Toys in the Attic

With Georgian summers quickly approaching, and not a single air conditioning unit working in the entire house, we are definitely in a race against mother nature to cool down the house before it gets too hot. Unfortunately, we had to take a few steps backwards in order to move forward. So before replacing the HVAC systems, it was wiser to insulate the attic roof first. But since the attic was semi-finished, and since we want it to be a finished space, we had to take down the wood paneling and knee walls all around the great room in the attic. And I am glad we did. We discovered that all electrical connections were done outside the junction boxes with as many as 4 wires coming together within millimeters of the dried up wood paneling. It was a fire waiting to happen.

Ben

Michael

So with the help of our friends Ben and Michael we demoed the attic on a Saturday afternoon and threw everything out the window. It looked like a tornado came through a trailer park in the middle of Alabama (no offense to our friends and family in AL). Luckily, Ben and Michael were kind enough to stay longer and help us clean up everything the same day. Thanks guys!!!

Repurposed Chandelier

8 new can lights

After looking at several insulation options, we decided that the spray-in foam is the best option for our attic. We would have been happy with the fiberglass rolls, but our rafters are not equally spaced and the today's rolls aren't wide enough for the construction standards of the previous century. Although more expensive, the foam is also more effective. Unfortunately, electrical wires must be installed prior to spraying the foam. So this past weekend we had an electrical marathon and installed 8 can lights in the center of the great room, 2 ceiling boxes for repurposed chandeliers in front of the windows in the dormers, 2 sconces in the nook by the day bed, 2 mason jar lights for the back room with the HVAC system, a new outlet on the one existing wall, and a new ceiling light in the staircase going up to the attic using the original globe that was above the the main door of the house. More outlets will be installed once we build new knee walls after the insulation is sprayed.

1 of 2 mason jar lights by the HVAC

3 new switches & outlet

Repurposed Globe in Attic Stairwell

Obsolete vent pipes to be removed

Just a few more steps before we can spray the insulation. First, we must remove the old plumbing vent pipes that go through the roof and patch the roof. This way the insulation can be sprayed everywhere. And second, we must fix the framing of the dormers (front and back) so that we can solidify the rafters that have been cut incorrectly and left unsupported.  This will also give us more head clearance to walk all the way up to the windows in the dormers. Currently in the back dormer there is only a metal screen and some slats rather than windows. But we will install casement windows and put a built-in day bed in front of the new windows to allow the duct work for the HVAC to run under the windows. We also installed a sconce light on each side of the day bed for reading purposes. We can't wait to see it all finished.

Front dormer: low head clearance issue

Back dormer: future day bed location

There was never any light fixture in the attic staircase. There was switch half way up the stairs that turn the lights in the great room on or off, which was very unpractical. Now we have a (3-way) switch at the bottom of the stairs and one at the top of the stairs that control the new light. Well I should say repurposed old light. 

We feel like we accomplished a lot in just a weekend with the attic project. For the first time we are not just demolishing or taking things down. We have started to put things back together that will stay in the final design and that may be the first time in this house.