Create more room with an attic

Create more rooms with an attic [PHOTOS: WILBERFORCE OKWIRI/STANDARD]

 

By LYDIA LIMBE

It is the highest room in the house. From it, you have the best panoramic view of the vicinity. It can be a study room, a gym, a children’s playroom, as well as a bedroom — depending on your needs. It is also arguably the most private room in the house. Assuming this was a description in a crossword puzzle, and the answer is a five-letter word, what word do you think it would be?

Answer: Attic. You may have come across this word in a novel, or even while watching a movie, but have you ever considered using it as workable space?

Many Kenyans, while building their homes, use this space for storing water tanks or keeping an entanglement of pipes running through it. However, other than placing the much needed water tanks on the roof, the space can still be turned into a functional room.

Planning

Nelson Kamande, an architect, says that while considering to re-create your attic, you need to know well in advance the features you would like in the room so that it does not look like an afterthought or an accident.

“Usually, when clients come to me, in their brief, they do not even mention about creating a workable space in the attic. I literally sell the idea to them. Because it is not a popular concept, most of the time they do not understand, so I go an extra mile to show them a practical example of already done attics,” says Kamande.

“Once they buy the idea, we decide what we want the room for, then design it with the rest of the house. This way, the attic is not fitted as an afterthought,” he adds.

According to David Kangara, a quantity surveyor who has built his own attic, creating a room in this space is relatively cheaper than adding an extension.

“When you are constructing your house, the cost of the roof will still be met. Therefore, to create a room in this space is 40 per cent cheaper than adding an extension, since the ‘shell’ is already put in. You only need a few additions to make the room work,” says Kangara.

Choice of material

The structural engineer must advise the client on whether the material used to build the lintel, which will eventually be the floor of the attic, needs to be strengthened or is strong enough as it is.

Of course, what first comes to mind is how cold the attic could be, bearing in mind that most Kenyans like to use iron sheets as a roofing material. (Those who use roof tiles often think of how hot it could be). This variance in temperatures, however, can be made constant.

When Home and Away visited an attic that was under construction, the property, which has a high angled roof with clay roof tiles on the outside, was being insulated with glass fibre.

“The first thing we did was to change the polythene placed underneath the roofing tiles with a breathable roofing membrane. The difference is that the roofing membrane allows for the roof to breath, and does not tear with time, as compared to polythene which gets destroyed by heat or cold,” says Moshe Noiman, the owner of the house.

Insulation

The fibreglass is lined in between the roof truss all round, then sealed with either plastered wall or gypsum. Once the functionality of the room has been decided, the room is fitted according to the interior needs.

The wires and piping (if any water is needed) is let to run behind the gypsum walls. It is also possible to have natural light coming into the attic. “Most houses you see in Nairobi have dormer windows, which are placed on the walled side of the roof. However, this does not bring in as much light as the roof windows,” Joy Mbuthia of Classic Mouldings says.

The roof windows, just like they sound, are fitted on the roof itself, in a slanted position. When we visited the construction site, we saw the roof windows fitted. The attic was exceptionally well lit, with each corner having at least one window fitted.

Mbuthia explains that the windows are not easily broken because they have been hardened. In addition, they are double glazed, which means they maintain the temperature of the room — even in extreme weather conditions.

The roofs can be automated — fitted with a sensor such that if you leave the window open and it begins to rain, it shuts itself. It also has air vents, which allow for controlled air circulation. They also come with a flash, which seals around it, keeping the water out. What makes the attic with the best view in the house is the fact the attic windows open up such that one can stand with his or her head out.

Even though the attic space can be turned into a functional room, you still need to create space for the water tanks. These, according to Noiman, are sound proofed with gypsum so that the gushing sound of water coming in does not disturb the relative silence that is in this room.

Water boosting

“Another factor to consider when preparing the attic is the use of a water booster to pump water to the water closet that is placed on the attic. This is because the water tank as well as the facility is on the same level, thus the need to boost water flow,” adds Noiman.

If the attic is catered for from the design stage, the architect usually draws up a stairway. If not, one can still install a ladder — foldable or spiral — leading up to the attic. In the event you want to re-construct your attic space well after the house was built, you still need a letter and renovation licence.

You have to be clear on the exact activity that will be carried out during the renovation (such as installation of roof windows), as this information will be reflected on the permission letter the county offices give you.

But not every house can install an attic. This depends on the roof space available. Ideally, it should be at least two metres high.