A loft is normally a refurbished room in a complex or home that is being transformed to be utilized as a living or lounging area. This may be a basement, or attic that is directly under a roof. When making a loft area, be sure to adhere to all the safety precautions so that when you finished construction you will be pleased and confident that the structure is safe. This article provides you with the necessary information to transform your attic into your own loft, as your little getaway inside your home.
Tools required
- Drill
- Hammer
- Table saw
Materials required
- Skylight
- Attic insulation
- Attic lighting
- Auxiliary lighting
- Nails
- Plywood/timber
- Foam
- Rubber base
Instructions
- First, you have to secure that your roofing is not a truss-framed roof or has a low slope. These roofs are normally not properly designed to accommodate an attic loft.
- Get a professional to inspect the walls and foundations of the attic to inform you of whether or not the structure is sound and has the strength to maintain additional stress and weight. This area must be suitable for living so not researching on these factors could be dangerous.
- Insulate the loft attic with foam. Use ½ * 1½ inch strips of rigid foam on your table saw. Fasten them to the side of the rafters, against the underside of the roof sheathing using roof nails. Cut panels of 1-inch thick foam that fit between the rafters, sitting on top of the strips you just installed. It should extend from the eaves to the peak and fit nicely so it stays in place. This allows condensation in the loft to dry through the ventilation channel. Use uncompressed fiberglass and fill the spaces between the rafters and then install more rigid sheets of foam to the inside edges of the rafters.
- Use a rubber-based underlay design for the flooring of the attic loft to suppress noise made from general movement in that area which may affect persons at the lower end of the building.
- Install roof windows and skylights to allow fresh air and sunlight into the attic loft. You should also install auxiliary lighting for the nights.
- Try using the same size and style of the original stairs as the entrance to your attic loft. Measure the hole of the loft hatch (attic entrance) and cut four (4) pieces of timber so that the length and width is larger than the hole. Nail the pieces of timber together in a boxed shape so that it rests squarely on top of the entrance to the attic. To secure it shim and seal the gaps between the attic framing where the entrance is
- Cut four pieces of 1 inch of wood out of ½ timber and nail it on the inside of the box to make a lip for the lid to sit on. Cut four pieces of architrave to the correct length and miter each corner and nail it to the box that you have just made.
- Cut a piece of plywood a little bigger than the dimensions of the attic entrance and hinge it on the edge to create a lid for the loft, this can be closed shut at any time.
- Use the Velux attic windows as a fire escape facility in the case of an emergency.
Tips and Warning
- When you are walking on undeveloped attic spacing make sure to step carefully on solid joists, this prevents your foot from going through the floor. You should also be aware of the overhead rafters that you could hit your head on.
- Use eye goggles and dust respirators as a means to protect yourself when you are working.