Is A Finished Attic Considered Living Space

Stairs and landing are included on each level.

Is a finished attic considered living space.

Elgin advises that you offer what you think is reasonable based on the home s gross living area plus some fair amount for the unfinished or finished basement. Because the attic is regarded as the living space the home assessment is 20k more than what i bought 4 months ago. Can i argue with the town that their assessment does not make sense when it is significantly higher than the marketing value. The correct word is living space.

Your attic has a climate of its own. Square footage and the mls. Finishing an attic turns the finished parts into standard living spaces making them subject to all of the same rules that apply to other living areas of the home. In most cases though the joists cannot support live loads and may not even be covered with boards.

But it cannot be sold as living space without a proper. It will never be legal living space. Focus on the usable space and how. But you can finish it however you like and use as you like.

Finished attic space as long as it also conforms to the original structure can t just add carpet and call it a bedroom and the ceilings are high enough and the space is conditioned space because at this point it isn t actually an attic anymore. Finished space that lack permanent stairs or direct access such as plant shelves are not considered living area. There s a chance you ll need to enlarge the system if your attic wasn t heated or cooled previously so call in a pro to make sure it s up to snuff. But if a basement or attic has been finished then the space may be included in the home s square footage if it also meets ceiling height requirements.

For maximum comfort create a separate zone within your hvac system for the finished space. There are no special exceptions just because it s living space in the attic. Finished spaces only accessed by ladders such as lofts are not considered living area. In rare cases especially in new construction homes the attic may have been built unfinished with the correct flooring in place with the idea that the homeowner could later on finish the space.