Turning the roof space into an attic is a popular choice among homeowners in America, but in Australia is hasn't been as popular. That’s because most consider attics as dark and dirty spaces, filled with spiders, and where you store the junk you don't need. That’s no longer the case - attics are trendy now. Not only because they’re a great use of space, but because they’re surprisingly beneficial to have.

Whether you need more living room or storage space, it’s more affordable to renovate your roof space than move into a bigger house. And what better time to do it than winter, when many people declutter their homes.

To turn your roof space into the perfect attic for you and your loved ones, here’s everything you need to know, including the other benefits you’ll enjoy, the requirements to do it and tips to make it a suitable storage space if you choose to use your attic as one:

Benefits of Turning Your Roof Space into an Attic

Increased Property Value

If you use your attic as a new room, like a playroom for your kids, your property becomes more valuable.

That’s because the more rooms a piece of property has, generally the higher asking price it can have.

According to a study for The New Daily by Andrew Crossley, author of worldwide best seller Property Investing Made Simple, an extra room increases the price of a house by AU$95,000 on average.

Improved Property Appeal

Yes, that’s how much Aussies like having as many bedrooms as we possibly can.

We like it so much that many of us renovate our homes to have more space instead of moving into a bigger house. And we spend a lot—over AU$30 billion every year, according to the Housing Industry Association, Australia’s biggest national construction and development industry association.

Once you have your very own attic, your home has more rooms to offer, making it more appealing to buyers if you ever sell.

You have a new, versatile room

But if you decide to stay, you’ll be surprised by just how much you can use your attic.

Aside from your kids’ playroom, you could use your attic as your home office, a library, a music studio, a home theater or a guest room. You can even rent it out.

The possibilities are endless. You just need to use your imagination.

Attic Requirements

While you might already be raring to get started, turning your roof space into an attic isn’t something you can just jump right into. There are requirements you need to meet so you won’t have problems:

Appropriate Roof Shapes

Not all roof spaces can be turned into attics. To be specific, only low-pitched roofs can have attics. Examples of such roofs are those of Edwardian homes and bungalows.

Height

As stated in the Building Code of Australia, at least 60% of your attic’s space needs to be at least 2.4 m high if you want to use it as extra living space.

Ventilation and Natural Light

The Building Code of Australia also states that living spaces need to have a certain amount of ventilation, either mechanical or natural, and access to natural light.

Wiring Safety

Roof spaces typically contain most of the electrical wiring of homes. So be extra careful going about turning yours into an attic to avoid coming into contact with the wiring.

Floor Strength

If you put any furniture in your attic or build a completely new attic, hire a structural engineer to assess your house and make sure the floor will be strong enough to bear you, your loved ones, guests and the furniture.

Tips to Make Your Attic a Proper Storage Space

You don't have to turn your attic into a new room, you can also just use it as extra storage space, but there are lots of ways to maximise it:

Set up shelves to use all the available space

If you put all your things in boxes and dump them on the floor, you won’t be making good use of your attic because you’re not using all the available space. That includes the vertical space. Take advantage of it by setting up some shelves. Measure every nook and cranny so you can put them together in a way that lets you use the space completely.

Use the most ideal storage containers

Instead of cardboard boxes, keep your things in sealable plastic containers so they won’t be exposed to dust and moisture. The better you can protect them, the longer they’ll stay in good condition.

Label everything

If you forget where you put certain things you need for special occasions, like holiday decorations, family albums, suitcases and duffle bags, it will be hard to find them again. Avoid the hassle by clearly labeling all the containers.