Minneapolis Attic Remodeling

Minneapolis attic remodeling is one of the best ways to expand the square footage of your home without having to foot the bill for a major addition. In fact, if your attic is well suited for an attic remodel, attic remodels in Minneapolis are the perfect project for adding extra bedrooms and lots of value to your Twin Cities home.

Minneapolis Attic Remodeling: Is an Attic Remodel Right for your Home?
Before you raise your hopes too high, however, it's important to realize that not every home is well suited for an attic renovation in Minneapolis. From both an investment and a comfort standpoint, it's important to bring in a contractor to evaluate your attic space prior to starting any work, just so you can be sure to avoid the following:

• Insufficient Attic Space—Unfortunately, many attics simply don't have enough headroom to justify the money and time that this large remodeling project requires. You can always raise the roof if you're dead set on having a second story, but once you do that you're talking about an entirely different neighborhood when it comes to final costs (adding a second story is an excellent investment, however, if you can afford it). As a rule, a ceiling lower than 6 feet tall should raise red flags, and even that is pushing it. An average home has 8 foot ceilings, so keep that in mind and be realistic about what makes for a comfortable living space before you move ahead with any attic remodeling in Minneapolis.

• Insufficient Floor Support—Don't assume that your ceiling is built to support actual living areas if your home wasn't built initially with that use in mind. Remember, your attic floor doesn't just need to support you, it's going to have to accommodate furniture, personal belongings, and anyone else that might wander up the stairs. You can shore up ceiling joists to accommodate more weight, but get a quote before you start. Many times the cost of doing so is prohibitive, especially if you have any hopes of making the money back when you eventually sell the home.

• Access Points—Finally, make sure that there's sufficient room for stairs leading up to your new living spaces. A ladder and firehouse pole might sound like fun, but it's going to limit who can access the space, and lessen the value of your remodel, and the resale value of your home, when it's all said and done.

Got the Green Light for Attic Remodeling in Minneapolis? Think Bedrooms
Once your contractor confirms that your attic is a go, it's time to shift your thinking on attic remodeling in Minneapolis to proper planning. To put it more plainly, the sky's the limit when it comes to how you choose to use your new remodel. As for how you build it, however, there's one thing you should make certain happens. Install sufficiently sized windows so each living space in your Minneapolis attic renovation will meet local codes for a bedroom (in general, building codes require the opening to be large enough to serve as an emergency escape route). Why? It will increase the value of your remodel by thousands of dollars. Check Remodeling Magazine's 2006 Cost vs. Value Report, and look to the West North Central region, which includes the Twin Cities, if you have any doubts. A bedroom attic remodel recoups almost 15% more of your investment than a home office alone. For an investment that can run close to $50,000 in some cases, that 15% is nothing to scoff at.

Finding a Contractor for Minneapolis Attic Remodels
With so many variables affecting a good outcome, it's plain to see that it's important to find a reliable contractor for Minneapolis attic remodels. Failing to do your homework on this front is like going for a skinny dip in the Mississippi in January. In other words, it's a really bad idea. Getting bids from multiple contractors and checking their references is your best defense against hiring a contractor who might put making money above your best interests on an attic renovation in Minneapolis. Of course, it doesn't hurt to back that defense up with a little help from a referral service like ServiceMagic. Such services pre-screen contractors before putting them in contact with you and can also give you customer feedback (i.e. references) on specific contractors, giving you an extra layer of insurance so that you don't have to lose any sleep over how your Minneapolis attic remodeling job is going to turn out.