Expert Advice
Maxwell: Creating some more living space: Attic or basement?
December 9, 2011
Steve Maxwell
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Q: How can I expand the living space in my house on a tight budget? We are a family of five and my middle child is 9 years old and has a serious illness involving medical equipment and support workers. As my oldest daughter enters her teenage years, she could really use a tiny bit of space for herself. Is finishing the attic an option for us? We’ve considered finishing the basement, but this space aggravates my daughter’s asthma.
A: Your attic might offer an option for expanding the living space in your home, and two technical factors determine whether it’s practical. Is the attic tall enough? Is the roof structure built with rafters? Both these things need to be so if finishing is to proceed.
The simplest way to figure it all out is to climb into the attic and see for yourself. Can you stand up in a significant portion of the space? Is the roof structure free enough of angled lumber to allow movement? If you can answer yes to both of these questions, then finishing the attic is a possibility.
You’ll need to create safe access to the attic space and insulate the roof structure. As well, you’ll need to provide ventilation and natural light. Openable skylights offer the best option for getting fresh air and light into the attic. Even with lots of insulation, a finished attic will be unbearably hot during summer without fresh air.
If your roof structure makes finishing the attic impractical, then look at the basement again. It may be musty now, but almost any basement can be made into a dry, comfortable and healthy living space.
The process starts by removing everything organic from the basement: wallboard, floor coverings, cardboard boxes and stored clothing. As long as the basement is reliably dry, finishing floors and walls with mould-proof materials yields great results.
Asphalt Roof Shingles
Q: How can I asphalt shingle a roof from the top down? I’ve heard this is better since you never walk on the shingles as they’re being installed. But how is this possible, since shingles need to overlap correctly to shed water?
A: The term shingling from the top down is a bit of a misnomer, since the shingles actually get installed from lower to higher areas. It’s just that you tackle the job in stages, with each stage happening from higher to lower levels of the roof. The end result is no different in the final installation; it’s just a better way to get the job done.
Start by measuring down some distance from the top of the roof that’s an even increment of the exposure of your shingles.
Let’s say each layer of your shingles is made to have five inches of surface exposed after installation. You’d measure down and mark a line that’s 45, 50 or 55 inches below the peak, whichever is comfortable for you. Snap a chalk line at this location on the roof as a guideline, then nail down one row of shingles along this line, driving nails only along the top edge of this row for now.
Add another row of shingles above this one, in the normal way, with normal nail locations. Continue shingling upwards to the peak.
When you’re all done, measure down again, but this time from the bottom edge of the group of shingles you just installed. Once again, mark a line along the roof deck that’s some multiple of the exposure width of the shingles. Start shingling up from this second line just as you did before until you come to the row that must tuck underneath the first group of shingles you put down.
Here you simply bend up the bottom row of the first group of shingles, slip the top row of the second group underneath, then nail them down. Finish up by driving nails into the middle of the first row of shingles you installed (in the usual locations), then move down the roof and continue the process.
It sounds complicated, but it’s simple: Shingle upwards in groups, with each group being installed lower than the previous one.
Steve Maxwell, syndicated home improvement and woodworking columnist, has shared his DIY tips, how-to videos and product reviews since 1988. Visit him at www.SteveMaxwell.ca, Facebook at Canada’s Handiest Man or @Maxwells_Tips on Twitter.