An Extra Attic

Last night, while sitting on the couch watching tv, a thought suddenly struck me: there’s some dead space upstairs that could be used for storage. I jumped up, grabbed a saw, and commenced to cutting a 4″ x 4″ hole in the wall of my bedroom so I could take a peek.

Sure enough, I was right. On the other side of the wall, was essentially a large wedge of an attic that had been closed off by the wall of the bedroom which extends about half way across the kitchen. The rest of the space over the kitchen is covered by the pitching roof (see the illustration below).

At its tallest, the space is probably five or six feet tall, and slopes away to nothing. It’s hardly usable for living space, but it’d be perfect for some indoor storage. All it’ll take is to cut an entry hole, frame it for a short door, put down some plywood for a floor, and then insulate the ceiling of the new space (it isn’t insulated right now). It’ll provide a lot of storage, somewhere around 220 cubic feet, with about seventy square feet of floor space.

I can’t believe the builders didn’t think of this in advance. In the very least I can store things like Christmas decorations, clothes, and anything else I’d rather not trust in the crawlspace under the house.

9 Responses to “An Extra Attic”

  1. Comments are still slightly borked for the time being. I can now get all the comment text, but any paragraph formatting is lost. Please comment as normal, and I'll keep working to get things straightened out.
  1. "I jumped up, grabbed a saw, and commenced to cutting a 4″ x 4″ hole in the wall of my bedroom" I so admire that.
  2. Thanks, Larry. Clearly, my ability to do this sort of thing relies mostly on the fact that I'm not married. I imagine I'd get on my wife's nerves if I made a habit of putting holes in walls just to see what was on the other side.
  3. You are really making me laugh!!! Sawing a huge hole in your wall and finding more storage! I think I might need you in my lifeboat. Have you progressed on the bedroom decisions?
  4. I haven't made any decorating decisions yet. For the most part, it's just a matter of choosing a paint color. I have some plans for bathroom and vanity area, but I won't do any of it right away... I'll likely have to pay someone to come and do the bulk of the work, and even though I don't particularly like the bathroom right now, it's at least functional (if ugly). I've spoken to my remodeling partner in crime and he's available over Thanksgiving weekend to help cut the door into the extra attic and to widen the closet. It's not much more than a day's work, but both improvements will be huge in the dividends they pay.
  5. I'm the wife, but I'm the one always wanting to leap up and cut holes in walls! Darwin sometimes manages to restrain me, but then I just wait until he's occupied with something else and sneak away to do my worst.
  6. we found a space too. we found an old tv, beer from the seventies and electricity ran into our space.
  7. Often wondered what is on the other side of some of my walls. You are quite brave! Be careful in your quest for extra space. In many cases, especially in houses built post 1970's, the attic is acually the roof truss. The horizontal beams are an integtral part of the roof structure. If you suspect that your attic may be constructed with Trusses, never cut the horizontal beams and consult a qualified contractor or engineer before adding the significant weight of flooring or heavy items.
  8. Thanks for the head's up, Dale. As it turns out, in consulting with my buddy who helps me with most of my more involved projects, we decided that the cost of finishing out the space would be too high based on square footage I'd gain. I've not completely given up on the idea, though. There's a couple other ways to skin this cat, but for the moment, this project has been indefinitely postponed.
  9. Brilliant move. My husband runs away when I pick up the saw. He's afraid for his pool table.

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