Building Walls In An Attic

Mark the line that the angle forms along your 2x4.

Building walls in an attic.

Draw a line across that angle. Your attic wall will not be a supporting wall. One of your 2x4s. The ceiling load may include items like drywall ducts recessed lights bathroom fans and attic insulation.

Framing basics for attic knee walls along the sides of your loft or attic space. Keeping your new wall parallel will make everything easier for you trust me. Most houses attics are built without flooring and are not designed to carry the heavy load of finished space. Be sure the wall is parallel with the attic floor joists or a gable end wall in the attic.

Your attic wall must be studded to a frame which you will construct yourself. Gable walls in attics often contain a window or a louvered vent near the peak of the roof. Make sure you place it where you want it and nail or screw it to the subfloor. Follow the rule of 7s.

Cut six lengths of 2x4 each 2 1 2 feet long. Use your saw to cut along this line. Enforcement varies but codes typically say that at least half of a finished attic must be at least 7 feet high and that this area must be a minimum of 7 feet wide and 70 square feet. Use a template to determine the angle on each of those six pieces of 2x4.

Staple insulation between the wall studs and ceiling joists image a. Achieving greater r values in exterior walls in exterior walls add insulating sheathing to achieve a greater r value in your wall system. Unless expressly built so an attic s joists are meant for carrying the load of the ceiling below and related elements collectively known as the dead load. Make sure to nail into the wall studs.

It will not bear any loads. Installing walls after the drywall with a carpenter will cost about 1 900. If your attic doesn t have drywall you ll need to install it first before putting up walls. How to finish attic walls and ceilings step 1.

You cannot just put up a wall anywhere. Use a miter. An attic wall needs to be located near the joists and studs so it can be held in place properly. The higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation.

You can expect to pay 375 1 500 for drywall double that number if you want drywall on the ceiling. Support and follow me. Instructions the knee wall will be built on the floor of the attic and then tipped into place against the rafters. Use a nail gun to attach sheets of osb to the walls over the insulation.

Use r 30 insulation for the ceiling and.