I usually bring out my crystal ball and provide just the right amount of attic space anybody that owns the house for the next 163 year.

I would love an attic that I could stand up in and had a normal set of stairs to reach the attic. I would use if for storing holiday decorations and stuff. My friend had an attic like it and she never had to disassemble her Christmas tree. She just threw a sheet over it and carried it to the attic.

Well...the difference between a habitable attic and a non-habitable attic include:

--A fixed stair, or at least a pull-down attic stair

--Difference in insulation and venting strategies, i.e., location of insulation and perhaps type of insulation

--Difference in roof framing, i.e., rafters vs. roof trusses

--Differences in attic floor sheathing

--Differences in HVAC systems and capacities

--Differences in electrical power and lighting plans

--Differences in dormers, skylights and gable windows

These are expensive differences. Based on what you described, you already have planned virtually all the spaces you and your children will use.

There's an old house planning slogan which is applicable: "Plan your house for the way you live, not the way you don't".

If is was my house, I'd forget the attic, and use the savings as a contingency for the construction of your house. Contingencies have a way of being needed. And who knows...you might actually save some money...if that's important.

Good luck on your project.

" Im designing my dream home "... depending on the location some designs may have height limits, others homes will not have any usable attics ... at all. In my area 3rd story I believe requires wiring inside of metal electrical conduits everywhere. Don't make your decision solely based on sq ft. Otherwise everything will look like production build below.

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First you need to decide IF you want to dominate or fit in. If you buy into "human scale" architecture methodology and building on suburban lot then some 2nd story walls should be pulled back. Here is example with mansions [second story wall pulled, appearance of "reduced" height]:

Domination two full stories. The mansion below designed to dominate and dwarf anything around it.

Here is a custom

vs production

Obviously this production home offers a lot less $$/sq

How far along are you on design/build? I'd lean toward "no" since there are tons of other variables to change other than just finishing unfinished space. If you really don't need it now, it will probably escalate into a huge cost that won't really be worth it.

Do you have a basement finished/unfinished?

IMO I would rather try to design office/playroom/gym type rooms to be flex rooms, so in a pinch they could become bedrooms. Also I'd be more concerned with someone being injured or aging grandparents, and too many stairs.

Would the attic be unfinished space otherwise? Could you do a minimal finishing job, like adding some wiring for overhead lights and some outlets, putting up drywall, and laying down some cheap carpet? No extra designing or building out, just dressing up the exposed studs and insulation. Would be appropriate for a "flex" space or just storage.

Many years ago, we put pull-down stairs in the upstairs hall so we could access the attic. My husband and young son then hauled up plywood to cover the floor. They also had a ceiling light put up there. They used plumbing pipe to put up a few rods that held out of season clothes - very useful as this 1938 house had very small closets. We had a basement, but this was very useful and valuable storage space for us.

Good idea for thinking ahead because you have options if you decide to stay in your current home.

Obviously no rush on your part, however i think you had the right idea for possibly converting it into another bedroom in the future, because at some point siblings stop wanting to share rooms as they get older!

Well...I tried to explain up-post that it's not a simple solution to convert an existing non-habitable attic space to a habitable attice space at some future time.

Again, two of many examples:

1. There will need to be a set of stairs added. Where will they go?

2. If the initial roof is economically framed with roof trusses, rather than more expensive rafters designed for proper head-room in the future, then a habitable attic may be simply impossible...unless the roof is removed, the trusses removed, and rafters added for a need roof.

Good luck on your project!

I vote to do it now if it's in the budget. Converting the attic later will be more costly and more hassle. You never know what the future holds and how that space could be utilized later. I wouldn't think you would need to do anything too fancy now, just get the HVAC, plumbing, insulation, and electrical up there now when it's easier. I would also imagine finished attic space would add to the value of the house if you ever sell it.

I don't see the problem with kids sharing a room to adulthood. Many, many kids did and they turned out to be well adjusted adults.

To Virgil's point, attic space is not necessarily inexpensive. We're finishing our attic space (http://bamasotan.us) but that had more to do with trying to keep the overall mass of our house as small as possible. It's still a bit less expensive than similar 2nd level space but not by an extreme amount.

If you intend to convert your attic to living space--if your local zoning even allows it--you must plan it in before, not after you build.

And not just "HVAC, plumbing, insulation, and electrical" but framing, access and windows. Also, you must design and install your furnace(s) and air conditioning to handle future loads.