And a photo or two would help....

Is your roof a truss system? Pics would be the best help here as kudzu9 states.

Not modern construction. Built in 1908. It’s a 27x30’ hip roof with 2 dormers. We’re trying to figure out if we should sister 2x6 to the existing 2x4 rafters or somehow fasten another 2x4 on top. I keep trying to load a pic and it won’t..

No trusses

It’s a craftsman style stick build. The ceiling is already cathedral style vaulted, 9‘6” ceiling at highest point

Amber- To add a photo, start a new reply in this thread, click the photo icon (not the Houzz photo icon) below the dialogue box and navigate to wherever it is on your phone or computer, and select it and add it. Should upload in a second or two.

when Loading a photo you MUST wait until the pic has turned to a bright pic, or it will not load. Try to load your pic, then just wait, you will see the colors brighten. Then it is ready to be submitted.

Amber has any professional had a chance to look at this? Attic spaces look so easy to convert but they end up being very expensive- stairs have to be modern code (access to living space is different than storage space) the floor framing is usually just strong enough to support the ceiling, as you’ve noticed the roof framing is far out of compliance, then you need all the pretty stuff.

You need local, on site guidance. If you have a friend who is a structural engineer or a contractor that’s a good place to start. Otherwise I would call a local structural engineering firm that specializes in existing residential and pay for an on site assessment. The whole project if done with permits to code will cost way more than it seems looking at the current raw space.

I have to agree with Hallett. You do need an expert there. Unless the house was built with the option of converting attic to living space, it could end up costing a whole lot of money. To be truthful. Your attic while very nice for storage, really doesnt look like it was built for living space. Please do not spend any money, until you have someone like a structural engineer look at the construction in that attic.

The joists you see in an attic floor may be designed to only function as rafter ties, not floor joists. The difference is that floor joists must hold a specific weight, so the typical sizes are 2x8, 2x10, etc., and they are designed to carry the floor load over a specific span for each size. However, rafter ties just connect to the ends of the rafters and ensure they maintain the upside down V shape and support the roof. Rafter ties may only be sized large enough to hold up the weight of the ceiling, and they may span longer distances than a floor joist of the same size. They may not be strong enough to function as floor joists for finished space.

Bruce

Craziest responses I have ever heard !! Don't listen to any of these folks. Houses from your era and my 1890 Victorian were built to last ! Current houses will be lucky to withstand 50 yrs let alone over 100. There is absolutely no truth to how much it will cost or the ability to meet code or extraordinary needs for a stairway etc. Our stairway did have to have " winder" steps as it goes up then turns back on itself. It was never ever a problem. You get used to it and there is banister after all.

You can search for a builder who understands old houses first of all. We had a neighbor who took us to visit several attic conversions he had done in our registered historic district. Then he sits down with you after looking at the space and talks to you about what you can and can't expect from the area. We started in late Oct of 2001 and finished in March of 2002. We had only a pull down staircase in the back hall. He made a regular staircase in the front foyer. All the building access was through the back upper upper roof of the house. ( 9 ft of windows were not installed till almost done) The stairs went in last to prevent the migration of " stuff" !! Your attic is WAY more wonderful than ours was LOL !! We had bat guano and coal dust and parts of two old chimneys and....the headroom was LOW!! He removed all the excess rafters and added what was needed to brace upper and lower. When the plywood floor went in we walked the area with chalk and divided the rooms. We gor 1000 sq ft !! 2 bedrooms and the full bath and study area and great room and a storage area under the eves. It was amazing and we loved every minute we lived in the house till Nov 2017. It sold to the first two people that looked at it and they had a bidding war ! All this is to say that you need to do your homework and ignore the naysayers. They have no love for old houses or creativity or ingenuity or possibilities. Please don't give up till you have fully explored all your options. Most important is a good builder who understands old houses. c

Pictures that show attic reno in our 1890 home ----13 and 16 are the bedrooms,you can see the great room in the background. The windows in the great room span 9'. 17 is the library in the attic and one of the chimneys that services 2 of the working fireplaces in the downstairs. 19 and 20 are the great room and show the stairway. I am sorry I don't have any other photos as my Photobucket account is all messed up from not using it. But you get the idea. It looked a LOT worse than your current attic . Good Luck !! c

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/414-N-8th-St-Opelika-AL-36801/76021894_zpid/?

There are minimum requirements on head space ( after the required insulation, which takes up 6”-12”), and minimum square footage requirements. Dormers will be needed for egress windows. None of this is going to be easy or inexpensive.

You will need to find out what exactly you will need to do beofre this becomes a living space. All the comments about the floor and windows are all valid and need to be addressed.

Ok so- I already have a full staircase. Two dormers, we have egress windows on order. The floor joists are 2x8 and they connect to the wall framing- there’s about 18” wall space before the ceiling starts to slope- so they definitely aren’t just attached to tile roof rafters to maintain the triangle shape. We’re aiming for approx 7” of space between ceiling and roof space to put in baffles and insulation. And then the next step was 4 knee wall on 3/4 of the space and a 7’ wall on the side that were putting closet space and additional storage

We had a 45” knee wall and as you can see lots of angles. The rear of the house where you see the 9 ft span of windows is where we deviated from the roof line. The house is in a registered Historic District so we were somewhat limited on what we could do on the front. It was 2001-2 and our contractor was on the board of the historical society or we wouldn’t have had the cool arched casement windows in the dormers. You are WAY ahead of us with having a staircase. We had only pull down stairs... your attic is beautiful. I hope you will post the finished product. Good luck! BTW ... we got back 100% of what we spent on remodeling when we sold. That never happens in small town AL.

Despite the comments by Sue Hawkins that all old houses are "built to last.", you need to trust but verify your house structure. Since I'm sure you plan to get a permit, the first thing you want to do is ensure your planned structure will meet code requirements or that you can make some straightforward mods to make it meet the requirements.

You are going to need this structural information when you submit the plans for city review, so hire a contractor and engineer now who can calculate floor load vs. joist size, identify load bearing walls, etc., and provide the required information for your permit. In my area it usually requires a a PE certification for a load calculation, but your area may have less strict requirements.

Bruce

We had an attic conversion in a 1905 balloon framed house the roof was 2x4 and as long as we did not touch the roof for anything like a skylight it was passed we needed to beef up floor joists and we added a dormer for the bathroom which BTW the roof had to pass inspection to todays standards . We would have loved to use a spiral staicase but they do not meet code where we lived unless we also had an exterior staircase to reach the attic in case of emergency. This was great use of space in a tiny home but definately not cheap

My quotes to add a master bed and bath to the attic of my 1920s house were well over 100k. The structures built pre codes are indeed very well built usually but they are not built to house baths and and lots of weight. They also need tons of structural, electrical and plumbing upgraded to pass today's codes. Get local quotes and meet with the town permits office.