When I imagine my ideal attic refuge, it’s a quiet place that’s separate from the rest of the house; a peaceful haven where you can think, sip tea, listen to the rain and recharge after withstanding life’s cruel blast for yet another day. Just the kind of place we all need, isn’t it? But the reality of turning unfinished attic space into something rejuvenating, inviting and pleasant depends more on addressing real-world realities than on soft and fuzzy ideas. The fact is, attic renovation offers special challenges, some of which are difficult to spot before it’s too late. If you’re planning to renovate an attic yourself, or hire someone to do it, be sure you’ve got your technical bases well-covered. If you or your contractor happens to ignore some of the finer details, look out. Your plans may come to grief in time.

Not all attics can be converted into a quiet retreat or a way-cool bedroom for your teenagers. Any attic reno depends fundamentally on two conditions. Without these, all plans are foiled: Is there enough space to stand up and walk around? Is your roof framed with rafters? Take a quick peak in your attic and see. If the area is too low, or if it’s crisscrossed with a network of triangular trusses that use up all the space, forget it. Yes, these are obvious points, but get them out of the way now, before you get your hopes up.   

The real trick with any attic renovation is preserving the internal roof ventilation that exists in open attics, while at the same time turning the space into a heat able, finished space. Ventilation is important because it keeps the roof cool during winter (thereby preventing ice dam formation) and lets household moisture escape harmlessly as it drifts up from below. Instead of the whole attic area being open to outside air for these purposes, as it is in an unfinished situation, you’ll have to preserve ventilation pathways between roof rafters, from eaves to peak, to do the same job after attic renovations. Simply stuffing fiberglass insulation between rafters and covering it all over with a plastic vapour barrier and drywall is going to invite trouble.