How to make an attic habitable. How to insulate the ceiling of a cold attic - the better to insulate Living quarters in the attic

Desire to expand living space in a private house, private developers often come to mind. One of the most economical and simple ways- make the attic habitable. To realize this possibility, it is necessary to correctly design and calculate all future structural elements, forming the attic space.

The main stages in the creation of a residential attic

Before proceeding with the direct actions associated with the alteration of the attic space with your own hands, you need to draw up a plan. It should include all the main activities related to the arrangement of a residential attic.

The list of main stages includes the following components:

Do-it-yourself floor in the attic

When converting the attic into a living space, it may turn out that the heat insulator located in the ceiling has become unusable and has lost its thermal insulation properties. Reasons for the loss operational qualities can be very different: from local leaks to poor ventilation of the attic and, as a result, wetting of the insulation from the resulting condensate. Wet, rotting boards can also cause an entire floor to be refurbished.

Alteration of the ceiling begins with the installation of an additional crate between the floor beams. As a crate, most often, pine bars are used, which are fixed perpendicular to the beams using metal corners or other convenient way. To prevent the penetration of condensate from the lower room, a layer is laid vapor barrier membrane. Plates are often used as insulation stone wool, which, depending on required thickness, can be stacked in two layers.

When laying a heat insulator in two layers, the joints should not be located on the same level. The insulation is laid in a checkerboard pattern.

A second layer of vapor barrier is laid on top of the plates. The membrane is fastened with a construction stapler. The basis for the subfloor can serve as slabs of moisture-resistant grooved chipboard. They are tougher and stronger conventional slabs and also environmentally friendly. Thanks to the longitudinal protrusions and grooves, it is easy and convenient to mount the plates, and the surface is perfectly flat. For the final floor use laminate or linoleum.

Roof insulation in the attic

Roof insulation is the most milestone. When insulating with your own hands, it is necessary to perform a heat engineering calculation to select the thickness of the heat insulator. Most often, ready-made tables and climate maps are used to select the thickness of the insulation. For pitched roofs use basalt materials with a density of at least 35 kg/m 3 . Such a minimum density is necessary to hold the insulation when it is spread between the rafters.

The steeper the roof slopes, the denser the insulation must be used.

From the side of the room, a vapor barrier film is laid. From the side of the roof, it is better to put a superdiffusion membrane on the insulation, which allows moisture to pass from the heat insulator.

Most often, the attic is used to store old and unnecessary things, tools, supplies that have no use, and it is a pity to part with them. But when the house is already equipped, then due to the growth of the family size or the desire to equip an additional cozy room for a comfortable stay, it may be necessary to expand the living space and re-equip the attic.

Over time, there may be a need for the so-called " useful floor". Then the attic gets a beautiful and romantic name - the attic, which evokes associations with the Parisian quarters and the roofs of Montmartre.

The design of the attic in a private house directly depends on the purpose that this room will correspond to. When refurbishing an attic space, it is important to follow three steps:

Layout.
Warming.
Space decoration.

It is not at all easy, as it seems at first glance, to make the attic space residential. Such a reconstruction involves not only certain financial costs, but also labor-intensive construction works. Planning and subsequent repairs can be done by hand. First you need an attic project with the design features of the house, such as the shape and height of the roof, the location of the stairs, ventilation and lighting, the number of rooms in the house.

Not every attic can be inhabited. The building requirements are to attic room was organized with a roof slope of no more than 45º, and the design of the house did not interfere with free movement in the attic.

The location of the stationary stairs in the house must be taken care of even before they are made repair work on the first floor. It is important to decide where it will be installed so as not to clutter up the passage and make room for furniture.

There must be windows in the attic for ventilation and lighting. Where the windows will be located - on the gable or in the roof itself - will depend on the shape of the roof.

Windows located in the roof are called dormer windows.

Unlike regular windows more stringent requirements are imposed on the installation and sealing of roof windows, since these windows are intensively exposed to loads in the form of rain and snow in more. On the other hand, roof windows are an excellent design solution that allows not only to fill the room with light, but also to decorate the exterior of the house.

If the roof is hipped, then skylights are the only way to illuminate the entire attic.

House attic insulation

In the re-equipment of the attic, an important point is its insulation. In order for the attic to be comfortable, an appropriate temperature must be provided. Since warm air tends to rise up, insulation will prevent its dispersion.

The pitched roof is insulated with a material with a thickness of at least 10 cm. Only non-combustible, vapor-permeable and environmentally friendly materials are used to insulate the attic. Both for floor and roof as insulation is suitable mineral wool, expanded polystyrene, penoizol.

