Finished attic room
$40k–$75k
- Floor joists reinforced
- Code-compliant stair
- Egress window or skylight
- Spray foam or batt insulation
- Ductless mini-split heat and AC
- Drywall, flooring, lights, outlets
Attic conversion · Licensed & insured
Attic conversion that starts with headroom, access and room use.
An attic conversion adds a bedroom, office or suite inside the roof you already own. We check headroom and the floor framing first, then build the stair, egress window, insulation and heating so the room passes inspection and stays comfortable in July and January.
Send one photo from the attic hatch and your ceiling height at the peak. A licensed supervisor texts back within five minutes on business days.
- 7 ftHeadroom needed
- 8–16 wksTypical build
- 4.9410 reviews
- 24hWritten estimate
How an attic question starts
A tape measure at the peak answers the first question.
The first things we need are the height from the attic floor to the ridge and a photo of the framing. From those two the supervisor can tell you if the attic can be converted as is, needs a dormer or cannot work.
- An honest answer on headroom before anyone visits
- Rafters or trusses read from one photo
- Inspection date and estimate date set in the same thread
Hi, we have a baby on the way and need another bedroom. Our attic is big but we only get in through a pull-down ladder. Could it become a room?
Hi Emily, Greg here, I run attic conversions at ProBuild Remodeling. Congratulations. Could you measure from the attic floor to the underside of the peak, and send a photo of the roof framing?
About 8 feet 4 inches at the middle. Photo sent, the wood goes up in straight pieces, no W shapes.
Good news on both. Those are rafters, so the space is open, and 8 feet 4 gives enough headroom over the middle of the room. The big question is where a real stair can go. I can inspect Thursday at 6.
Thursday works. We were worried about losing a bedroom downstairs for the stairs.
That is often solvable with a hall closet or the end of a hallway. I will look at both floors Thursday and have your estimate with a stair plan by Monday.
What an attic conversion costs
Attic conversions cost $40,000 to $200,000. Headroom and a bathroom decide the tier.
Prices assume an attic of 300 to 500 square feet with rafters, not trusses. Most of our attic customers build the bedroom suite, because an attic bedroom without a bathroom means stairs at night.
Bedroom suite
$75k–$130k
- Everything in Finished attic room
- Full bathroom with shower
- Plumbing run up from below
- Built-in closets in the knee walls
- Bathroom fan vented outside
- Permit, plans and inspections
Dormer conversion
$120k–$200k
- Shed or gable dormer framed
- Roof reopened and reshingled
- Structural engineering
- Larger windows in the dormer
- Full bathroom and closets
- Everything in Bedroom suite
Price your attic conversion in ten seconds
Choose the tier, the size of the usable attic floor and the age of the house. The range updates with each choice, based on the attic conversions our crews have built.
A range, not a quote. Your written estimate comes after the visit and does not change once you approve it.
Typical range for your answers
Turn this range into an attic estimateWhere an attic budget goes
Structure and the stair take a third of the budget. The finishes take less than people expect.
Averages from recent attic bedroom suites. The work nobody sees, the floor, the stair and the insulation, costs more than the paint and carpet, which is why a low attic quote usually skips one of them.
Get my itemized attic estimate
Convert as is or add a dormer
If you can stand up in the middle, convert it as is. If you cannot, a dormer makes the room.
Building code asks for a ceiling of about 7 feet over at least half of a room. A dormer raises part of the roof to create that height and more floor you can use. At the inspection we measure and write down which answer your attic needs.
| If your attic has | We recommend |
|---|---|
| At least 7 feet of height over half the planned room | Convert as is |
| Less than 7 feet at the peak | Add a dormer |
| A steep roof with a tall, wide center | Convert as is |
| A bathroom planned where the roof is low | Add a dormer |
| A budget under $80,000 | Convert as is |
| A need for two bedrooms up there | Add a dormer |
How long an attic conversion takes
A bedroom suite takes about twelve weeks. The house stays livable all the way through.
