Apartment with attic: advantages and design options

A huge lack of Soviet-built housing, which is in the majority in our country, is aesthetic tastelessness and astonishing monotony. Such characteristics do not interfere with living in such an apartment, however, the creative nature will certainly want something unusual, especially if there is adequate financial capacity. Probably, the purchase of an apartment with an attic will be a win-win and a relatively inexpensive solution to the problem.

Attitude to the attic can be different, and we still have it is usually perceived as not just economic, and often also an abandoned room, in which no one is interested. Nevertheless, these are the same square meters that could be used more productively, and in the conditions of a city where there is no need to store agricultural implements or harvested crops, the attic could well become a full-fledged living room.

It is difficult to say when attics began to be used for the first time for living, however, in the middle of the 17th century, they became fashionable with the light hand of an architect from France by the name of Mansard, thanks to which they began to be called mansards. A couple of centuries ago, attic was considered not the best solution, since it was difficult to insulate and isolate them from precipitation. On the other hand, they were usually located in the center of cities and were relatively inexpensive, due to which they became a haven for bohemians - artists, musicians and other creative people. Since then, the attic was associated with beautiful poverty, in particular, it was on the attic floors that many characters of Andersen’s fairy tales lived.

In the Soviet era, in our country, attic houses were practically not built. Almost do not build them now, but they are preserved in the centers of ancient cities. The flow of romance is still present in them, but poverty is already out of the question, because the room can be spacious and stylish, well-warmed, and most importantly, have a number of specific advantages.

There are a number of reasons why it is worth buying an apartment with an attic.

• Even with the most primitive repairs, the apartment will leave an unusual impression and will be well remembered by the guests.
• The windows on the attic floor are often tilted, and sometimes completely horizontal on the ceiling, which allows you to skip inside a truly huge amount of sunlight. In addition to the banal vitality, it is also a cost savings, because in such a room and lighter and warmer, it means you can spend less electricity.
• The fact that there is an attic floor in the building is already evidence of its location in the center of the city, in a prestigious old district. Exceptions, of course, come across, but they are only pinpoints.

• Houses with mansards are usually located in areas with relatively low buildings, while the attic floor is actually located on the roof. This means that the view from the windows is likely to be amazing, becoming an additional source of inspiration. If the windows are located directly on the ceiling, then you can install a bed under them and admire the stars every night before going to bed.
• The apartment in the attic often allows productive use of the nearby roof space.This option is still not guaranteed, however, it is often possible to exit the roof through a door or at least a window, so you can hold unusual picnics or arrange entire greenhouses under the open sky.
• For some people, the attic is the only way to get a classic wood-burning fireplace in a high-rise building, because it cannot be installed anywhere below because of the impossibility of organizing a normal chimney.

There would immediately advise the reader to urgently look for such a room, however, it is fair to immediately warn him of the shortcomings, which, like everywhere else, are also present.

• Attic floors are rarely literally a cone, and yet the walls, even at the level near the floor, usually do not represent a vertical plane - they are inclined, forming the roof of a building. Because of this, the actual area of ​​the room turns out to be much smaller, because there can be no question of putting a closet or other similar furniture in the corner.
• The ceilings on the attic floor are usually somewhat lower than in other apartments of the same house.In addition, the ceiling height is measured at the highest point, but the ceiling is not flat at the attic, and therefore the corners are much lower. Such an architectural form can negatively affect the psyche.

• From a haven for the poor, attic in our time has turned into a kind of junior suite. In relatively inexpensive residential areas, such solutions usually do not come across, and in the center housing is, in principle, more expensive. In addition, the unusual layout of the attic apartment only increases the demand for it, because of which the cost increases even more, so this solution will be affordable for not everyone.
• A lot of not only sunlight but also the same snow gets into the slanted windows, as a result of which, plus a bright natural light, can suddenly turn into a minus in the form of windows that do not transmit light at all. The walls of the attic can be far from such solid as the walls of the house under it, they can let the cold and even moisture.

Since apartments with attics have gained popularity relatively recently, many buyers have no idea what it is important to pay attention to when choosing such housing. At the same time, attention should be paid not only to the standard characteristics, like in any other apartment, but also to the special specifics of the attic floor.

• In an apartment building, various modern communications, such as heating and plumbing, are considered the norm, however, in the case of water pumping from below, all these amenities will work intermittently. Here you should be attentive and curious: you should not only check everything personally, but also communicate before buying with the old owners and potential neighbors from below.
• Mansard-type superstructure is open to the street from all sides, including the top, so the problem can be a very red-hot roof in the summertime, and too much rain noise, not lulling, but awakening. If you ignore this point, fixing the problem in the future may result in a lump sum.

• The attic apartment is never equipped with ordinary windows: they are usually irregular in shape and size, oblique and so on.For all the romance, this may cause a lot of problems: for example, in sunny weather they will not be able to curtain, and if necessary, it will be difficult to replace. This is not a reason to refuse to buy, but you should decide in advance whether you are ready for this.
• Due to the unusual shape of the attic apartment, it is much more difficult to make out - you cannot furnish it with standard furniture from the store. Here you need to be either a good creative designer, or have enough money to hire him again after the purchase, or immediately choose the finished housing according to your preferences.
• The attic should also be chosen on the basis of which staircase leads to it. Even if there is an elevator in the house, it is naive to expect that he will bring passengers directly to the roof - in old houses he often does not even reach the upper floor. It’s not a problem for a healthy person to go one or two floors more, but problems may arise upon delivery of dimensional furniture to the roof.

Despite all the difficulties, the apartments on the attic floor continue to be popular and in demand. Isolated negative comments do not scare potential buyers, but only help them to think through all the controversial points more thoroughly and prepare for their solution, because reviews of such housing mostly have admiring character.

There are many unusual solutions to expand the usable area. Many people buy an apartment in the attic and at the same time an apartment right under it, equipping a two-level housing with access to the roof. Others equip such two-story apartments in high, sharp attics, where the “second floor” can be just one small room.

As for styles, urban areas such as loft, hi-tech or minimalism are very popular right under the roof. It is assumed that the unusual form of the room itself will add beauty to the interior, which, by the way, with proper decoration adds a sudden (considering the old character of the structure) futuristic notes.Unusual furniture here, of course, is not just appropriate, but necessary.

However, the classics there is a place even in the attic. Many designers emphasize the unusual location of housing with the help of ceiling beams and other characteristic old elements. Here most types of classics will be appropriate, including ethnic styles and rustic.

Attic - the invention is quite old, so it should in any case have points of contact with the classics. Natural parquet, wooden windows and a chandelier - all these elements are appropriate even on the attic floor.

The combination of high-tech with minimalism and plenty of natural light will give the attic a sense of sophistication and luxury, and the abundance of glass will only emphasize interpenetration with the sky.

The use of the nearby roof space is especially important in apartments of less than 40 square meters. m. A small balcony and a seating area right under the open sky can easily become a suddenly fulfilled dream.

Review the apartment with a loft in the next video.