As a heater for the walls and floor of the attic, you can use slab or roll insulation based on glass wool. These modern materials there is an excellent holding property warm air, and due to their low weight, the load on the foundation of the house will not increase significantly.

Insulation is placed between the wall and drywall or lining, thereby preserving the interior of the room.

Laying the floor in the attic is done using regular board or plywood, and if funds allow, it is possible to equip the floor with underfloor heating. If the attic is low, then you should not use thick materials for the floor.

To insulate the attic, a continuous layer of insulation is required around the entire perimeter of the room. It is important to ensure good sound insulation floor, and to avoid the formation of condensate − reliable waterproofing ceiling.

Finishing materials and elements

Materials for interior decoration choose according to style. Attic wooden house finish off wooden materials- board, plywood, clapboard. At the same time, wooden or wicker furniture can be used in the interior of such an attic. Also impressive are the decorative cross beams, painted in contrasting colors to accent the walls and ceiling.

In order to successfully equip a room in the attic with your own hands, it is important to follow a few simple design rules:

The right choice of paint. V small room best for walls bright hues, as they are able to create a peaceful and calm atmosphere. A bright color can highlight the central wall as an accent.
Laconic arrangement of furniture. No need to clutter up the room with cabinets, tables, chairs. Furniture placement should be compact, for example, in order to save space, it is advisable to use functional hanging shelves. The bed in the bedroom will take its place against the lower wall.
Using accessories that play important role in interior styling. Such accessories that complement the image of the room can be curtains for skylights and textiles. The main rule is the harmony of textures and colors.

Features of the design of the attic in the country

For a better idea of the future room, it is necessary to make an outline of the floor plan.

To convert an attic in a country house into a living space, it is necessary to find out possible technical changes and take into account design features cottage building. Reconstruction work can be complicated by low ceilings and asymmetrical attic walls. Then they make a list of works and make a purchase necessary materials.

To make it convenient to move around the attic and there were no difficulties with the placement of furniture, optimal height from floor to ceiling should be 220 cm. The maximum permissible minimum is within 190 cm.

If, nevertheless, there is a desire to convert the attic into a living space, and the height does not allow, then the roof will have to be redone, which is very costly.

It is necessary to make a thorough check of the structures (battens, beams, attic floors, roofing material). If there is such a need, then the damaged parts should be replaced and the wooden parts should be treated with an antiseptic.

To re-equip the attic, additional work will be required, such as:

Soundproofing the floor when laying foam plastic with a layer thickness of at least 3 cm and floor screed with laying laminate or linoleum and then installing skirting boards. As a flooring, you can also use boards or sheets of fiberboard with a thickness of at least 15 mm, followed by painting.
Heating in the attic. For this purpose, you can use an electric radiator or a fireplace heated with wood.
communications such as ventilation shafts or plumbing pipes, need to be moved or hidden.
Lighting - electrical wiring is being installed with strict observance of fire safety rules.
Finishing the walls of the attic space can be done using clapboard, moisture-resistant drywall or fiberboard sheets by fixing it with screws flush. After that, the walls are puttied and painted in desired color or wallpapered.

In the attic can be located:

bedroom;
living room;
children's;
canteen;
gym;
billiard room;
study;
wardrobe;
workshop.

Nursery in the attic

You can equip a children's room for sleeping and playing even in the attic. For this purpose, natural safe environmentally friendly materials are best suited. The interior of the attic can be decorated in a bright color scheme, as well as in light pastel colors. Furniture must be safe sharp corners and securely fastened. It can be a small sofa and a table for games and activities. And of course, toys are an indispensable attribute of a nursery. As floor covering can become a rug or carpets.

Bedroom arrangement

Due to its location, the attic has a special cozy atmosphere. Therefore, it is convenient to equip a bedroom for adults, teenagers or a guest room in it. To arrange a bedroom comfortable for sleeping and relaxing, you will need the arrangement of sleeping places, as well as areas for storing bedding and linen.

From furniture, you can use the necessary minimum - a bed, a mirror, soft pouffes. Lighting plays an important role in the interior of the bedroom. Soft scattering of light can be achieved using wall sconces or floor lamp.

Office option

The attic space is ideal for creating a comfortable office. The interior of such a room is best done in light colors. To create a business environment, you will need a comfortable table, armchair, a small closet or several shelving and office equipment. And be sure to take care of high-quality lighting of the workplace. Such a relaxed atmosphere can set you up for fruitful work.

