Reader Redesign: The Dramatic Attic
When Jessica sent us her amazing attic makeover pics we couldn’t believe how she took her third floor from unfinished to fab. u. lous. Here’s her letter:
I’ve been a reader for some time and I love your before and after posts. I recently renovated my entire 1910 house in order to allow us the modern amenities, yet keep its character. Our proudest accomplishment is the attic. Before we moved in, it was a completely unfinished space. And a waste of valuable space at that! Now, it’s our hangout room where we spend most of our time watching TV or reading. I thought I would share the pics with you all and see if you enjoy the before and after as much as I do. -Jessica
Enjoy it? We live for it. You guys did such a fantastic job and we’re so glad you sent the pics our way. If only our attic was more than 4 feet tall, we’d be calling the contractor tomorrow…
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OMG, beautiful. Loving the chairs!
Sometimes I wonder. My questions are never about color or pretty things. Germans are so focused on the mechanics. Maybe my new country is rubbing off..
Anyway, Jessica: do you heat your attic space? I’m just curious since the house’s original heating method is probably obsolete. What type of heat do you have? I love what you’ve done with that added space.
Katie
Gorgeous! I must know where to get lamps like that!
How nice! I really love the rug!
I love the pillows on the sofa and the ones with the fleur de lis…would love to know where they got them!
Hey everyone,
We’ve emailed Jessica to request more info about where she got stuff (the lamps, the chairs, that rug, the pillows) and also asked how she keeps the attic heated and cooled (good question Katie).
Fingers crossed that she gives us the goods soon!
xo,
Sherry
I really like the old pipe painted white in the 2nd “After” picture. It’s part of the mechanics of the house and it adds a unique feature to the space. Love the low to the floor window seat. Your pillows are more than perfect!
Just curious – did you cover up the brick chimney to finish off the room?
Wow! I would never thought that unfinished attic is doable, this causes me to think if any attic is doable? what’s the criteria for building an attic into a real usable room? Like Sherry said about her attic being 4 feet tall, so one of the criterias must be the height.. 4 feet tall room is out of question unless you knock out the roof off :) Oh,and what about the stairway to the attic? I have this “pull the string” and the stairway comes down.. How do we add a real stairway? hmmm…
Hey Gina,
When you’re considering finishing a space like a basement or an attic, there are a few things to think about. The ceiling height of course (some attics and basements are painfully cramped), heating and cooling (if either of the spaces aren’t temperature controlled it might cost a mint to get them insulated and add ductwork), structural support (some attics don’t have the proper flooring to support the weight of people or furniture so they might need to be reinforced), and stair access (many attics have pull down stairs which call for serious renovations to add a stairway which usually requires at least a 12 foot by 12 foot amount of space on the floor below the attic- so be prepared to lose a large closet or even a guest bedroom to accommodate them). It’s definitely not a cheap project when you think about all the drywall, construction and insulation it may call for, but that being said it’s semi-finished square footage that already exists in your home, so in most cases it’s more affordable than adding on to your house in other ways (which usually means pouring more foundation and building everything from scratch). Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
when i was a kid, my aunt and uncle owned a house from the turn of the century. the attic was accessed by stairs behind a door on the second floor. they finished it to accomodate two bedrooms.
having stairs already accessing an attic with a raised rafter as opposed to trusses makes for great bonus rooms such as this one.
i love it! especially all the angles with nooks and crannies.
Sorry everyone, I have been stuck in a car driving all day today and didn’t see that there was a post. Thank you all so much for your lovely comments!
Katie, we did install a separate little HVAC system. It is a wall mounted unit that is more energy efficient and also allows us to turn it on and off at our discretion; for example when we go to bed or if we go out of town (like today!).
Jen, the lamps are from Target.
Jamie, the pillows on the couch are from Target and the pillows in the chairs are from a home goods store in my hometown that I registered for as wedding presents.
Denise, thanks, and we left the gorgeous brick exposed!
Gina, it is certainly the stairs. Like Rowan said, we already had a stairway behind a door off our second floor that led up to the attic. Not having to create a new stairway is key! Plus, like Sherry said, it is the easiest (and most cost effective) way to add square footage to your house.
Again, thanks everyone!
Jessica
http://www.thehomebound.com
Fabulous indeed! Awesome makeover!
Jessica has such a great eye for remaking spaces and homes. I love her combination of old and new.