8 Attic Ideas for a Top Floor Transformation

Want to make the most of your attic? A usable attic is a great thing to have—so long as you know what to do with it, of course. And while you could just use it for extra storage, there are also a lot of ways to turn it into another functional living space in your home. To prove it, we’ve compiled eight of our favorite attic ideas, with plenty of inspiration for turning your upstairs space into somewhere that you truly love to be.

Can all attics be finished?

Before you put together ambitious ideas for your attic, it helps to know whether a transformation is even possible. Some attics serve a purely utilitarian purpose and are suitable for insulation and maybe storage, but not much else. Likewise, some attics will require extensive work just to be brought up to code so that further improvements can be made. And in those cases, it might not be in the budget to get overly excited with your attic ideas.

The good news though is that lots of attics can be transformed, and many can even be renovated on a DIY basis once an expert has been brought in to assess and/or modify the structure of your home. Some signs that your attic can be finished include:

• At least half of the ceiling area is 7 feet tall or higher. Building codes will vary depending on where you live, but this is a pretty standard requirement. If your ceiling falls short, one fix would be to build out dormers and heighten the ceiling that way.
• It’s accessible. You don’t need to have a separate staircase leading to your attic, but you should at least have a usable ladder with a large enough landing space on both ends.
• It’s free of danger zones. Issues with mold or electrical work both need to be resolved before you can finish an attic. Same goes for things like pests, ventilation issues, and damaged woodwork.
• It’s structurally sound. From drywall to furniture, all of the attic ideas below will add weight to the space, so it’s important that it can hold up. Even if you plan to do an attic renovation on your own, you will need to bring in an engineer first who can make sure that the attic—and your home itself—is ready and able to take on improvements.

If your attic checks off all of the boxes, then you should be good to go. Now it’s just a matter of choosing what you want to do with the space, and fortunately, you’ve got a ton of options.

8 attic ideas to try in your home

Transforming your attic adds more utility to your home—and possibly more equity, too. So what should you do with it? Here are some creative ideas that are worth considering.