What’s an attic? If your house has a sloped roof but flat ceilings, then the space between the ceiling and roof is an attic. Attics contain wood beams that support the roof of the house. The wood is framing that is either horizontal rafters or V-shaped or A-shaped trusses that support the roof itself.
Contents
- 1 What is usually in an attic?
- 2 What should I expect in an attic?
- 3 What is living in the attic?
- 4 Is it safe to crawl in the attic?
- 5 Can you live in attic?
- 6 Can you remove attic?
- 7 What’s the purpose of an attic?
- 8 Can you walk in your attic?
- 9 How are mice getting in my attic?
- 10 What’s in my attic at night?
- 11 What animal is in attic at night?
- 12 How much weight can you put in attic?
- 13 Can I turn my attic into living space?
- 14 Why are attics unfinished?
What is usually in an attic?
The attic space is probably one of the most neglected and misunderstood spaces in your home. It is the space between the top floor ceiling and the roof. Some of these penetrations are from, pot lights, ceiling fans, plumbing pipes and stacks, bathroom fans and exhaust venting.
What should I expect in an attic?
Attic Inspection Checklist
- Ventilation. Signs of poor ventilation include, mold, rusted nails and condensation.
- Insulation. Your attic shouldn’t feel drafty, and insulation should be plentiful and complete.
- Leaks. Water stains, rot and mold point to leaks.
- Pests.
- Exhaust ducts and vent stacks.
What is living in the attic?
Living in an attic means you don ‘t have people living upstairs, it means you are further away from the street, cars, nightlife. It means you are closer to the sky.
Is it safe to crawl in the attic?
The number of safety hazards in an attic are plenty. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, these hazards include: Poor ventilation and fine particulate dust that affects breathing. Low-clearance rafters that affect the safety of your head.
Can you live in attic?
A great way of increasing residential space for a growing family, turning an attic into residential space can also be a good opportunity to reduce your heating costs once and for all.
Can you remove attic?
You can remove the ceiling to open a room, provided attic space will accommodate the upward expansion. You will need to rework attic rafters with angle iron added to eliminate the need for ceiling cross beams or joists.
What’s the purpose of an attic?
Attics help control temperatures in a house by providing a large mass of slowly moving air, and are often used for storage. The hot air rising from the lower floors of a building is often retained in attics, further compounding their reputation as inhospitable environments.
Can you walk in your attic?
If there is not a floor, you can gingerly walk on the edges of the wood ceiling rafters (the ones that support the ceiling of the rooms underneath your feet). For better and safer access, lay a couple of pieces of sturdy plywood down to use as a plank to get you from one truss to the next.
How are mice getting in my attic?
There are many ways for a mouse to gain entrance into a home. When mice climb up downspouts, jump down from tree branches, or access your roofline in some other way, the first location they will find in your home is the attic. Since heat rises, an attic space can be one of the warmer places inside a home.
What’s in my attic at night?
Squirrels, mice, rats, bats, raccoons and other rodents can all decide that your attic is the perfect place to curl up for the winter. If it’s in the morning or evenings, squirrels and birds are the most likely culprits. Bats, raccoons, mice and rats are nocturnal, so you’ll most likely hear these animals at night.
What animal is in attic at night?
Squirrels are the only animals that get into attics that are typically active during the day. although birds can do so as well. The one exception is the nocturnal flying squirrel. If you hear it at night primarily, it is either mice, raccoons, bats or (in some cases) a flying squirrel.
How much weight can you put in attic?
The weight is supported by the joists A 10 pounds per square foot live load can be handled by an attic that isn’t designed for storage. 20 pounds per square foot live load can be handled by an attic with limited storage.
Can I turn my attic into living space?
When converting an attic to a living space, it must meet the same building requirements as the other rooms in your home. Have at least 7 feet of vertical clearance in the majority of the room, be a minimum of 7 feet wide and have at least 70 square feet of space available. Be accessible by a full-size staircase.
Why are attics unfinished?
The goal with an unfinished attic is to seal it off from the main living space below. This means you should insulate between and over the floor joists. Before insulating, seal attic floor penetrations to close off any air leaks. Then add enough loose-fill or batt insulation to cover the floor joists.
