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Unearth Your Attic
Don't settle for a dusty dumping ground when you can have a stylish, usable room. These 4 attic renovations are sure to inspire
Like basements, attics often turn into catchalls for all sorts of odds and ends. When they aren't renovated, they become an easy and convenient space in which to store the furniture, old clothes and other items. But an attic can quickly become added living space for your home. These four attics started out as cluttered and dark spaces. But with a little planning and elbow grease, they were transformed into bright and efficient rooms, adding value and space to the home.
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| Colorful Girls' Getaway in New York AFTER: Katie O'Hagan wanted to transform the attic in her Beacon, New York, home into a bright and cheerful space for her two daughters. "We had to move from a house they really loved into a relatively cramped space, so my main goal was to create rooms that would make them excited to move in," she says. Bright greens, yellows and oranges were chosen for their cheerful notes and ability to reflect the limited sunlight. Furniture with simple lines helps the rest of the room feel clean but not sparse. Since the beds have drawers tucked underneath, there's plenty of room for the girls' odds and ends. |
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BEFORE: O'Hagan had the basics to work with, but a lot of work remained. The attic had some giant holes in the walls, which required cutting out sheetrock and patching it into place — a skill O'Hagan learned on YouTube. Old stickers had to be removed, and spackle was applied for an even painting surface.
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AFTER: There are two other bedrooms on the main floor of the house, but O'Hagan saw the attic's potential as a perfect hideaway for her girls. "The stairs are really steep but manageable," she says. "This suits my daughters fine, as they're too steep for the dog to get upstairs and eat their stuff."
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BEFORE: For O'Hagan, the main challenge was finding time to work on everything. She worked around the clock so that the family could stop camping out in the living room.
The biggest project was tackling the scuffed-up flooring with a handheld rotary sander. "I would say to rent a floor sander," she says. "I gave myself a lot of extra work and then found out that it's really cheap to rent a bigger one."
The biggest project was tackling the scuffed-up flooring with a handheld rotary sander. "I would say to rent a floor sander," she says. "I gave myself a lot of extra work and then found out that it's really cheap to rent a bigger one."
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AFTER: The sleeping spaces are separated by a door, and the girls share a closet. To cut down on clutter, O'Hagan has the girls store their toys and craft supplies in the basement. A skylight in each room and a window at either end of the space let in plenty of natural light.
O'Hagan, an artist, painted the polka dots by hand.
O'Hagan, an artist, painted the polka dots by hand.
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| Atlanta Expansion for a Family of Six BEFORE: Karen Soorikian renovated this large attic space for an Atlanta family with four young girls. The family knew they were going to need some extra space as their girls grew, so they wanted to turn their attic space into a suite with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a playroom. |
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| AFTER: "An attic design is always an exercise in space maximization," Soorikian says. "I had to really play with the plan and section to make sure we were getting the most out of the space at hand. Every nook and cranny is used." |
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| AFTER: To make use of the slanted walls and awkward corners, Soorikian designed the rooms so that all the areas with the correct height for standing room were used as living and built-in sleeping spaces. All the other awkward areas under the roof are used for storage with bookshelves, cabinets, closets and window seats. The gabled dormers that were added to the roofline were designed to look like they had always been there. |
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| BEFORE: The original attic was made of just the bare bones. Soorikian moved the HVAC unit out of the attic and replaced a vent with a triple casement window, an exact match of the historic triple casement at the front of the house. Overall, the renovation took about seven months. |
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| AFTER: Two fully outfitted bathrooms were built into the large attic area. This historic home was once a Quaker house and a venue for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s meetings. Because of its rich history, there were strict renovation guidelines that Soorikian had to follow. |
by sherry hart
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Multi-Use Hangout for Four Girls in Georgia
BEFORE: Although this attic was designed for another Atlanta family with four girls, the current use couldn't be more different. Located over a garage, the attic had become a sort of dumping ground. Designer Sherry Hart edited most of the furniture out of the room, saving only what was needed. "If you're considering doing an attic renovation, first decide what the purpose of the space will be. Try not to make it work for too many activities," she says.
BEFORE: Although this attic was designed for another Atlanta family with four girls, the current use couldn't be more different. Located over a garage, the attic had become a sort of dumping ground. Designer Sherry Hart edited most of the furniture out of the room, saving only what was needed. "If you're considering doing an attic renovation, first decide what the purpose of the space will be. Try not to make it work for too many activities," she says.
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by sherry hart
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| AFTER: Hart helped reorganize and rethink. The family really wanted a room for their children to watch TV, work on the computer and do arts and crafts in. A computer work area was put against the far wall, with a larger desk space against the wall of windows. An L-shaped living area provides separation and just the right amount of space for watching TV. The room's design renovation came from the rug, lifted from another room. The sofas were reused as well, but Hart had them re-covered and accented with nail heads. |
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| Cottage-Style Girl's Bedroom Suite in Texas BEFORE: This central Austin home was originally built in the 1940s in a typical cottage style, which was the main inspiration for this attic renovation. Ryan Davis and his team at CG&S Design-Build worked for six months to rebuild this barren, dark and cluttered attic into a light and bright bedroom suite for the client's daughter. "I'd say there's more involved in an attic renovation than most people realize," says Davis. "The shell is there but not much else." As Davis and his team experienced with this project, an attic renovation isn't just a matter of making the space pretty. It's making sure there's a safe and comfortable stair at the ground floor, the floor is strong enough to support added weight, electrical lines are removed and much more. |
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| AFTER: The main design goal was to add the teenager's bedroom to the upstairs without changing the home's cottage style. Davis and his team extended the sloped roof up higher, then used a curved "eyebrow" dormer to keep the addition within the frame of the house. |
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An open closet space allows for plenty of storage but still maintains an open walkway and keeps the space from feeling cramped.
More:
5 Basement Renovations Designed for Fun
Look Up: There May Be Living Room in the Attic
More Living Space: Making Room for the Family
More:
5 Basement Renovations Designed for Fun
Look Up: There May Be Living Room in the Attic
More Living Space: Making Room for the Family
Comments
indianajoan1 Where did you purchase the colorful area rug for the attic?
15 months ago · Like
piscesfille The rug in the 1st and 3rd pictures is from IKEA.
15 months ago · Like
Lauren Elyse LOVE this article, attic renovation is one of the best ideas ever
15 months ago · Like
linbar What wonderful "found" spaces!
15 months ago · Like
mmsalg With all this amazing inspiration, you may need someone to help you make your attic into the perfect usable space of your dreams. www.custommade.com 
15 months ago · Like
W. David Seidel, AIA - Architect Very helpful information Vanessa, let me just add some code requirements that are specific to California. If an attic was empty or used for light-weight storage and will be turned into living space, that is considered a vertical addition. A horizontal addition would be adding a room on the ground level. A vertical addition in California forces the whole house to be brought up to current seismic code with new foundations and shearwalls. On an average house in San Francisco, that could add anywhere from $100k to $200k to the project cost. On the other hand, the remodeled house will be able to survive a serious earthquake and might be the only one left standing on the street ... where ever the project might be located, it is always best to discuss it with a licensed architect or engineer in the early stages.
15 months ago · Like
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ragsangle I don't usually care for alot of bright colors but the childrens' bedrooms are wonderful, colorful and fun,organized and just HAPPY!!! Love them!
15 months ago · Like
txpacker we're living through an "attic unearthing" right now!! Opened up the narrow upstairs hallway to find a window dormer, perfect for a craft table and additional storage--it's been an exciting process!
15 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on March 2, 2012.
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