Using a house attic area for extra space provides benefits, although disadvantages arise from safety issues, easy access, and it’s away from the main living spaces. Children sometimes get a bedroom in the loft, suitable for many and no practical for others, especially with lack of natural light.
Converting a house/flat loft space and using it as a children’s attic bedroom means disadvantages. You lose a large room storage area, and access becomes an issue & inconvenience for a child constantly up & down a ladder. Parents also can’t keep a close watch on they’re daughter or son as the loft is far from other living areas of a home.
Access to an attic room
An attic used as bedroom for one of you’re children or 2 sharing is no always very practical. You could have a home that has internally built in stairs benefiting the attic bedroom making it easy to walk up and down to the loft, although using a steep ladder is easy for some, more difficult for others.
Not practical climbing a ladder to the attic holding a hot drink with a plate and sandwich in a child’s hand. A teenager coming down from their bedroom for a quick snack would require sealing a drink & food somehow before climbing up a ladder again holding on with one hand.
Inconvenience of constantly down a ladder to access a toilet in another part of the house, or even the time taken answering the door or when the telephone rings in not good.
A lot of loft bedrooms don’t have a bathroom ensuite, and you’re son or daughter requires going up & down for the toilet 3-4 times a day. What about accessing the toilet in the dark or middle of the night? It could become tedious over the years for a child.
Some attics have a full size door where you walk in easily, although many houses & flats have hatch access making it a tight squeeze to get bedroom furniture up. Indeed, some of you’re daughters or son’s items will not be able to fit through a loft hatch as they are too big, and can’t be dismantled.
Cost of converting the attic to a child’s bedroom
- Planning permission application fee to add a window or convert an attic to a bedroom, especially for a listed building.
- Expensive plumbing, additional wiring and water pumping equipment cost more than installing a properties bathroom on the ground or first floor.
- Install a heating system for cold months and a dehumidifier and cooling when the loft room becomes hot, especially during spring & summer.
- Add additional lighting or windows to provide the bedroom with good room spaces to see well.
- Materials used in the conversion.
Child is uncomfortable living in an attic room
All boys & girls are different and when they become teenager’s personalities can, and do change. Some children like being in their own area of a home where they’re not disturbed by brothers & sisters, although some kids don’t like the solitude being so far from others.
You’re child’s dog not able to climb a ladder meaning they only get to see and interact with each other outside of the bedroom may not be an ideal situation. A larger dog can’t just follow your son or daughter to a loft bedroom and keep each other company for access issues.
Attic spaces mainly have windows that are position fairly high up and for a child it could mean they can only look out of a window or skylight at the sky. Not being able to stand and look out the window at the street below could be a major disadvantage.
- Think about irritating water tank and pipe noises.
- Less natural light with one window of just a skylight.
- Can get warm in the spring & summer months with no easy way to let air in the attic with raising heat into the loft bedroom area from rooms & hallways in the house below.
- Inconvenience of crouching down for a tall teenager with a bedroom in an attic, if it has a sloped roof or low ceiling.
- Constant up and down stairs from the bedroom to reach the kitchen or go outside can become irritating for some children.
Not knowing what you’re children are doing in the loft
Top of the house or flat a kid or teenager could be doing something they shouldn’t, and parents don’t hear their child as it’s far from the kitchen & lounge areas.
Simple communication in other parts of a house by shouting up to a first floor bedroom won’t work with an attic bedroom as you’re boys & girls won’t hear you.
A child given a bedroom in the roof area of a home means they’re given greater independence, privacy, high degree of trust to live in the room, and act responsibly. Easily checking if you’re son or daughter is doing homework is not practical for parents, especially if you need to climb a ladder to a bedroom to check.
Lost opportunity using the loft as a living space
You’re child will have they’re own room in the attic, although the opportunity cost is the loss of one of the largest household storage spaces, especially for items long term.
Storage space lost as the loft has been converted to a child’s sleeping room. Parents could still store items in a house attic, depending on available space not utilized by you’re child.
Most of us in the home keep items we wish that have not seen the light of day for years as their stored in a cupboard, basement or loft. Finding somewhere else for larger items, such as mirrors, musical instruments and boxes of family items is a must as you’ve lost the space to a usable bedroom.
You’ve also lost the opportunity to increase loft installation, such as lagging in an attic, or at least maximum efficiency with a bedroom conversion. The loft area can’t have as much winter warmer protection, as other materials take up the space.
Safety of a kid or teenager living in a loft
Lofts create more space in a home, although there are negatives to having a child living in the roof area of a house. Teenagers or younger kids have friends over in they’re room, and the attic can become crowded with 15-20 teens girls & boys sitting chatting or running around playing games.
Parents are mindful of how much weight is being put on floor joists and attic structure with more people than normal, especially when jumping around. You’ll need to check with someone who knows how much weight the attic bedroom you have will hold, including all furniture and a child’s belongings.
A child getting up & down a ladder a number of times a day & night for year’s sometimes results in a fall, or a slip misjudging a step.
Safety climbing a ladder or steep stairs to enter a loft is not ideal for young children, some teenagers of even many parents. Temporary injuries or if you’re son or daughter has a mobility issue of any type ladder access to a loft is not a good idea, and should be avoided.
A mother & father do sometimes enter their sons & daughters bedroom to clean or see what’s going on, and climbing up and down a ladder may not be safe or practical for you.
- Can a hot attic cause a fire? Yes, in hot weather or when the attic is warm, as heating or ventilation system or wiring could catch fire, although you can greatly reduce this.
Should a fire start in the loft or the lower part of a home children are high up in a house away from easily escapable routes, such as doors & windows on the ground level. A large enough window or other attic exit would be beneficial, if an emergency occurs.