Finishing an attic

[shootemall]

I'm trying to finish my attic and want advice from those who have done similar projects. We bought a house earlier this year, thinking our oldest was going off to college. Didn't happen, and we're sharing a room with the youngest. There are stairs going up to an unfinished attic. There's a window, and I'm slowly going to finish to add a bedroom and bathroom.

Got some quotes, but they were all more than I budgeted. I've had rental houses for years, feel comfortable with plumbing, carpentry, electrical, punch out... I'll make some cosmetic mistakes, but it'll be okay. I'll have it inspected so it'll at least be to code.

Is there a place I can ask questions about building? I'm pulling up the 1/2 inch wafer board in the floor, gonna lay 3/4, frame up, etc. Then plumbing, electrical, sheetrock, paint, flooring, trim. I'll pay for the hvac, but think I can do the rest with my son. The plumbing has me stumped. The 3 inch drains are on the other side of the house, which I can't access without going up before I go down due to a raised ceiling on the main floor. Can I use a sump pump? Otherwise I'd have to run new lines at much expense. Any thoughts on questions I should be asking, but I'm not thinking about?

 

[jaybirdius]

I would make sure the floor joists/ceiling joists will be able to carry the weight you're planning to put on it. If they're 2x6, I would look at a span chart. It would stink to ruin the ceiling sheetrock in the room below. You may need to add additional joists or sister 2x8's to them.

 

[Stob]

I refinished/refurbished a house over the last 18 moths that is 135 years old including the attic and attic bathroom. I am pretty handy and grew up working in construction with uncles but have never done it professionally. Slow, yes. But I turned it into something that my wife and I did together and we are a stronger couple having done this.

All I can say is youtube, youtube and more youtube.

 

[Mars]

When building my house the attic space seemed too good to "waste" after seeing it framed out. I don't know about any building codes but I doubled up on the 2x6 ceiling joists making it 8in on center. It's worked out fine for me.

Fortunately I was able to o do this during initial construction so I could run electric and hvac easily.

 

[breathe in]

DIY Home Improvement Forum

A forum community dedicated to Do it yourself-ers and home improvement enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about tools, projects, builds, styles, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Helping You to Do It Yourself!

www.diychatroom.com

a lot of pro contractors monitor this site so you should get some good advice.

 

[mguthrie]

You will need 2x10 joists minimum. You can’t drill a 3” hole in them for those plumbing drains though. To do that you would have to put tji’s in. What’s going to be tough is supporting the roof before you remove existing roof bracing. You’ll need to watch where your putting those loads at. I frame houses for a living. Shoot me a pm if you’d like. Maybe I can help you through that part

 

[Mike 65]

You will need 2x10 joists minimum. You can’t drill a 3” hole in them for those plumbing drains though. To do that you would have to put tji’s in. What’s going to be tough is supporting the roof before you remove existing roof bracing. You’ll need to watch where your putting those loads at. I frame houses for a living. Shoot me a pm if you’d like. Maybe I can help you through that part

This^^^^

 

[Crakajak]

You will need 2x10 joists minimum. You can’t drill a 3” hole in them for those plumbing drains though. To do that you would have to put tji’s in. What’s going to be tough is supporting the roof before you remove existing roof bracing. You’ll need to watch where your putting those loads at. I frame houses for a living. Shoot me a pm if you’d like. Maybe I can help you through that part

This again.^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[shootemall]

I'm finding the more I try to prep for this, the more I realize the things I don't know. I may just suck it up and pay somebody to do it right. What size ac unit do I use? Are rafter vents required? How do i get sewage to go up before it goes down? So many questions that can't be answered in a forum... I'm thinking I'll wait for the recession to drive prices back down, but thank those of you who responded for your advice. I'm in west Georgia near I-20 if anybody is a licensed/ insured contractor and wants to do a quote.