3 vital things to consider if you plan to renovate your loft

Desperately need more space? Maybe it's time to convert an unused area in your home. Here are three vital things to consider if you plan to renovate your loft.

Whether it’s to keep boxes of holiday decorations or make an extra sleeping area for family or guests, renovating a loft can provide much-needed space. The first step is to always decide what to do with the currently unused area of the house. No matter what the intended purpose, there are three vital things to consider if you plan to renovate your loft.

Many standard houses made in the last 60 years use a pre-fabricated truss system with cross supports. This presents a problem in that it may severely limit the space available to work in.

• If you are in this predicament, call a professional contractor to restructure the roof since this is well above the capability of most do-it-yourselfers.

• Most homes are built with ceiling joists made to handle the weight of drywall and lighting fixtures, not furniture and people. They will need reinforcement. Again, this is a job for a professional contractor.

Insulation to maintain temperatures through the different seasons is an important item to keep in mind, as this area will be inhabited by people and valuable possessions after completion.

• A building inspector will need to determine the specifics of insulation type required, the most common being slab or mineral wool insulation.

Another important aspect to keep in mind when you renovate a loft is ventilation.

• Your space will need to be able to breathe through the vents leading outside to avoid excess moisture and keep the space at a comfortable temperature.

From here, fire safety is the next priority while finishing the room with flooring and walls.

• A building inspector will advise you of fire safety regulations regarding the main entrance and exit from the loft—usually a staircase.
• The loft must also have a secondary escape route in order to be safely inhabited. Typically, this is achieved through a window using a collapsible fire-resistant escape ladder, which you can purchase at most hardware stores.
• By regulation, the floor must also be fire resistant in order to delay the spread of fire and allow any occupants the chance to escape in case of emergency.
• Each level of the house must have a smoke detector present in the space where the air circulates.

The last step in completing your loft renovation is implementing the final touches such as painting, decorating, and furnishing, which you can easily tweak to suit your needs and taste.