Living room interior

There is nothing unusual about equipping a living room in the attic. As a result of competent re-equipment, the attic space can become a place for receiving guests or family gatherings over a cup of tea or aromatic coffee. A big windows in the attic with a beautiful view of the river or the garden will turn your vacation into a real pleasure.

Soft and cabinet furniture for the living room should be chosen low - a sofa and armchairs with a small coffee table and low cabinets or shelving.

Rest room decoration

For a comfortable stay with friends, you can organize a billiard room. For this purpose, it is necessary to place a billiard table in the center of the room, and light wicker furniture is quite suitable for relaxation. It is necessary to provide sufficient lighting over the billiard table with the help of lamps.

Movie lovers will love the idea of equipping home theater. To do this, upholstered furniture is placed around the perimeter of the rooms.

To prepare drinks and cocktails, you can also use a table or bar counter and install a small refrigerator.

A small windowless attic can be turned into a dressing room for storage, depending on the season, outerwear or, conversely, umbrellas, swimsuits and slates. Combined spot lighting ceiling lights and embedded in spot niches or glued to drawers LED strips will make the interior modern and fashionable.

By dividing the attic into zones, you can equip a multifunctional room.

As you can see, once uninhabitable, an empty room can be perfectly used to embody a wide variety of design solutions. The main principle is not to miss a single square centimeter of usable living space. And then the interior of the once useless attic will be excellent.

Video

This video shows how you can arrange the attic space:

See how you can make a Moroccan-style attic salon:

Photo

The attic often remains uninhabited and serves as a closet. When building a house in the attic, only rough work is often done, but over time, residents regret this choice. With proper planning, you can make an additional living room or even a studio apartment out of such a room, which is very popular in Europe.

Stages of work

Many owners of private houses want to know how to make the attic habitable, but do not know where to start. The first step in such a situation is planning. Before work, the purpose of the future premises is determined, if there is a workshop, then it is necessary to take care of natural light, if the living room, attention is paid to insulation.

The main stages of work on the arrangement of the attic include:

space planning;
roof and floor insulation;
design.

After drawing up a plan for the future premises, it is necessary to draw up a list of necessary materials and tools.

Note! In addition to heating costs and roofing, you will have to spend money on finishing and decorative materials.

Space layout

Often the roof is attached close to the Mauerlat, so the use of this space is almost impossible. In such cases, the walls of the attic room are shifted to the ridge of the roof from the walls of the building. Often this technique deprives the room visual space, so the walls in the attic are not installed. Installing furniture in such a room is more difficult, but it looks very interesting.

To make the attic a full-fledged living space, install additional windows. Most often this is done in the gables of the house, but if there are transverse walls in the attic, this is impossible. In such a situation, windows that cut into the roof slope are used. Such techniques are often used in Western architecture and allow you to give the house an unusual look.

When planning an attic, it is often difficult to organize an entrance area. To do this, use compact folding or.

Warming

The progress of the insulation depends on the condition of the attic. There will be less work if high-quality thermal insulation of the floor has been carried out. A large loss of heat in the house occurs through the roof, so its insulation will not only make it possible to make another living room, but also reduce heating costs.

Floor insulation

Often in old houses thermal insulation layer on the floor no longer performs its functions. This is especially true for dwellings located in humid and cold climates. Floor insulation in the attic must meet the following parameters:

protect the house from the cold;
have a small weight;
be safe for humans.

Any material for rough finishing (boards, chipboard) is suitable for floor insulation. This type of insulation is suitable for rooms with a small height, it allows you to save an extra 20-30 cm of space.

For a house with a large and high attic, slab or roll insulation with glass wool. The material has a low cost and perfectly retains heat, while it has a small weight, which is very important in attic spaces.

The "pie" of floor insulation is laid directly between the beams. The first layer is a vapor barrier, it is better not to save on it, but they also use a special polyethylene film. Laid on top of it tiled insulation, for example, mineral wool. The material is laid in two layers to prevent "cold bridges". If the floor beams are in good condition, then the floor is laid directly on them, otherwise you will have to do an additional crate. For greater effect, the attic is insulated from the outside using a similar technology.

Note! Foil insulation is laid metal coated down.

After tile material laying a clean floor. To do this, use wood, linoleum, tiles and more.

Roof insulation

Insulation of the roof of a residential building requires special care. To protect the premises and the roof structure from moisture, it is necessary to take care of waterproofing. The waterproofing film is laid in the first layer, attaching it with special strips to the rafters.

Important! The waterproofing film is overlapped so that moisture remains outside.

