How to Frame an Attic Space

If your attic is a bare and drafty storage area, you might want to convert it to a more habitable spot, one that you can use as a workshop, hobby room or secluded getaway. The first step in realizing your plans will be to frame walls in the existing attic space. This involves adding vertical frame walls along the sides of the sloping rafters in your attic.

Chalk line
Plumb bob
Tape measure
Cardboard
Scissors
2-by-4 inch boards
Circular saw
10d nails

Instructions

- 1
  Stretch a chalk line along the floor of the attic to delineate the bottom edge of the wall you're framing. Snap the line to mark the edge of the wall.
- 2
  Suspend a plumb bob from the rafters over the chalk line and mark the locations on the rafters directly above the chalk line on the floor. Snap a chalk line along the rafters.
- 3
  Nail 2-by-4 inch boards onto the floor, with the edge even with the chalk line.
- 4
  Cut a piece of cardboard to form a template for the angle of the rafters, so your vertical studs can be nailed into the rafters. Measure the distance between the chalk line on the rafters and the top of the 2-by-4 inch board on the floor.
- 5
  Cut one vertical stud for each rafter. The bottom of the stud should be square, and the top edge angled the same as the template. Place the vertical studs on top of the bottom board, with the top wedged against the rafter and the inner edge even with the chalk line. Toe-nail the studs into place to form the vertical stud wall.
- 6
  The attic wall is now framed in and ready for the addition of paneling or drywall.

Typical Mezzanine Floor Deflection

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Building Designs