Loft Renovation

Renovating an above-garage room for only $9,000 added $25,000 to the house value. Follow these steps for a cheap makeover of your attic, loft or above-garage room.

From Australian Handyman Magazine

Before - Exposed ceiling beams and curtains hiding the leaky windows made the room feel dark.

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After - New light-framed windows showcase the beach views, the blue carpet adds to the coastal style of the retreat.

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Before - Timber blocks were secured to the steel beams and covered with plasterboard.

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After - Covering the raked timber rafters hid the steel ridge and head beams, making the room more open.

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Before - The 45º pitch of the ceiling created low unused space ideal for storage.

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After - Tasmanian oak veneer boards with piano hinges create lift-up lids.

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Before - Exposed ceiling beams and curtains hiding the leaky windows made the room feel dark.

Stunning views down to the ocean from the southern windows were wasted with this unfinished space that had been used as a furnit ure dumping area and unfinished guest bedroom for 20 years. The northern roof pitch of 45º allowed for high lofted ceilings over a spacious 7 x 6.5 metre area. With its connection to the main home by a suspended deck it was the ideal retreat for a teenage son about to start university.

Keeping it Legal
For a bedroom above a garage the council required a hard-wired smoke alarm be installed by an electrician and the steel head beam to be inspected.

The Makeover Plan
The coastal climate had wreaked havoc on the aluminium window frames, door and entry floor, and the major renovation required a joint DIY and tradie effort. The 19 year old was also signed on to ensure the new pad was appreciated.
1. Replace the leaking windows with cedar windows and a sliding door.
2. Cover the beams and install a new plasterboard ceiling.
3. Build storage units into the wall.
4. Finish the room with paint, architraves, skirtings, vertical blinds and new carpet.

1. Replacing the windows
Two new cedar double-hung windows and a 2700mm-long cedar sliding door unit were bought secondhand from a local carpenter for $1200. A sand and a coat of woodstain brought them back to life. Old windows were pulled out with the help of a carpenter and the 6.5 metre-long wall stripped of the framework up to the steel head beam. INSTALLING FRAMEWO RK New studs were positioned to separate the door from the window and provide fixing points. The door unit and windows were secured with flashing at floor level, and brick sills laid on the outside brickwork. It took three people two days to complete the joint DIY and tradie effort, adding to the savings total.

2. Installing the ceiling
Pinning the ceiling sheets and boxing the beams with plasterboard was a DIY job but the joint setting and sanding was left for a tradie. Scaffolding was hired from Kennards (www.kennards.com.au) and an order made for 17 sheets of CSR 10mm Supaceil plasterboard, stud adhesive, paper tape, joint compounds and plasterboard screws from supplier Gyprock (www.gyprock.com.au). Adhesive was applied to the rafters and the sheets lifted by two people while a third secured them with screws, with butt joins at the centre of the rafters and staggered at each row. It took three people a day and a half to sheet the ceiling and beams, and a plasterer two days to tape, set and sand the joints.

3. Building the storage
Units were built into the corners with the space between providing access to hidden storage and a fold-down bed.
Hidden Storage - was built with a 1500mm-high stud wall in one corner and a dwarf stud wall secured to the floor at the adjacent corner, both clad in plasterboard.

Loft Renovation

Renovating an above-garage room for only $9,000 added $25,000 to the house value. Follow these steps for a cheap makeover of your attic, loft or above-garage room.

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