Mineral wool or other insulation is laid inside the rafters in a continuous layer. Special glue is applied to the mineral wool slabs with a spatula and the slabs are pressed between the rafters. Also, the material can be fixed with screws or nails. The plates are staggered, this protects the room from the cold. During work, ventilation is also insulated.

Moisture reduces the properties of the insulation, so during construction it is necessary to protect it with a vapor barrier layer. For this use vapor barrier films or membranes. Roll-type material, therefore it is convenient to attach it to the rafters. For fixing use construction stapler so that the joints maintain tightness, use a special construction adhesive tape at the puncture sites.

When the insulation is attached, proceed to the crate for finishing. The type of construction largely depends on the type finishing material. Most versatile material- crate over the rafters, it saves material and time. The crossbars are stuffed onto the beams in increments of 25-30 cm. decorative panels or other material.

If the interior decoration of the house requires complex structure, under which it is necessary to hide communications and other shortcomings of the construction, then a metal profile frame is used.

Design

Finishing and arrangement of the future room directly depends on its purpose. Attics and attics are often used for:

workshop;
cabinet;
billiard room;
Bedrooms.

At large area rooms, you can create a space with several full-fledged zones.

The decoration and style of the room largely depend on the interior and material of the house. Authentic buildings made of wood and stone are often finished decorative clapboard or an array. Such an interior is often complemented with coarse accessories and textiles made from natural fabrics and wool.

The popular loft style does not require any special frills in wall decoration: decorative plaster, metal pieces of furniture - all this is perfect for houses made of brick or concrete blocks.

Lovers of coziness and comfort will love the classic interior solutions. Wall decoration with wallpaper or discreet paint will allow you to create a truly cozy room in the attic. And the interior, made by hand, is especially expensive for households.

For those who find it difficult to make a choice decorative materials and the style of the room, the following tips will do:

A minimalistic approach to choosing furniture will help not only save space, but also money. Instead of massive cabinets and chests of drawers, it is better to use functional containers, hangers and shelves. When arranging the bedroom, the bed can be placed against the lowest wall.
To visually expand the room, light colors of the walls and ceiling are suitable. To dilute such interiors use active color accents, it can be textiles, light sources or furniture. So that the accents do not look pretentious, one of the walls can be painted in a similar, but less active shade.

In order for the house to be warm, and we did not have to overpay for heating, it is necessary to take care of the high-quality insulation of the walls, floor and roof. It is also important to insulate the ceiling of a private house in the attic. There are several options for insulating the attic in a private house inexpensively and efficiently. How to do it yourself, what materials can be used for this? Let's consider this question in more detail.

How to insulate the attic of a private house correctly?

An attic is a space under a sloping roof that is not used for residential purposes. If the roof slopes are not thermally insulated, insulation material can be placed on the ceiling that separates the space under the roof from the living rooms.

The roof space that is not used for living is often devoid of an insulating layer, which creates the need for laying a buffer zone to insulate the ceiling. The complete absence of such insulation is allowed only when the room is unheated, for example, a garage. In other cases, it is necessary to retain the heat that is heated living rooms because warm air tends to rise. To save money spent on heating, it is necessary to prevent its leakage through the roof.

Before starting repairs, it is very important to learn how to properly insulate the attic in a private house, and many factors should be taken into account. These include the design features of the roof and the height of the attic.

The better to insulate the attic of a private house with a concrete floor

Concrete floor - monolithic or prefabricated is intended, as a rule, for a residential attic. Sometimes, however, such a solution is also used for a non-residential roof. How and how to insulate the attic floor in a private house made of concrete?

The concrete floor is insulated after the construction and finishing of the roof. This operation will be simple as long as we have convenient access to the attic, and also if the height of the attic allows free movement.

The most commonly used material in such cases is mineral wool. Compressed mats are especially recommended, which are gradually expanded up to the nominal thickness. The elastic surface easily fills all the nooks and crannies in the attic. The mats should be placed close together without any gaps between them that could lead to heat leakage.

It is much more difficult to achieve this result with more rigid materials such as expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene or polyurethane foam.

To create a structure, insulation must be laid between wooden beams, to which boards or wood panels will be screwed to form the floor.

It is also possible to make a mineral lining from a mineral solution that is poured over the insulation insulated with foil, but this solution is rarely used.

How to insulate the attic of the house with loose insulation?

If the attic is too low, then so that the work is not very difficult and time-consuming, good decision there will be insulation using one of the bulk insulating materials:

granulated cotton;
polystyrene granules;
cellulose fibers.

The thickness of the insulation layer depends on the material used and the thermal permeability of the ceiling. The average thickness is approximately 20 cm.

How to insulate a wooden ceiling?

