Home Remodel

Attic Remodel Mistakes to Avoid

The failures that show up again and again, and what causes each one. A room whose shape is already decided — the work is making it liveable.

BeforeAfter
  1. 1

    Mistake 1

    Furniture bought for a rectangular room, then wedged under a slope.

  2. 2

    Mistake 2

    Downlights in a sloped ceiling, aimed into everyone's eyes.

  3. 3

    Mistake 3

    No ventilation, so the room is unusable for two months of the year.

  4. 4

    Mistake 4

    Dead space at the eaves left dead instead of built into storage.

Questions

What should I decide first in an attic remodel?
An attic remodel is governed by the roof. The slope decides where you can stand, where furniture fits and where the windows go, and no layout survives ignoring it.
What goes wrong most often?
Furniture bought for a rectangular room, then wedged under a slope. Downlights in a sloped ceiling, aimed into everyone's eyes.
Will it work in a small attic?
Line the slope and the flat ceiling in the same colour. Breaking them into two tones cuts the volume in half visually and makes an already small attic feel like a crawl space.
Can I see it on my own attic before starting?
Yes — photograph the space and run it through the Studio. It is generated imagery, so compare the render against your photo rather than treating it as a plan.
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