<h2 style="margin: 10pt 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font color="#990000">Converting the Attic to a Functional Space</font></font></h2><p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt">Has your family slowly outgrown your home?<span>  </span>If so, you are probably considering adding a room extension that will allow you some extra square footage for your growing brood.<span>  </span>New additions to the home can be costly, time consumptive and ruinous to the exterior look of the home.<span>  </span>In lieu of building out – some folks simply convert the attic into a functional space.<span>  </span>Converting the attic allows you to use your existing space to its fullest potential without taking up extra space in the lawn.<span>  </span>A vertical renovation can be just the thing to make your pre-existing square footage more usable and functional for your growing family.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt"></span></p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt"><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Considerations to Make</strong></p><strong></strong>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Before committing to an attic renovation, there are some considerations to be made.<span>  </span>You need to have a clear goal in mind prior to hiring a contractor (assuming you are not doing the work yourself).<span>  </span>Knowing what you want from the attic conversion will allow you to communicate on the same level as your contractor.<span>  </span>You want to be on the “same page” so that you get what you pay for and end up with what you want.<span>  </span>Consider:</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">-The purpose of the attic conversation:<span>  </span>Will it be converted into a master bedroom, guest room, home office, or rec room?<span>  </span>One way to determine the best purpose for the attic is to consider it in the same way that you would an unfinished basement space.<span>  </span>That will open up the different possibilities that you might consider.<span>  </span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span></span></p><span></span>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt&quot; class="MsoNormal">-Any barriers to using the space: What obstacles are there to using the attic as a living space?<span>  </span>Is the space large enough for you to convert it into the area that you need to create?<span>  </span>Will there be sufficient head room?<span>  </span>Sometimes a perceived obstacle is an inconvenience and sometimes it’s a barrier to completing the project.<span>  </span>A quick inspection by a qualified contactor can often help you to determine if there is an obstacle that cannot be overcome feasibly and without a huge expense.</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><span>  </span><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">-The safety of the space and the affordability of the conversion:<span>  </span>The attic was likely not designed for living space when your home was built, so think about things that will need to be done to make it both safe and comfortable.<span>  </span>It can be a pain to build around an area that is already constructed, unlike a new building addition that is customized around what you want.<span>  </span>When you are working with existing structures and old materials, there are often a lot of unforeseen problems that come up that even the most skilled contractor cannot predict.<span>  </span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span></span>In fact, most contractors will ask that you budget an additional ten to twenty percent for uncertainties that might arise.<span>  </span>You will likely have to add a staircase, windows, doors, and more to the space to make it livable.<span>  </span>Flooring, plumbing, electrical, drywall – all of these will need to be budgeted for when considering an attic conversion.<span>  </span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span></span></p><span></span>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">These are the major considerations that you need to make when considering an attic conversion.<span>  </span>Nonetheless, converting an attic into usable space can definitely impact the amount of usable square footage inside the home that you already own without building out and taking up lawn and garden space.<span>  </span></p><span></span>  <p><span style="line-height: 200%; 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