Looking for Advice About Attics Converted into Living Space and Potential Issues

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bellemorte9506

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My bf and I are looking to buy a 3 bedroom with room for us, our 4 boys, and pets. We went and looked at a house today, and loved most of it. Besides for some yard issues that seem manageable, I noticed that the floor upstairs seemed kind of thin. My son was upstairs with us while we were looking around, and I could feel him running around in the floor, if that makes sense. My bf and I (with a combined weight of over 500 pounds) jumped around upstairs, trying to determine if the floor was solid or if it might be a concern. We didn't go through, but our real estate agent came upstairs and asked what we were up to; he could hear us banging around and the ceiling fan downstairs moved (his description). There were no spots that felt spongy or weak; it felt pretty much like a mobile home floor--solid but you can definitely feel the activity in it. The real estate agent said they most likely just laid plywood down over the existing attic floor joists and then carpeted it. The house was built in 1900; I haven't gotten the information on when the attic was converted.

This is the first home I've ever purchased, and the first one I would live in that had living space converted from an attic. There are 2 bedrooms and what has the potential for a playroom, as well as a bathroom upstairs. My concerns are with how it was constructed and whether it could lead to other problems further down the road. If anyone could offer any advice on how we could go about finding out about the safety of the floor or share information on their own converted attic, it would be greatly appreciated.
 
The building codes in 1900 were thin if not invisible ... You probably have substandard joists between the attic and downstairs (by modern standards). This can be easily discovered by pulling up some of the boards in the attic and measuring the joists. The other problem could be spacing of the joists, which would typically be 16" on center. If you have "skinny" joists which are 24" on center your kids will be rocking the house up there. Reframing will be required for all living areas of the attic for proper structural support.

As for converting the attic .... There are so many issues, it is hard to start. Framing the walls, running new electrical (which might mean upgrading electrical panel), insulation, HVAC, plumbing if you want a bathroom .... These are solvable, so do not panic. But they will carry a cost which has to be calculated into the price of the home.

Get help from someone who does attic remodels. They can quickly assess the potential and the probable costs. Here is a useful video

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IovJ7FllBho[/ame]
 
Good video. I will add there should be an access thru the knee walls to the attic space. from there you can see how deep the rafters are. Rfters a normally 2x4 or 2x6 and when insulated the insulation should not block the whole area, there should be a space between the insultaion and the roof sheeting for ventulation.
With a little investigating around the top of the stairs you should be able to figure the aprox. thickness of the floor. If that isn't obvious you can always just measure the riser on the stairs and mulriply that by the number of risers and subtract the height of the downstairs. Figure the floor sheeting to be 3/4 inch and the ceiling plaster about the same.
And welcome to the site and congrats on getting into the market.
 

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