Communications of the attic apartment
If a person plans to buy an urban apartment, then he, of course, expects that heating, water and other communications will be connected in advance and function normally. In attic-type apartments, everything depends on the installation system and on the conscience of the builders and utility workers. For example, if water comes from below, its pressure will not always be sufficient. Often, especially when repairing a water supply system, it will flow in a thin stream or intermittently.
The same thing can happen with heating. Heat may simply not reach the upper floors in the required volume, especially to the attic. So, when purchasing, it would be a good idea to not only ask the owners in detail about the type of installation of communications and check everything yourself, but it is also advisable to talk with the neighbors on the upper floors. In fairness, it must be added that this point applies not only to attics, but also to apartments on the upper floors in general.
Description of attic apartments
The main difference is the design of the attic apartment.
- The facade of the housing is created by the roof surface, which can be inclined or broken.
- The height of the attic at the highest point should not be less than one and a half meters.
- Attics should enliven the appearance of the building. In most cases, the roofs of houses are not designed for human habitation, but the attic becomes a pleasant exception.
Currently, the forms of attics are pleasantly surprising: triangular, broken. Moreover, the premises may not occupy the entire area of the building, but only the extension area. To create additional fortifications, it is assumed that it is possible to use columns, partitions, and walls. The base can be made of natural wood, metal or reinforced concrete. Most often, attics are part of cottages and chalets.
In each case, the structures are divided into two parts:
- The vertical part should be a continuation of the main floors. For the strength of the structure, it is assumed that the same material is used as for the rest of the room.
- The slanted part is next. Traditionally, it is represented by a roof, which can be completely or partially flat.
The dimensions of the vertical and inclined parts are always determined by the dimensions and area of the extension.
Roof of an attic apartment
It is no secret that in the summer heat it heats up, and in the rain it serves as a source of unpleasant sounds. It is necessary to find out whether the previous owners solved these problems. Is air conditioning and soundproofing installed, and how good are they? If a person buys an attic from scratch, most likely he will have to resolve such issues himself. Before you buy an attic apartment, you should visit several companies that do this type of work. Perhaps, if the cost of installing soundproofing and air conditioning is added to the cost of an apartment in the attic, the difference with “normal” housing will not be so significant.
What is an attic
An attic is an attic-type room on the top floor of a building, the walls of which are sloped roof slopes. The windows are actually located on the ceiling, they are smaller in size than usual, but due to their location, much more light and heat enters them. According to sanitary standards, the height of the ceilings of a living space must be at least 250 cm. In the attic, this requirement must be met for less than 50% of the total area. The intersection line of the roof and facade must be at least 1.5 meters from the floor level.
If the apartment is on the top floor, there is a good opportunity to expand the living space; many people create two-level attic apartments using the attic. It would seem, what could be simpler? Cut an entrance to the attic, a window, decorate it and enjoy all the delights of interior solutions that can be squeezed out of the attic floor. But not everything is so simple, because there is a legal side of the issue.
To complete your attic conversion, you need to go through the following steps:
1. Obtain the consent of all homeowners. since the attic is the common property of all residents
2. Obtain permits
3. Conduct refurbishment work
4. Obtain a certificate of commissioning
5. Make changes to technical documents
You can also purchase a ready-made attic apartment. Today, attics have become popular in the real estate market; living in such apartments is considered a sign of good taste and prosperity. People began to acquire apartments on the attic floor to create a special romance and non-standard interior.
The ceilings in the attic are quite low, which may not be very convenient for tall people. Often such premises are adapted for children's rooms; children often like this interior and location.
Attic apartment windows
Since the attic is not a typical housing, the windows are chosen to be of an unusual design. They can be either too small or large. Slanted options are possible, mounted in a flat roof or located on the ceiling. “What could be more beautiful than falling asleep seeing the moon and starry sky?” - the romantics will say. “What could be worse than bright sun shining through a window that you can’t block out?” - the pessimists will say. Some will be uncomfortable in such an environment; windows of an unusual design will simply irritate them. In addition, such windows in the attic cannot always be curtained to neutralize bright light or heat. Before purchasing an attic apartment, think about how ready you are to give up the usual stereotypes and how comfortable will you be if you give them up?
Window tightness
It was already mentioned above that rain can cause sound discomfort. However, this is not the main problem with precipitation. The attic is located directly under the roof, and the roof may leak. It is imperative to discuss this issue with the seller, and also check for the presence of characteristic water stains. Let’s say right away that the absence of streaks is not a guarantee of tightness. A not very honest seller, when putting an apartment up for sale, may simply paint them over. In this case, there are two ways to solve the problem. The first is to hold utility workers accountable, forcing them to carry out quality repair work and spend a lot of time and nerves. The second is to do everything yourself (or hire workers) and spend money. This can be quite a significant amount, since the work may not be typical.
The source of the leakage problem can be not only the roof, but also the windows. And if the roof can be forced to repair the utility workers, then taking care of the windows will fall entirely on the owners of the attic. The fact is that most often in such housing the windows are sloping. This can be either a slight tilt or an almost horizontal position. The greater the slope of the windows, the more problems appear. Horizontal windows are more prone to leaks than vertical ones, because water does not drain down the glass, but lingers on the surface. Leaks during rain are not the only problems associated with precipitation.
These also include snow drifts, when the snow cannot be cleared due to the inaccessibility of windows. The same law works here - the more horizontal the window, the more snow will stick. Hail - precipitation is not so frequent, but it is foolish to ignore it. Large hailstones can simply break glass. To prevent this from happening, glass must be thick, with increased strength. It is worth assessing how protected the windows are from these weather conditions.
Warm floor + Room tour in the dark
Have you noticed that we now have tiles in the bathroom? With an offset of 1/3. The direction will be the same as in the laminate (to be a common space). The joint will be a narrow aluminum strip and should fall in the middle of the door leaf.
1/3 offset tile
And under the tiles there is a warm floor
