Do I Need A Permit To Finish An Attic

Beware the following mistakes when finishing your attic.

Do i need a permit to finish an attic.

That s measured after you finish the ceiling if you don t have enough height you ll have to raise the roof line and that adds a lot to your construction costs. Flooring ceiling and wall materials and other elements will reduce headroom and floor space and it s the finished area that matters. There are some potential dangers you could run into if you do not do your research properly though. In rare cases especially in new construction homes the attic may have been built unfinished with the correct flooring in place with the idea that the homeowner could later on finish the space.

Before doing anything else visit your local building department and find out if you need permission to make any structural changes to your home. In most cases though the joists cannot support live loads and may not even be covered with boards. In most towns you need to get a permit for everything that you build new and sometimes things that you repair except for. All you need to know about attic flooring.

Many communities will not permit the ceiling in a finished living area attics included to be lower than 6 8 to 7 6 from the floor. The basic space requirements for a finished attic boil down to the sizes of the finished rooms. Once you have a permit install subfloor panels over the floor joists so you can lay down flooring. If you re finishing your attic insulating it to the proper r value can cause a dramatic loss of headroom if you limit yourself to fiberglass batts.

To meet all three goals insulating your finished attic ventilating the roof and maximizing headroom use a combination of dense batt insulation rigid foam sheeting and air chutes. First check for head clearance. Finished is important to remember when you re measuring an empty attic space. She wanted to know if it was necessary or possible now to apply for the permit now what would be the circumstances if she wants to sell the house and the town will find out that she finished the attic without a permit.

Building codes vary by location but most require at least a 7 foot clearance for attic expansions.