A simple attic room takes eight to ten weeks and a dormer conversion up to sixteen. Most of the mess stays upstairs, and the stair opening is the only day the floor below is really disrupted.
Weeks before
Inspect and design
Headroom, framing and floor measured, plans and engineering drawn, permit filed with the town.
Weeks one to three
Structure and stair
Floor joists reinforced, stair opening cut and framed, dormer built if the plan has one.
Weeks four to seven
Systems and insulation
Wiring, plumbing and the mini-split go in, inspectors sign off, insulation fills the roof.
Final weeks
Finish and walkthrough
Drywall, floor, trim, closets and bathroom tile, then a walkthrough and the final inspection.
Remodeling concepts
Attic conversion: conditions and possibilities.
AI-generated examples of existing conditions and remodeling possibilities. Each image is a separate concept, not a documented transformation of the same home.
What your attic room is built with
Every material that keeps the attic comfortable is named, because attic rooms fail on heat, not looks.
An attic sits right under the roof, so it gets the hottest summers and coldest winters in the house. Your estimate names the insulation, the heating and cooling and the windows, which is where comfort is decided.
Closed-cell spray foam
Sprayed into the rafters, it insulates and seals air leaks in one layer, so the attic room stays near the temperature of the floor below.
Ductless mini-split
A wall unit from Mitsubishi or Fujitsu that heats and cools the attic on its own, without stretching the house system that cannot reach it.
Egress windows
Casement or dormer windows from Andersen or Pella big enough to climb out of in a fire, which the code requires for every bedroom.
Roof windows
Venting skylights from Velux that open with a remote, let hot air out in summer and close on their own when a rain sensor feels a shower.
Sistered joists
New lumber or engineered LVL joists fastened beside the old ones, so the floor carries furniture and people without bouncing.
Knee wall storage
The low space behind the side walls turned into built-in drawers and closets, using room that would otherwise be wasted.
Written into every contract
Six promises you can hold us to.
The approved price is the final price. Change orders only with your written approval.
A credit for every working day of delay we cause. Weather and inspections excepted, in writing.
Dust barriers, floor protection and a clean-up before we leave. Your home stays livable.
A text or email every working day with photos and tomorrow's plan, or the day is free.
Workmanship warranty in writing, transferable to the next owner, backed by a fixed address.
A small deposit, then you pay only for work that is already completed, inspected and photographed.
Who builds your attic room
One supervisor and a carpentry crew, with licensed trades at each stage.
The same supervisor runs the job from the first measurement to the final inspection. Every person in the house is background-checked and introduced by name before work begins.
Attic supervisor
Plans the stair, meets the inspectors and texts you daily.
Lead framing carpenter
Reinforces the floor, frames the stair and any dormer.
Finish carpenter
Hangs drywall, sets trim and builds the knee wall storage.
Illustrative project scopes
Attic conversion: scope and budget examples.
Planning examples with illustrative budgets and durations. These are not completed customer jobs, invoices or promises about your project.
Cape, attic office
- Example budget
- $52,300
- Example duration
- 9 weeks
- Record type
- Illustrative scope
Colonial, bedroom suite
- Example budget
- $104,800
- Example duration
- 12 weeks
- Record type
- Illustrative scope
Bungalow, shed dormer suite
- Example budget
- $168,500
- Example duration
- 15 weeks
- Record type
- Illustrative scope
Your attic is not average
Every attic is shaped by its roof. Here is how yours changes the price.
Attic estimates start from the three tiers above, then move for the roof, the stair and the reason you need the room. Pick the one closest to your house.
An older house
Older homes often have steep roofs and real rafters, which make great attic rooms. They also bring old wiring, small joists and sometimes vermiculite, so each is inspected and priced separately before we start.
Price my older-house attic conversionA growing family
A baby or a teenager who needs privacy is the most common reason for an attic bedroom. We plan the stair so no bedroom downstairs is lost, and we schedule the loudest work for the hours you are at school and work.
