The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

How To Remodel Basements And Attics

5. All ceilings are to be furred and surfaced with acoustical tile.
6. The large hall provides easy access to both bedrooms, the bath- room and the storage space.
7. The stairs are to have an ornamental open rail.
8. Both bedrooms have ample closet space.
9. There is a clothes chute near the bathroom.
10. The storage space is convenient to both bedrooms.
11. Access to all areas is possible without the necessity of going through one of the bedrooms.
12. There is to be a hall closet.
13. The bedrooms, closets and hall are to have oak floors.
14. Insulation is to be used in the floors as a means of reducing sound transmission to the rooms below the remodeled attic.
15. All knee walls are to be insulated.
16. All regular walls are to be insulated.
17. Insulation is to be used between all collar beams and rafters.

All of the foregoing items are certainly desirable. They transform otherwise wasted attic space into additional bedrooms, a second bath-room and storage space. However, there are several aspects of the plan which are expensive—probably much more expensive than the average homeowner would care to or could assume. Let us discuss several of the aspects which boost the total cost.

Bathroom

Part A of Fig. 1 (original attic space) shows that the existing soil stack (see page 153) is located near the south wall of the house, far from the proposed new bathroom indicated in Part B of Fig. 1. Thus, a new and additional soil stack would have to be installed. Such work is highly expensive! Even more expense would be involved because the wall below the bathroom would have to be opened in order to install the stack, and then patched. Other items of expense include extra floor joists under the bathroom area (to support the weight of the fixtures), the new fixtures and the tile floor.