Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.



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Christine
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Posted: May 16 2006 at 5:11pm | IP Logged Quote Christine
Has anyone finished off an attic? If so, were you happy with the results and did it give you the extra space you desired? If we do so, we would have someone do it for us; Is there anything we should be aware of beforehand?

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SaraP
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Posted: May 16 2006 at 6:09pm | IP Logged Quote SaraP
We replaced a flat roof with a pitched one and finished the new space underneath and were very happy with the results and extra space.

The only thing particular to attics that we discovered was that because we lived in an area with long, hot summers it was more efficient and cheaper to add a separate air conditioning system just for the attic than to try to extend the existing system.

Good luck!

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Molly Smith
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Posted: May 17 2006 at 4:50am | IP Logged Quote Molly Smith
Our attic is finished and it has been great. We use it for our playroom, and the big bonus is nobody ever sees it except children so I don't really care how messy it is! And, because of the pitch of the roof, we also have a few large crawl spaces up there, along with some smaller ones, where we can store things. One of the biggest advantages for us was that it opened up some amazing views, and would also be a terrific bedroom/girls' suite when/if we outgrow our bedrooms. (I say girls' suite because my boys would probably be too noisy , and "heavy walking", as I call it, is the one noise that really carries from up there.)

I do wish we'd thought of the HVAC problem, though. It runs on our upstairs heat pump, but it does get pretty hot up there in the summer and cold in winter. We have a ceiling fan that has been effective in hot weather. The children couldn't care less, it's just me who complains .

So, I'd recommend you evaluate your HVAC needs, and also to be sure to take advantage of any potential crawl spaces.

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Christine
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Posted: May 18 2006 at 10:59am | IP Logged Quote Christine
Thank you for sharing and the advice. I never would have thought about adding separate heating and air conditioning.

Molly, I am hoping to turn ours into a playroom and possibly a bedroom, if we can afford it. Toys are all over our house because we don't have a playroom. I was so happy to hear that your attic playroom is working for you.

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cvbmom
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Posted: May 18 2006 at 3:40pm | IP Logged Quote cvbmom
My parents finished the attic as a rec room / my bedroom when I was in high school (way back when ). Anyway, I totally agree with the HVAC issue. It was hot and stuffy in the summer and cool in the winter. We just fixed it with a space heater and a window air conditioner and fans. It worked, but it could have been better. The best part about the room was the ample storage space as the once triangular shaped roof to floor was made into a pentagon shape using drywall creating a lot of space for storage and shorter closets. I think it was a great use of space. Unfortunately, we don't have a tall enough attic in our home to do the same or I'd finish the attic in a moment.
Oh, and one other thought. The way that my parents separated the bedroom from the rec room was with a closet instead of just a wall. This not only gave some full length closet space, but also it helped buffer noise between the two rooms. I appreciated that when I was in my room studying or trying to rest. To save time and money, they didn't finish the walls inside the closet (no drywall on that side); just boards and the back of the other wall's drywall..

Hope this helps.

Christine
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