Shamrock Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Can anyone recommend a contractor and/or architect for a project involving the conversion of an attic to an additional bedroom/living area? I have a fairly typical Heights bungalow with a large attic, and the project would involve, as best as I can tell (my remodeling skills are non-existent), the installation of a stairwell, the buildout of the attic space for bedroom/living area and bathroom, and the possible reposition of the a/c equipment in the attic.Any suggestions are much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porchman Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Can anyone recommend a contractor and/or architect for a project involving the conversion of an attic to an additional bedroom/living area? I have a fairly typical Heights bungalow with a large attic, and the project would involve, as best as I can tell (my remodeling skills are non-existent), the installation of a stairwell, the buildout of the attic space for bedroom/living area and bathroom, and the possible reposition of the a/c equipment in the attic.Any suggestions are much appreciated.I plan to do a similar project, so I've been keeping watch. I was impressed by the work of two Heights builders that have had their own homes on the Heights Home Tour:-Broman Design and Construction, 1233 Yale - converted the attic within the exisitng roof.-Gabriel Homebuilders, 1607 Cortlandt - added a full, second flooor to their bungalow.I found one other company on the web that had done a conversion in the Heights. The name escapes me...I'll keep looking. I was impressed with a creative alternative the company had to moving a bunch of utilities.Please post what you learn - builders and the experience, as well. I am interested in getting a feel for cost/sf and what factors in running it up (adding dormers, moving utilities, etc.). Thanks. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamrock Posted July 19, 2007 Author Share Posted July 19, 2007 Thanks for those recommendations. Will keep you posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takeshi Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Kinda late here but one of the principals of Numen Development did this for a friend's house on Allston. I believe in that particular case the roof had to be raised a bit. However, it was very well done and you actually can't tell from the street that the house has a second floor, retaining its original look. Numen's working on pushing homes built from surplus shipping containers but they're certainly capable of more than just container-based homes.http://www.numendevelopment.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 You will be glad you did this by the way! My family has a two story home and as soon as we moved we in we converted the attic so now its basically 3 levels great views of woods on the East, then downtown skyline to the West. Be sure to snap photos when staert to finish. Nothing like being up in the clouds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 We, too, are considering this for our Eastwood home. We have a rather large t-shape attic with a high ceiling in the middle. We don't plan to convert it all the way to living space (don't have a good place on the second floor for stairs ), but we desperately need climate-controlled storage space. We will need to have it insulated, have the three windows replaced, have vents installed, and have the second floor's HVAC moved out of the way. We probably won't sheetrock it, though it would make it look nicer. Please post any helpful tips and referrals here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 We are even considering a roof deck. On a smaller scale than this of course. Kids would love it. Great for star gazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipper Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 We are doing one of these right now (putting 2 bedrooms, 1 bath into the attic.Some things to think about...What size are your ceiling joists now? If you are going to have to move some joists around, is there plumbing/electric "in" those joists that will have to be cut out and re-run?Do you have enough horizontal space to put a set of stairs and meet current code requirement for tread depth and riser height?flipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 We, too, are considering this for our Eastwood home. We have a rather large t-shape attic with a high ceiling in the middle. We don't plan to convert it all the way to living space (don't have a good place on the second floor for stairs ), but we desperately need climate-controlled storage space. We will need to have it insulated, have the three windows replaced, have vents installed, and have the second floor's HVAC moved out of the way. We probably won't sheetrock it, though it would make it look nicer. Please post any helpful tips and referrals here. Consider having the underside of the roof insulated with icynene foam. This will make the roof assembly airtight, and the leakage from your A/C ductwork will essentially turn the attic into conditioned space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Consider having the underside of the roof insulated with icynene foam. This will make the roof assembly airtight, and the leakage from your A/C ductwork will essentially turn the attic into conditioned space.Interesting that you mention the spray-in insulation. We just received a quote from Payless Insulation for them to spray in their insulation. Seems that they cover the studs (or whatever they are called) with CellWeb, then punch small holes in it, and fill with spray-in insulation. I'm not sure if it is icynene foam (I'm not very educated about insulation), but it seems to be what we are looking for. I am curious what type of difference it will make in our a/c use! