Attic Ceiling Ideas

Sloping Ceiling Storage

• This idea works for attic roofs that slope all the way down to the floor. Not only does it add support, it gives you extra storage and makes the room look more finished. Simply find the lowest part of the slope where you can still stand with a few inches of headroom and add a wall there from the ceiling to the floor. Before installing the wall, finish the area behind it with drywall and insulation and put doors in the walls you install. This gives you extra storage space in an attic still being partially used as an attic. In an attic being turned into a bedroom, these walls provide closet space. Install insulation and drywall on the rest of the ceiling as well.

Dormer Ceiling

• If your attic ceiling is too low no matter where you stand and your budget allows for it, consider pushing it out into a dormer space. This adds one or several sections to your roof that are pushed up. They add head space without lifting up the entire roof. Normally, dormer additions come with a bay window and seating area. This could be useful for a new bedroom, as it would give the room lots of natural light and a view. You can forgo the bay window, however, in favor of inset shelving, closets, a small media area or even a child's shelf bed. Once the ceiling is raised, the easiest way to cover exposed wiring and support beams is to install insulation and drywall. Drywall can be cut and installed into irregularly shaped spaces. After drywall insulation, paint your ceiling either to match the rest of the room or with a faux finish.

Skylights

• If your attic has no spatial problems, observe how much light your attic windows let in. If you have no attic windows because of the slope of your ceiling, you may want to add a few skylights. Skylights help regulate the temperature in your attic as well as let in natural light. Place a cot or bed beneath a skylight so the room's occupant can look at the sky. Get the strongest latch and framing you can for your skylight.
  Install your skylight after you install drywall to make things easier. Also, provide your skylight some kind of shade or cover so you can block out the light if you wish. Place a bubble over your skylight on the outside so that snow and rain don't cause it to collapse inward. Bubbles also help insulation. Weather stripping is a must all year round on a skylight.