Making attic more comfortable

Zola.

I want to start using the attic space a bit more as a room.. potentially a bit of a man cave....currently its pretty cold, dark and uncomfortable.

There is partial flooring in the middle (covering about 1/3 of the floor), which I may need to rip up.

When we bought the house it had very old and outdated insulation (the thin yellow stuff). We removed it all and put in the new type of insulation a couple of years ago which is really thick and is much better.

Currently its just all rolled out in rows beside each other, covering the floor and runs close to the eaves (not right to the edge).

The new stuff actually made the attic roof felt 'sweat' a little bit after it was installed. There is a little bit of white mould on the roof felt in places. After that we installed four vents to let airflow in and out, two on each side of the roof. I was told by the installer that the marks on the felt isnt really a concern.

I was told the new insulation may change the climate of the house initially, but the vents will sort it. I have never scrubbed off the mould, the installer just said he would leave it. Not sure what I think about that...

The new insulation is taller than the joist depth, so to floor the whole area, I will need to raise the flooring height up, so that I can get the new insulation placed in the joist spaces?

Is there anything I should be aware of or careful about?

I am a DIY amateur, so will ask a friend for help who is handy.

Fire_Fox

Link to a recent thread.

Doozergirl

Somewhere tidy to store the Christmas decorations is different to a 'man cave'

If you intend to sit up there then it needs to comply with building regulations for a loft conversion. That is to keep you safe , provide adequate means of escape in the event of a fire and to keep you warm. Converting a loft involves structural improvements, not just boarding. If the joists were designed only to hold the plasterboard for the ceiling of the rooms beneath, then they are not strong enough to bear the weight of a room and the associated movement up there.

To comfortably use it, you'll want solid insulation between the rafters so that you are warm up there and within the thermal envelope of the house. You need airflow between the insulation and the roof covering.

It's not a particularly simple topic to give guidance in one post. A proper loft conversion is expensive.

Doozergirl

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Link to a recent thread.

That was a thread and a half!

Seeing if I can get the last word in now

Zola.

Hmmm, on second thoughts maybe this will be too expensive right now to do properly.

I am in the process of converting from oil to gas, so the garage will have the boiler cleared out and some space recovered... maybe the garage is a better option for now....

How can I 'weather proof' the garage so that things won't rust? Is that even possible? e.g. drums...The garage itself is dry, but I noticed things like old weights seem to rust in the cold weather in garages.

I have a nice drum kit that I want to play again but I have no space in the house for it.

EachPenny

Zola. wrote: »

How can I 'weather proof' the garage so that things won't rust? Is that even possible? e.g. drums...The garage itself is dry, but I noticed things like old weights seem to rust in the cold weather in garages.

If you have things you don't want to go rusty then you need adequate heating and ventilation. It isn't enough to just 'weather proof' the space.

Weather proofing will keep the rain and wind out, but objects stored in the space will be cold, and sources of warm moisture (e.g. you) will cause condensation to form on the cold objects. If they are steel (for example) they will go rusty. Likewise, fabrics and paper will get 'damp' and mouldy.

Zola.

I am going to need a bigger boat.

Fire_Fox

Zola. wrote: »

Hmmm, on second thoughts maybe this will be too expensive right now to do properly.

I have a nice drum kit that I want to play again but I have no space in the house for it.

Could you have a ruthless declutter and reorganise of storage to free up floor space for your drum kit?

Sell or donate to charity as much as possible, buy new storage that makes better use of the vertical space, or that allows things to be stored in the attic or garage. Floor to ceiling cupboards or shelving, vacuum bags for example.

Mistral001

Many people use attics as extra space for many things but unless you get Building Control Approval, it will be classified as uninhabitable space, so you will not increase your floor area when you go to sell it.

As well, you will not be able to rent the room out to anybody. You will also increase your escape distances in the event of a fire, so if you want to be up there every day instead of once or twice a year to get the Christmas decorations out or get a tent or large suitcase out to go on holidays, the risk of being burned alive will be increased.