What is an attic? Well, an attic refers to the space between the ceiling of the top floor and the roof of the house. Because of their vicinity to the elements, attics are often heavily insulated and sometimes have heating or air conditioning equipment, allowing people to turn them into extra rooms that are often vast, as they span the length of the property. Regardless of whether or not owners turn their attics into rooms, they actually have a huge role to play and are a big deal! The state of the space has a major impact on the home’s comfort and energy efficiency, for example in winter if you have inadequate insulation within the attic, you can expect to see 60% heat loss.
What do they look like?
Within most homes, attics have inward sloping walls that meet at the peak of the roof, largely matching the shape of the exterior of the property. Because of their insulation responsibilities, either the floor of the attic or the walls will be the area covered in insulation (this depends on whether the space is used for storage or is coveted into a room). It’s also within this criterion that depends on whether you will find windows in the attic space. Most that are used for storage are dark, accessible through a hole in the ceiling and rarely have windows. It is largely only attics that have been converted into rooms that feature windows and have stairs leading to them.
Attic room ideas
Don’t let awkward ceilings and the fact that your attic is vital to the energy efficiency and warmth of your property put you off converting your attic, however. Through a little bit of foresight and creativity, a beautifully designed attic can transform a house, adding value, practicality and style to any property.
Having a large space makes the process a lot easier as you can convert this space into an extra bedroom, an office space or a whole floor for whatever purpose you see fit. However, if the space is slightly smaller, the aim is to get creative and use the area wisely, perhaps turning it into a child's bedroom, a bathroom or a chill-out space.
One of the best features of an attic is the wealth of natural light you can gain from opening up the roof and adding skylights. By doing this you gain a feeling of space and airiness, if you complement this with minimal clutter and a fresh colour palette and you have a stylish space that will grab everyone's attention.
1st Option and attics
As stated above, most people convert their attics into bedrooms, whether that be a master suite that runs the length of the house, or something a bit smaller like a child's bedroom. However, here at 1st Option, we have the most curated library of locations including all styles of attic conversions, including bedrooms, office spaces, chill-out zones and bathrooms. Check out Apollo, Jasper, Jupiter and Sage for your more traditional style, master suite, attic bedrooms. However, if you are looking for a child’s conversion, have a look at Lotus, Olivia or Valerie. On the other hand, we also have locations like Seymour and Frenchie that are office spaces and Ambleside, Ember Way and Westover Road that are more chill out, living areas. Finally, take a look at Rural Retreat, Minton House, Melrose and Henley Barn that feature attic bathrooms. Special mention goes to The Mill in Sussex that has converted an attic space into a bedroom, bathroom and office space all in one!