Take a look at these tips to get the most out of your unfinished attic. With the safe access and storage space, you may even consider a remodel!
The attic might be the one part of your home that you end up thinking about the least. You might store a few forgotten boxes there– some Christmas decorations, a few long-lost yard accessories– but for the most part it’s locked away out of your immediate frame of mind.
How can you make the most out of that unfinished attic space? If you can readjust how you use this space and how you access it, you might be able to improve your day-to-day life at home.
These improvements might also increase your overall safety, and help you to avoid the accidents and injuries that happen to many people in their own homes. What are some of the best changes you can make?
Read on and we’ll walk you through everything that you need to know.
1. Identify Safety Issues
Before you put anything into storage in your attic space, it’s well worth taking the time to consider the various safety risks inherent in its construction.
Many attics are left unfinished. They have unsteady floors if they even have a floor at all. Exposed metal beams might run through the space, or nails could jut out from the walls at dangerous angles.
Taking note and evaluating these various risks is an important first step. If you’re well-aware of the potential dangers of your attic, you will be more well-equipped to handle them.
Having a list of these risks can also help as you make changes to make things more accessible.
2. Sturdy Your Attic Floors
One of the most common risks found in many home attics is the lack of stable flooring. It can be unsafe to move around an attic and lift objects because one could fall through cheap, loose flooring.
You could accidentally step into an area where there is no flooring at all.
Laying down plywood or another surface can help to mitigate this risk. There is even special flooring you can purchase at stores specifically designed for attic use.
With a more stable foundation in place, you and your family can move around the attic without as much fear of an unexpected accident. The extra floor space will also provide more room to store things.
3. Safe and Proper Access
Another area where incidents and injuries are common? In the actual accessing of your attic space.
Attics are typically built with a cheap fold-up ladder that families can pull down when they want to get into space. However, many of these ladders are created shoddily and might not hold up to repeated use.
These attic ladders might also not be built in a way that is conducive to carrying large objects in and out. Replacing them with something safer and more appropriate can be a great way to improve your attic experience.
Completing and Improving Your Unfinished Attic
Almost every house in America is turned over to a family with an unfinished attic above. The above tips and tricks can help you to turn this somewhat dangerous space into something reliable, safe, and helpful.
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