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TO: OUR READERS
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RE: QUILT STYLE
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We make every effort to ensure that the directions in our books are accurate; however, there are times when information gets misprinted. We have discovered errors, primarily in the cutting tables for the quilts in our new book Quilt Style. Before you begin your quilt, click on the link below for the most updated information and corrections for your project. Then proceed to make your selected quilt using the new directions posted. Happy quilting!
Click Here for updated instructions.
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Project Difficulty:
Moderate
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If you have an unfinished attic or basement or an attached garage, your search for more living space is over. Note though, that you'll be transforming space that wasn't designed for the kind of general access you'll require once the project is done, and that some modifications may be required to make the new living space easily accessible. Before you start any conversions, check with your local building department to make sure your plans conform to code and that the area is suitable for conversion. For example, there may be a headroom requirement for an attic conversion or there might be restrictions prohibiting its use as a living area. Or you may need to add a dormer for extra space or required window area for required light and ventilation.
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1.
Gaining Attic Access
Few houses are designed with an attic conversion in mind, so access routes are typically rudimentary. In some cases, the only access is through a hatch plate tucked into the ceiling of a closet. Other houses may have pull-down stairs, but these can't legally be used to reach a finished attic. Because a pull-down stair fits into an opening that's only about 26 inches wide, the opening has to be enlarged to accommodate the width of a standard stairway.
A standard, straight-run stairway is about 36 inches wide and 11 to 13 feet long without landings. You will need at least 36 inches for a landing at the top and bottom. Building codes require a minimum vertical clearance of 80 inches at all points on the stairs (Fig. 1). If you need to add a stairway to the attic, subtract the floor space it will take from your usable total, both in the attic and the floor below.
Two decisions are important to early planning: Where will the stairway start and where will it end? Look for under-used space below the attic or a bedroom closet that might be changed into a stairwell. You might even decide to sacrifice a small room to gain suitable access to the attic if doing so results in a net gain of floor space. Once you've found a starting place, determine where the stairway will end. Ample headroom at the top of the stair isn't always easy to find in a room that has ceilings sloping to the floor. Terminating the top of the stairs near the center of the attic provides the greatest headroom above. Another option is to build a dormer over the stairwell; it will also provide the stairs with plenty of natural light. The location of the staircase should also take into consideration the structural layout of the floor and it is best to avoid placing the stairway opening in line of anticipated traffic patterns.
If there's not room for a straight-run stair, consider L- or U-shaped stairs (Figs. 2 and 3). Though they're harder to build, these stairs are more compact and don't require the length of uninterrupted floor space needed by straight-run stairs. All stairs need to be code approved. For safety, any open sides should sport either a solid side guard or a handrail attached to vertical banisters.
From a purely visual standpoint, there's nothing like a set of spiral stairs (Fig. 4). They can be installed in a space as small as 44 inches in diameter (using a 3-foot, 6-inch spiral stair) but may be difficult for some people to use (particularly the elderly). Also note that it's challenging, if not impossible, to get furniture up and down spiral stairs and that some local building codes restrict the use of spiral stairs.
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2.
Uses for Attic Conversions
The space at the top of the house lends itself to the serenity of a master suite and it's usually not difficult to tie into the plumbing system for the master bath. A large attic can also be divided into two or more children's bedrooms with an accompanying bath. A home office also makes good use of the solitude and quiet of the attic, but it might require a separate entrance for visiting clients. Other common uses for attics include family or sitting rooms and entertainment centers, as long as they don't generate a lot of loud noise and activity.
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3.
Gaining Basement Access
A basement is generally entered through a stairway located near a kitchen space and this access is often not easily altered. Unless there's an easy way to position a new stairway through an unused space like a closet or empty bedroom scheduled for remodel, you may have to keep what you have. Should you have a special reason for wanting to change the location of an interior basement stairway, consult with a building engineer or architect. But altering the interior basement floor plan to make better use of the existing access point is usually a more economical decision. If yours is a daylight or walk-in basement, where one wall is completely exposed, you can create the look of an above-grade room.
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4.
Uses for Basement Conversions
Although additional bedrooms, a playroom, a family room, an exercise area, and a home office are possibilities, basements are especially suited to uses that are related to activities. Home crafters, handymen, and hobbyists often enjoy having a basement work space where mess isn't transferred into the rest of the house. And for true abandon, children love having a play space that's set up with easy-care, no-fuss materials for roughhousing.
In daylight basements, you often can create a second self-contained "apartment" for a relative or for use as an extra income generator (if zoning allows). A separate entrance, often an easy option since the basement is on ground level, completes the sense of privacy. In below-ground basements, should you want to add a kitchen or bath, you can tie into the plumbing system that's in place above. You can buy toilets and lavatories that are specifically designed for below-grade applications.
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5.
Relocating Garage Access
An exterior garage access opening at grade level is easy to seal off and relocate. Depending upon your house's interior floor plan, access from the garage conversion to the house could be changed to best serve new needs. Since the garage wall is most likely framed with wood, you can cut in a new opening to better serve a proposed office space or master bedroom. You must be aware of which walls are load bearing, though, because you'll have to erect a temporary support while remodeling the wall (and will most likely need a permit from your building department to do so).
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6.
Uses for Garage Conversions
Since a garage is an open space that usually can be readily finished, ask yourself the same questions you would about finishing off a basement or attic. Converting a garage however, has special considerations with respect to what you may be eliminating. Most garages function as additional storage areas for garden and sports equipment, off-season paraphernalia, workshops, pantry goods, and whatever the family needs. Determine first how much room you'll still need for storage and whether there's enough room to convert once those storage needs are met. Check your local zoning regulations to see whether you can put up a shed for storage and devote the entire garage to conversion.
A garage conversion can appear awkward from the front of a house if the garage door is replaced with a wall while the driveway is left intact simply to run into a wall. Rather than tear out the driveway, consider leaving the garage door in place and starting the conversion 6 or 8 feet back behind the garage door. Following this plan would give you a handy space for a workbench and storage of landscaping tools, while permitting the front of your house to look original as viewed from the street.
You will also have to plan for new parking areas. Be realistic about whether you want to park out in the open. It's not good for a car to be constantly exposed to snow or unrelenting sun. Perhaps a simple carport would suffice.
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