The usable attic disappearing?

Livable attics have been disappearing from floor plans for about 20 years, and according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the rooms are almost extinct now.

One of the main reasons that almost no houses include a usable attic anymore is cost. The addition of a stairway to an attic means a minimum of about $3,000, and finishing the attic could mean another $5,000.

In addition, few roofs are built using rafters these days. Most use pre-manufactured trusses, which result in a much smaller space under the roof. To provide a usable attic, a builder has to make the roofline higher. Since trusses do not allow for that, the builder has to construct the house in stick-built fashion instead of using pre-manufactured components. Such changes in design also mean addressing structural considerations–changing the location of supports in the floor, for example. All of these changes add to the cost of construction.

Homeowners can still request that a finished attic be constructed, and some builders also offer the option of adding an extra room on top of the garage instead. However, some say that adding a room atop the garage is even more costly than building a usable attic.

Photo by Paul Bardagjy.

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