People didn't always use the space above their own ceiling. For the first time, the idea of arranging an attic superstructure above an apartment for residential purposes came from the French architect Francois Mansart. The townspeople liked the idea so much that they began to arrange rooms in the attic to accommodate guests. Thanks to the slanted windows, the room was especially bright, which was quickly appreciated by the Parisian artists, who equipped workshops under the roof.
House with an attic floor: features
To maximize the use of all the premises of the building, the attic is ennobled during the construction process. Mansard roofs of private houses have a peculiar design:
- one side is strictly vertical, being a continuation of some of the internal walls;
- on the second, inclined part, windows are installed.
Such a one-sided roof device is also called a "semi-attic", as opposed to a two-sided roof slope.
The presence of an attic always enlivens the appearance of the building, giving it a non-standard look. And the inner area of this room is distinguished by its original shape, becausethe ceiling is one of the slopes of the roof.
What kind of housing can be arranged in the "above floor" room
Most often in modern attics there is a bedroom, a cinema room or an office. Almost any large-sized furniture can easily fit along a normal wall. Special windows are cut into the inclined wall. If this part of the ceiling is fully glazed, it will be convenient to place a library or workshop here.
It is very functional to use trapezoidal areas of the room for built-in wardrobes or bookshelves. In such a non-standard area, you get a rather spacious dressing room.
In a well-insulated attic, a children's room will be perfectly located, there will be a place for games, and for toys, and for furniture of small sizes. Attic houses are a great option to equip a child with a separate room.
Another idea is to turn a boring attic into your own gym. You can conduct communications here, make a bathroom, install a shower. Some owners make a billiard room out of free space, or set up a ping-pong table - a kind of home sports club.
Polyline, with consoles, triangular and other outlines of roofs
Mansard-type houses can be distinguished from other buildings by the presence of an unusually shaped roof. They come in 4 types:
- gable (triangular, straight) has the simplest and most practical design;
- broken roof is placed on another system of rafters,forming 4 vertical walls and the same number of roof planes, which increases the useful area of \u200b\u200bthe room;
- top with remote consoles is more difficult to design and assemble, but increases the footage due to the use of one vertical wall of the house;
- two-level, arranged on combined type supports.
Roofs for the attic device of the first 3 types can be built on an already finished building using lightweight building materials. The fourth design is the most complex option, which is designed and built along with the house. Here it is possible to arrange two or more rooms of different levels.
What materials can be used to build loft housing
When building on attic houses, equipping rooms under a roof, only lightweight materials are used. Concrete and brick are not used here. The built-in parts of the furniture are made of drywall, wood or metal is taken for the truss system. If the internal area allows, you can arrange partitions and divide the space into zones. In most cases, the room is decorated in a minimalist or "mini-loft" style.
The main requirement for the project is to limit the mass of building materials.
What you need to know about the features of attic insulation
Since the walls of this room are roof slopes, a very important stage in the arrangement of this housing is its proper protection from the cold. In addition to laying the thermal insulation layerand waterproofing, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of ventilation of the roof. The experience of previous builders showed that a house with a mansard roof is insulated in a special way. To prevent condensation of water vapor inside the room, a film with diffusion membranes should be strengthened between the mineral wool and drywall sheets for better vapor absorption.
Attic houses, more precisely, roofs, are exposed not only to external moisture in the form of natural precipitation. The warm air of the room is able to create condensation on the inside of the heat insulator. Over time, mold may develop there, or drops of water will flow down the walls, despite the absolutely intact roof. In winter, a wet insulation freezes through, gradually collapsing and losing its qualities. For the same reason, a small distance is left between the mineral wool and the tiles for air ventilation.
About pluses and minuses
Attic houses are considered a fairly cheap housing option. In recent years, even on the roofs of high-rise buildings, similar structures have been erected, fixing them so that they are not blown away by strong winds. You can argue about the pros and cons of such an idea, there are supporters and opponents of attic construction. Undoubtedly, improved in this way, housing expands the possibilities to increase the useful area of \u200b\u200bthe house. And from an architectural point of view, figured roofs look very picturesque, decorating city buildings with sloping surfaces, overhead verandas and unconventional views.