If the ceiling is wooden, it is better to insulate the attic of a private house with your own hands in a slightly different way. Thermal insulation is placed primarily between the beams. In this case, mineral wool materials or wood derivatives are used. How to insulate the attic of a private house with mineral wool? Thanks to their excellent elasticity, the boards or mats fill the gaps between the ceiling beams very well. Before insulating the attic of a private house with mineral wool, a lining should be laid from the bottom of the roof. If it's going to be a drywall suspended ceiling, it's a good idea to place an extra insulating layer on the underside of the attic. will also be isolated wooden beams, which has a very positive effect on the heat transfer of the entire layer.

Also, if the ceiling is insulated in this way, it will be easier to build a floorboard or OSB floor over it. If you decide not to insulate false ceiling, then an additional heat-insulating layer will be located in the attic. The construction of the floor will then be more difficult for two reasons. First, perpendicular to ceiling beams nail beams with a section of 4 x 6 cm and put an insulating layer between them, in addition, the surface of such a floor will eventually turn out to be higher, thereby reducing the height of the attic.

Photo. When insulating a wooden ceiling, the thermal insulation material is placed primarily between the beams

For warming wooden ceilings polystyrene is not used in the traditional form, but it is possible to fill the space between the beams with polystyrene granules. However, the light weight of such a backfill, despite good thermal insulation, does not give the ceiling satisfactory sound insulation. Also, this type of insulating material does not provide sufficient fire protection for wood.

Among bulk heaters, mineral wool granules or cellulose fibers are much more profitable. Both products have very good thermal insulation properties, provide good sound insulation and protect the structure in the event of a fire.

In buildings that have an unused attic, it is cost effective to implement a roof truss structure. Prefabricated elements replace traditional rafters. They form large triangles that are closely spaced next to each other.

The space under the roof with such a design is severely limited by bevelled beams. At the same time, it is almost impossible to isolate such an attic with slabs or mats. Most rational decision in this case it is blower insulation with polystyrene granules or cellulose fibers.

The space is filled with air flow through the holes in gable walls, through the sunroof, or through the so-called viewing hole.

Bulk material is able to crumble very densely in all nooks and crannies of this attic. Insulation work should be carried out only after the construction of the ceiling is completed. It is also necessary to check if the ceiling can support the weight of such insulation, it may be necessary to provide adequate reinforcement.

Attic ventilation

Since many of thermal insulation materials, including mineral wool, reduce their insulating properties as a result high humidity, you need to make sure that the space in the attic is provided with sufficient ventilation. good ventilation provide air intakes on the eaves and outlets made in the gable walls. They must be protected with a net to prevent the entry of birds and small animals. Upper layer Insulating materials with high elasticity should be covered with a windproof film, then less heat will be blown out of the insulation.

How to insulate an attic in a private house video

R to expand the living space at the expense of the attic of the house is a tempting task, and, oddly enough, not too difficult. How to make a room in the attic, a room where you can place another bedroom, office, or library, you will learn on this page.

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Video version of the article

How to make a living attic

Let's make a reservation - a comfortable room can only be made in an attic of sufficient size, both in plan and in height. In addition, we will talk about a cold attic, because it is essentially a finished room.

From the foregoing, it is obvious that in order to get a comfortable room, we will first of all have to ensure its insulation, and you can find out specifically about this. And here you can go three ways:

1. insulate the entire roof;
2. build insulated room in the free space of the attic;
3. a combination of the first two options.

The first option will give us a significant usable area. In turn, the second design solution is neater, but the room will turn out to be small.

Installation of attic insulation cladding

The third option, as often happens, lies in the middle and is a combination of the first two options. This can be visualized in Figure 1.

Where possible, on the slopes of the roof, we insulate the roof itself. If required, we mount on slopes additional frame from galvanized profiles. When insulating the roof min. cotton must be left ventilation gap 40-50 mm between the roof and the insulation, or rather the waterproofing, which must be laid before the insulation. From above, and from below along the edges, using galvanized profiles, we assemble the frame and sheathe it with plasterboard sheets, laying thermal insulation inside. How, you can find out at the link. Drywall is better to take moisture resistant (its sheets have a characteristic greenish color with blue markings).

Insofar as outer skin the wall serves only to protect the insulation; thin plasterboard or OSB-3 can be used for it. From the inside, sheathing with GKL sheets 12.5 mm thick (preferably double) is needed. Or OSB-3 14 mm thick.

The thickness of the insulation (it is better to use a semi-rigid min. plate) in the future wall ranges from 100-200 mm, depending on the region.

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