Transforming Attic Into Living Space
Question:
We are looking into developing the attic space above our garage into a media room. The garage is attached to the home and we would enter this area from the living room. We recently read if you have a truss system that in order to develop the attic, one would have to replace the entire roof with conventional construction. My question is: can we safely develop this trussed area above our garage?
Answer:
What you are proposing is taking standard trusses and transforming them into attic frames (sometimes called room-in-attics). The trusses, as they are now, are not designed to support the loading of an attic living space. It may be possible to alter and strengthen each truss to open it up for living space. By the time it is finished, it will no longer be a truss and will look more like conventional construction, but we don't believe it will be necessary to remove the existing trusses and replace them with conventional framing.
There are many factors to consider like span, roof pitch and the type of support. These will determine the maximum room size. You might find that the room size based on these factors is not large enough to warrant the time and expense. On the other hand, it may be a fairly straight forward project. Contact the original truss manufacturer and have them determine whether your plan is feasible. They will know the specific details of the trusses and will be able to provide engineering support to generate the alteration instructions. The truss manufacturer's stamp should be somewhere on the truss lumber, usually on the top or bottom chords. Failing that, you can contact any local truss manufacturer and ask them to provide guidance on the project (see our Members Section for truss manufacturer listings).