In the event you want to re-construct your attic space well after the house was built, you still need a letter and renovation licence. If not, one can still install a ladder - foldable or spiral - leading up to the attic. If the attic is catered for from the design stage, the architect usually draws up a stairway. This is because the water tank as well as the facility is on the same level, thus the need to boost water flow,” adds Noiman. “Another factor to consider when preparing the attic is the use of a water booster to pump water to the water closet that is placed on the attic. These, according to Noiman, are sound proofed with gypsum so that the gushing sound of water coming in does not disturb the relative silence that is in this room. What makes the attic with the best view in the house is the fact the attic windows open up such that one can stand with his or her head out.Įven though the attic space can be turned into a functional room, you still need to create space for the water tanks. They also come with a flash, which seals around it, keeping the water out. It also has air vents, which allow for controlled air circulation. The roofs can be automated - fitted with a sensor such that if you leave the window open and it begins to rain, it shuts itself. In addition, they are double glazed, which means they maintain the temperature of the room - even in extreme weather conditions. Mbuthia explains that the windows are not easily broken because they have been hardened. The attic was exceptionally well lit, with each corner having at least one window fitted. When we visited the construction site, we saw the roof windows fitted. The roof windows, just like they sound, are fitted on the roof itself, in a slanted position. However, this does not bring in as much light as the roof windows,” Joy Mbuthia of Classic Mouldings says. “Most houses you see in Nairobi have dormer windows, which are placed on the walled side of the roof. It is also possible to have natural light coming into the attic. The wires and piping (if any water is needed) is let to run behind the gypsum walls. Once the functionality of the room has been decided, the room is fitted according to the interior needs. The fibreglass is lined in between the roof truss all round, then sealed with either plastered wall or gypsum. The difference is that the roofing membrane allows for the roof to breath, and does not tear with time, as compared to polythene which gets destroyed by heat or cold,” says Moshe Noiman, the owner of the house. “The first thing we did was to change the polythene placed underneath the roofing tiles with a breathable roofing membrane. When Home and Away visited an attic that was under construction, the property, which has a high angled roof with clay roof tiles on the outside, was being insulated with glass fibre. This variance in temperatures, however, can be made constant. (Those who use roof tiles often think of how hot it could be). Of course, what first comes to mind is how cold the attic could be, bearing in mind that most Kenyans like to use iron sheets as a roofing material. The structural engineer must advise the client on whether the material used to build the lintel, which will eventually be the floor of the attic, needs to be strengthened or is strong enough as it is. You only need a few additions to make the room work,” says Kangara. Therefore, to create a room in this space is 40 per cent cheaper than adding an extension, since the ‘shell’ is already put in. “When you are constructing your house, the cost of the roof will still be met. This way, the attic is not fitted as an afterthought,” he adds.Īccording to David Kangara, a quantity surveyor who has built his own attic, creating a room in this space is relatively cheaper than adding an extension. “Once they buy the idea, we decide what we want the room for, then design it with the rest of the house.
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