space, which means more opportunity for moisture issues. We have high humidity and precipitation.
We will do most of the work ourselves and have many handy/qualified friends and family members. My husband wants to add an extension to the back of the house because a previous owner already did the foundation work for it, and we finish it for under 100K, but I want to explore the attic option for the purpose of preserving our outdoor space.
Our house is a really simple shape, as pictured in the bird's-eye drawing. It's basically a rectangle with about half of it bumped out towards the street. The space I'm interested in working with is the 30x35ft area that I highlighted.
Roof section drawing: The trusses are either modified queen or tri-bearing. Max height in the attic is 9ft (interior measurement.) Width of the attic is 30ft (exterior). On the ground floor there are center walls running along the length of the house, which are located almost directly under the roof peak and vertical truss members. Under those center walls are piers (in the crawl space).
We like exposed beams, so we are happy to keep some of the vertical members in place and possibly add joining members.
It would be really cool to have some of the attic room open to below, but if that makes it really complicated and expensive, then maybe not.
Another consideration is moisture. I think we are required to insulate the space, which means more opportunity for moisture issues. We have high humidity and precipitation.