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Consider having the underside of the roof insulated with icynene foam.better hope the roof doesn't develop a leak. sounds like rot waiting to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipper Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Interesting that you mention the spray-in insulation. We just received a quote from Payless Insulation for them to spray in their insulation. Seems that they cover the studs (or whatever they are called) with CellWeb, then punch small holes in it, and fill with spray-in insulation. I'm not sure if it is icynene foam (I'm not very educated about insulation), but it seems to be what we are looking for. I am curious what type of difference it will make in our a/c use!Hey there,They are giving you a quote to spray in cellulose insulation. The Icynene is like that "great stuff" expanding foam that DOW makes. Spray foam is overkill in the houston market in my opinion.Insulation works best when it's in an enclosed space. The cellweb is really just a net that holds the insulation in place and keeps it from falling down. Are we talking about insulating the underside of your roof deck between the rafters? If so, we need to address some other issues.flipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Hey there,They are giving you a quote to spray in cellulose insulation. The Icynene is like that "great stuff" expanding foam that DOW makes. Spray foam is overkill in the houston market in my opinion.Insulation works best when it's in an enclosed space. The cellweb is really just a net that holds the insulation in place and keeps it from falling down. Are we talking about insulating the underside of your roof deck between the rafters? If so, we need to address some other issues.flipperI called for a more detailed explanation and they are talking about putting up the CellWeb along the rafters (under the roof deck), then spraying in Celbar in place of the roll-in stuff. Then they would address the kneewall space with R19 cotton batt.Flipper, are you saying that we should have sheetrock installed for sure? Given the cost of this, we want to make sure we proceed in the right direction. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 better hope the roof doesn't develop a leak. sounds like rot waiting to happen.I believe it leaks through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnu Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 I believe it leaks through.yeah..Icynene is open cell foam so it will let water pass through Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 But if they are recommending Celbar, then would it trap the water? We have an concrete/asbestos tile roof, which I know is fragile if walked on (it's pretty, but it's a pain because no one will service it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipper Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 But if they are recommending Celbar, then would it trap the water? We have an concrete/asbestos tile roof, which I know is fragile if walked on (it's pretty, but it's a pain because no one will service it).wait wait wait... let's take a step back. I was getting you confused with the original poster.You are wanting to convert your attic into conditioned space, but only have access through attic stairs or a "hatch" opening right?flipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 wait wait wait... let's take a step back. I was getting you confused with the original poster.You are wanting to convert your attic into conditioned space, but only have access through attic stairs or a "hatch" opening right?flipperCorrect, we have a pull down ladder in the master closet and plan to continue to use that unless we can find a place for standard stairs. The price for the insulation doesn't seem too bad. We also appear to have an oversized a/c unit (4-ton for just the 800 sq ft second floor), and so we want to add a couple more vents for the attic space to condition it as well as reduce the pressure of the air coming out of the second floor vents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heights_yankee Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 -Broman Design and Construction, 1233 Yale - converted the attic within the exisitng roof.These guys just completed an AMAZING job on the corner of my street. It is gorgeous. If you want to check it out, it is the green house on the se corner of Pineridge @ W Temple. You can't miss the garage they added on with living space above. Well built and fits the house to a t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northwood Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I agree with Heights Yankee - I run by it most mornings and they did a great job of blending old with new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 We are doing one of these right now (putting 2 bedrooms, 1 bath into the attic.Some things to think about...What size are your ceiling joists now? If you are going to have to move some joists around, is there plumbing/electric "in" those joists that will have to be cut out and re-run?Do you have enough horizontal space to put a set of stairs and meet current code requirement for tread depth and riser height?flipperSo here are my thoughts: We have a large attic with three windows (facing north, east, and west), but we have a heck of a time accessing it. The current access door is in the master walk-in closet, but its location is keeping us from adding a closet organizer system (that and the washer/dryer!). We were thinking about moving the access to the bedroom hallway at the top of the stairs, but unfortunately it would have to face toward the stairs to allow for upstairs access (so you don't hit your head on the roof as you enter). That seems unsafe or potentially against code. So, unless we put the access in the ceiling of one of the two bedrooms, we hit a roadblock.However, I'm wondering if we could convert the master closet (probably 5x7, huge for an old closet) into a standard staircase, and then make the entire attic a master closet/storage? It seems doable, but I have to wonder if that would be a good selling feature or something we would never get our money back on. The house only has two closets, and so I would think that a grand master closet in the attic would be grand...however, it is a full floor away!Another option is to add on above our sunroom (first floor structure) and make that a closet, and then turn our existing closet into a master bath (it adjoins the only full bath we have). Not sure which is more valuable!?!Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 However, I'm wondering if we could convert the master closet (probably 5x7, huge for an old closet) into a standard staircase, and then make the entire attic a master closet/storage? Thoughts?that first step would be a doozie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I imagine by now you have been up there during summer months? Now i wonder if you should wait to see how hot it gets before you invest too much $. On a brighter note, you probably have added some good ventilation by now? The fact that you have windows already is fantastic! After we added our flight of stairs we quickly added insulation & sheetrock and blinds/curtains. It is very cozy in winter, summer is another story though. Still working at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 However, I'm wondering if we could convert the master closet (probably 5x7, huge for an old closet) into a standard staircase, and then make the entire attic a master closet/storage?Staircase footprints are MUCH bigger than 5x7 unless you do a spiral staircase, but that would make getting stuff up and down the stairs a huge PITA. If I was looking to buy a house that had the master closet on a separate floor I'd consider who ever did it that way to be insane, and either keep looking, or factor the cost of doing it right into the offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I imagine by now you have been up there during summer months? Now i wonder if you should wait to see how hot it gets before you invest too much $. On a brighter note, you probably have added some good ventilation by now?The fact that you have windows already is fantastic! After we added our flight of stairs we quickly added insulation & sheetrock and blinds/curtains. It is very cozy in winter, summer is another story though. Still working at it. We bought the last fall, so haven't been up there in the summer (and we would rather not, which is why are looking for a solution now). We are adding blown-in insulation to the ceiling area, and then adding vents from the oversized second floor a/c. We expect that should do the trick. Staircase footprints are MUCH bigger than 5x7 unless you do a spiral staircase, but that would make getting stuff up and down the stairs a huge PITA. If I was looking to buy a house that had the master closet on a separate floor I'd consider who ever did it that way to be insane, and either keep looking, or factor the cost of doing it right into the offer. Thanks for the feedback! I guess I see it two ways. As a guy, I'm like "who needs that much closet space?" But as a buyer, perhaps with a family, I hate that my stuff has to go into storage because there are no closets. I recall seeing some Generation Renovation or something like that where they converted the attic into a massive bathroom. I don't think I would be keen on the idea of going up and down the stairs, but an old house that had bathroom or storage space that is up to a modern standard would appeal to me. We also have a brick sunroom that sticks out from the first floor that we could add a second floor onto, then turn that into a full master closet, retaining the other closet for a bath or entry to the attic. That seems very expensive, though, and I doubt it was built to have a second floor added to it. Anything we do would be finished to match the rest of the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 So, is there room to put the entire master suite in the attic? What about putting another bedroom and small bath in the attic area then taking an existing bedroom adjacent to the current master and carving it up into closet and/or bathroom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiko Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 I found one other company on the web that had done a conversion in the Heights. The name escapes me...I'll keep looking. I was impressed with a creative alternative the company had to moving a bunch of utilities.Maybe Bayou City Services? I found their website because we'd like to convert a portion of our attic. According to them, they've pretty much given up the renovation business in favor of just installing tankless water heaters. Regardless, there are some interesting pics on their site. Anyone got any feedback on the tankless heaters? We're looking at replacing our old tank with a tankless to make more room in the attic.Broman has done two house on our block, and I'm impressed. They're top dollar, though. I wonder if Harvard Heights Construction would be interested, or are they only doing garage apartments now?Please continue to post details on your projects - I'm probably a year away but would like to get this done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Excellent photos! Consider documenting the whole thing in photos and log so you can send to Do-it-Yourself magazines. This Old House, etc. They encourage people to send in and possibly be published and more. Don't be bashful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Broman has done two house on our block, and I'm impressed. They're top dollar, though. I wonder if Harvard Heights Construction would be interested, or are they only doing garage apartments now?Harvard Heights came out and gave me a quote on a garage and garage apartment. I was pretty impressed with the prices and the owner's matter-of-fact presentation. I'm sure we will use them next year when we build a garage. I did mention the attic work and he didn't jump in like he was interested at all. Not that it means they don't do it, but I inferred that they know what they do best and they stick to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwrm4 Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Harvard Heights came out and gave me a quote on a garage and garage apartment. I was pretty impressed with the prices and the owner's matter-of-fact presentation. I'm sure we will use them next year when we build a garage. I did mention the attic work and he didn't jump in like he was interested at all. Not that it means they don't do it, but I inferred that they know what they do best and they stick to it.From what I can tell, Harvard Heights pretty much only does canned garage designs on the cheap. I, along with several other people I know, have had him look at building custom garage designs. None of us every heard back from the guy, despite promises to the contrary. And I'm not talking about 1 or 2 other people with the same experience, I'm talking about 5 or 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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