How to expand a private house, townhouse or warma summer house without rebuilding them? The attic is the fastest way to extra meters. We transform a closet under the roof into a spacious room and consider where you can save. Expert advice included The dream of any teenager and the pragmatic romanticism of his parents meet under the roof. Every owner of an individual house or an apartment on the top floor of a suburban low-rise building has enthusiastically counted empty attic meters at least once. The attic has long ceased to be exotic. But many are still afraid of unforeseen expenses and complex construction work. In practice, everything is not so scary.
Most private houses in Russia are built withpitched roof, the most convenient design for equipping an additional floor. This can be done in one and a half to two months, and with a reasonable approach - within a moderate budget.
1. Where to start
Experts and builders unanimously adviseplan the arrangement of the attic at the design stage. Even if you are not going to move under the roof immediately, leave yourself this opportunity for the future: bring the main communications there - water supply, heating and sewerage. This will allow you to save on building materials and additional work later. But if the chance has already been missed - no problem. With rare exceptions, the current level of construction technology allows you to do all this from the inside, without interfering with the supporting structures.
This attic, for example, was converted intoprogram from the uninhabited attic of an old house in Saltykovka, a well-known "old dacha" place in the Moscow region. Designer Vitalia Romanovskaya called her project "Chest" and proposed several amazing solutions at once: a retro stove, similar to a potbelly stove, was cut into the chimney pipe, which the owners have not used for a long time, and a suspended ceiling was installed on the slopes (this turned out to be faster, more convenient and cheaper than most other options). Velux dormer windows were used during the conversion of the attic.
The interior was created by designer Vitalia Romanovskaya
The interior was created by designer Vitalia Romanovskaya
The interior was created by designer VitaliaRomanovskaya Ekaterina Savkina, designer: — Pay attention to the small cozy corner for reading and relaxing under the dormer window. This way you can zone the space. The window helps not only to illuminate this part of the room, but also to create a local island of privacy, which looks very appropriate in a traditional country interior. designdirection.ru
The interior was created by designer Vitalia Romanovskaya
The interior was created by designer Vitalia Romanovskaya
The interior was created by designer VitaliaRomanovskaya Our opinion: - As with any renovation, the first thing you should do is come up with a design project. It will depend not only on the color of the walls and floor - you can wait with this. It is important to immediately understand the location and configuration of windows, stairs, internal partitions and the locations of the main communications. After this, you can begin to strengthen the floors, which must withstand the weight of people, furniture and technical devices. It is better to do this under the guidance of professionals who will help you correctly calculate the supporting structures for a full-fledged residential floor. All subsequent work under the roof is carried out using lightweight materials that create minimal additional load on the floors.
What can frivolity lead to in suchquestions — understood. Let's say you dream of arranging a kitchen under the roof, equipped with all the necessary household appliances, or a bathroom in a retro style. Imagine that the weight of an empty cast-iron bathtub of average size is 120-130 kg. And there will also be a person there and water pouring out. You must be sure that the ceiling is ready for this. Such loads should be thought out at the design stage.
2. Warming
The next step is insulation.Thermal insulation material will protect you from the cold in winter and from the heat in summer. Without it, the interior heats up much more. It is also responsible for sound insulation during rain and thunderstorms. It is clear that you should not save on it.
Our opinion:— In its final form, the insulated structure should resemble a layer cake: load-bearing rafters — sheathing and roofing with waterproofing — insulation with a hydro-windproof membrane — vapor barrier — internal attic lining (lining, plasterboard, etc.). The insulation material should be non-flammable and vapor-permeable, at least 20-25 centimeters thick. To prevent moisture from accumulating inside, a ventilation gap of 2-5 centimeters is left between the insulation and the sheathing. Then the air will remove the resulting condensate.
3. Lighting
Proximity to the sun, sky and stars is the main thingthe source of the romantic reputation of the attic - you don't want to miss it at all. The windows of the attic floor are planned on the gables (traditional or balcony opening) and in the roof itself on the slopes (dormer and dormer). Ordinary windows in the side walls, as a rule, are not enough to illuminate the entire attic with its complex geometry, especially if it needs to be divided by partitions. To the rescue come structures that are mounted directly into the roof and let in more light.
Marina Prozarovskaya, Chief Engineer at VELUX:— It is important to understand that roof windows come in a range of standard sizes. In living spaces, it is better to use windows measuring 78 by 118 cm. To ensure sufficient light, according to building codes, there should be 1 sq. m of window for every 10 sq. m of space. The area of the window can be easily determined using the size table. For example, a window measuring 78 by 118 cm is approximately 0.5 sq. m. This means that it can light a room of 5-6 sq. m. Using these rules, you can easily calculate the number and size of windows you need. It is clear that in children's rooms, living rooms, and studios, it is better to provide more light than the minimum standard implies. The features of the room are also important when choosing a model. Classic wooden windows, which are environmentally friendly and warm, are better suited for bedrooms and living rooms. For a child's room, as well as for a room where the window is located above the bed or work area, choose a model with internal triplex glass - it will protect against fragments if the window breaks. For a bathroom and other damp rooms, the best solution is white moisture-resistant windows. If the window is located high, provide the ability to open it remotely using a rod or remote control.
4. Finishing
Attic pie ready for finishing workusually finished with paneling, wall panels, plywood or plasterboard. The latter is perhaps the most practical due to its durability and ability to resist moisture. Plasterboard covered with putty can then be painted, plastered or wallpapered.
Ekaterina Savkina, designer:— The interesting angular geometry of the attic is its main aesthetic advantage and structural disadvantage. When planning such spaces, remember that the floor area is not the real usable area. On the other hand, it is thanks to the cozy niches, semi-hidden corners and sloping ceilings that children, both small and older, feel great in such spaces. designdirection.ru
The interior was created by designer Ekaterina Savkina
The interior was created by designer Ekaterina Savkina
The interior was created by designer Ekaterina Savkina
The interior was created by designer Ekaterina SavkinaA loft for a teenager — Ekaterina's latest project — is a convincing proof of this. To create a comfortable studio, it was necessary to build up the walls of the townhouse. These efforts were more than compensated by the result. The result was an optimal and practically autonomous space, which has everything for the independent life of a young person: a sleeping area, a micro-kitchen, a sofa, a TV and storage systems. Velux dormer windows are installed on the roof slopes.
The interior was created by designer Ekaterina Savkina
The interior was created by designer Ekaterina Savkina
The interior was created by designer Ekaterina Savkina
The interior was created by designer Ekaterina Savkina
The interior was created by designer Ekaterina SavkinaEkaterina Savkina, designer: — The most important thing in arranging an attic is good and thorough insulation and precise and competent installation of correctly selected windows. Your future comfort depends on this — after all, we are talking about the roof, which should not allow any leaks. It is better to invite specialists to install such windows. Otherwise, attic windows look great, allow a lot of light into the interior, which is especially important for children's and teenage spaces, and create a wide range of options: from the simplest models to designs with retractable balconies. designdirection.ru
5. Budget
The most significant savings will be achieved if the ownerwill take on at least some of the work on finishing the attic. It seems that it will not be possible to save on the roof and lighting. Our opinion: - The price of turning the attic into a full-fledged residential floor depends entirely on the features of the roof and can be very different. Having called several construction companies in the capital, we found out that the average cost of work on insulation, strengthening and budget finishing (lining) of the attic for a small country house (6 x 6 m) will cost about 10-14 thousand rubles per meter of the resulting space. If the budget is limited, you can take on the final finishing or save on windows by installing simple basic models to begin with (install suitable attic curtains on them, remote control can be done later).
