Finishing attic

Is there even enough ceiling space?! Most cookie cutter homes don't have tall attics. You're looking at 4-5 feet on average at the gable.

Most attics are already full of roof truss members- pieces of 2X4 wood that form triangular shapes that support the roof, spaced at 2 ft intervals

There's usually barely any room to move around between the pieces of wood and you have to crouch down

The tie span is usually either a 2X4 or 2X6 and won't carry any floor loads at all.

To modify the truss work and add then proper joists would require replacing the whole roof - everything above your ceiling costing into the $100,000s + before you can even start to think about finishing the space .

it would be much cheaper/ cost effective to move to a different house.

The ceiling joist, or worse, trusses aren't designed to accommodate the live/dead loads that floor framing is typically designed to. Now if by chance the roof ceiling has 2x8 or 2x10 ceiling joist, then maybe its possible without having to reinforce the entire roof ( but i highly doubt it).

Keep in mind that all loads eventually have to transfer down to the ground. ie, foundation, footing pads, beams, bearing walls in basement, beams bearing on basement walls, etc. So the entire house structure would have to be assessed.

You would also have to insulate the roof framing. Something like 10" of insulation is required.

Pictures of the attic space would help.

And if the city knows you are adding sq footage, your taxes will increase.

If this is something you are serious about, hire an engineer and or architect.

You are essentially putting on an addition, so were talking big money, if done right, to code, and hiring the proper people.

As others have said, it can be quite expensive (assuming framing isn't in the way), because you're essentially adding an addition almost from scratch. It's just some of the framing is already done.

One thing to consider is just using it as storage (mostly some plywood for the floor) for items where temperatures won't affect them. So instead of spending lots of money and creating new living space, you're increasing your existing living space by moving stuff out of the way. If you're like most people, there's tons of stuff stored in the basement. Put them in the attic and enjoy the "bigger" basement.

l69norm wrote: ↑ Most attics are already full of roof truss members- pieces of 2X4 wood that form triangular shapes that support the roof, spaced at 2 ft intervals

There's usually barely any room to move around between the pieces of wood and you have to crouch down

The tie span is usually either a 2X4 or 2X6 and won't carry any floor loads at all.

To modify the truss work and add then proper joists would require replacing the whole roof - everything above your ceiling costing into the $100,000s + before you can even start to think about finishing the space .

it would be much cheaper/ cost effective to move to a different house.

In the GTA, it might not be cheaper/cost effective when you consider you're probably paying $60k or more in real estate commission [$1.2mil home] + other costs.

In some areas of the GTA where ppl want to live [transit, good schools etc], getting more sq footage like converting an attic can be worth it...definitely cheaper than moving. Whether it's worth it ...the cost to do this depends on your specific house so you need to consult artchitects/contractors on what can be done and rough cost estimates.

My kids asked me what it looks like inside our attic and wanted to go see inside, cus they watch a lot of those television shows and movies with finished livable space in their attics such as home alone, etc.

So I showed my kids what my attic looks like and they quickly changed their mind.

jm1 wrote: ↑ As others have said, it can be quite expensive (assuming framing isn't in the way), because you're essentially adding an addition almost from scratch. It's just some of the framing is already done.

One thing to consider is just using it as storage (mostly some plywood for the floor) for items where temperatures won't affect them. So instead of spending lots of money and creating new living space, you're increasing your existing living space by moving stuff out of the way. If you're like most people, there's tons of stuff stored in the basement. Put them in the attic and enjoy the "bigger" basement.

This is what i did. Mostly seasonal stuff up there. But its a a little annoying as i have to crawl because of the rafter ties and going up there in extreme weather is not fun.

Finished attic always attracted me, however I (partially) agree with other comments, specifically related to the technical difficulties.
A couple of things to consider:
City permit requirements
City fire code requirements

I would strongly recommend consulting an engineer/architect to get their opinion, even if you are planning to do the job DIY.

Finished attics in cold climates that also get hot are not a great idea. It’s really hard to insulate them properly, speaking as a guy with finished attic space in a cottage.

Maybe I’m not being clear, but it’s a massive pain in the ass actually.