Price an attic bedroom for my familyA home office
An attic office needs quiet, good light and strong Wi-Fi. We add sound insulation in the floor, skylights over the desk and a network line, and since no bathroom is needed, the price stays in the lower tier.
Price my attic home officeTrusses instead of rafters
Many newer homes have W-shaped trusses that fill the attic. They can be replaced with engineered framing, but that adds cost and time. We tell you honestly at the first photo if the attic is worth converting.
Ask if my trussed attic can workHot summers
Attics in hot climates can pass 130 degrees under the roof. Closed-cell foam in the rafters, a correctly sized mini-split and reflective roofing keep the new room close in temperature to the rest of the house.
Price a cool attic in a hot climateCold winters
Ice dams form when heat leaks into the roof. We seal and insulate the rafters to current levels, vent the roof deck where needed and add a mini-split with low-temperature heating that works in deep cold.
Price a warm attic for cold wintersA careful budget
Keeping the room simple, using the existing window, adding a skylight instead of a dormer and skipping the bathroom can keep a conversion near $45,000. We show which cuts save money and which cause problems later.
Get my budget attic estimateAdding rentable space
An attic suite with its own bathroom can be rented to a student or used for guests, where local rules allow. We check zoning, fire separation and the second exit before we price it, so the space can be used legally.
Price a rentable attic suiteWhat this service is
Attic conversion, defined the way we build it.
Attic conversion is the transformation of an unfinished attic into legal living space, such as a bedroom, office or suite, by reinforcing the floor, adding a code-compliant stair, egress windows, insulation, heating and cooling, electrical and finishes. ProBuild Remodeling performs it as a licensed general contractor with engineering and permits under one contract.
The service covers the headroom and framing inspection, engineering, floor reinforcement, stair, dormers when needed, windows and skylights, insulation, mini-split heating and cooling, wiring, optional bathroom and finishes. It does not include replacing the whole roof or the heating system of the house unless the inspection shows it is needed and you approve it.
It is for homeowners who need another bedroom, office or suite and have usable height under the roof, and for families who would rather not move or build an addition. It is not for attics with less than about 5 feet at the peak and no room for a dormer, or for homes where the stair cannot fit anywhere.
Attic words on your estimate
- Headroom
- The height from the finished floor to the ceiling. Code asks for about 7 feet over at least half of a room.
- Knee wall
- The short wall where the sloped ceiling meets the floor, often 4 to 5 feet tall, with storage space behind it.
- Sistering
- Fastening new joists beside existing ones so the attic floor can carry a bedroom instead of only a ceiling.
- Rafters
- The sloped boards that hold up the roof. Rafter roofs leave the attic open and are the easiest to convert.
- Trusses
- Factory-built triangles with W-shaped webs across the attic. They cannot be cut without an engineered redesign.
- Dormer
- A section of roof raised and framed outward, adding headroom, floor space and a window to the attic room.
- Egress window
- A window big enough to climb out of in an emergency. Every bedroom, including an attic one, needs one.
- Mini-split
- A ductless heat pump with an outdoor unit and a wall unit inside, heating and cooling one room on its own.
Attic conversion questions
Eight attic conversion questions we answer at every inspection.
How much does an attic conversion cost?
A finished attic room with a stair, egress and heating and cooling costs about $40,000 to $75,000. A bedroom suite with a bathroom runs $75,000 to $130,000, and a conversion that adds a dormer $120,000 to $200,000. Headroom, the stair location and the bathroom move the price most.
How much headroom do I need to convert my attic?
Building code generally asks for a ceiling of about 7 feet over at least half of the room, and the room needs at least 70 square feet. If your attic peak is under 7 feet, or only a narrow strip reaches it, a dormer can add the height.
Can any attic be converted into a bedroom?
No. The attic needs enough headroom, a floor that can be reinforced, room for a real stair and space for an egress window. Attics framed with W-shaped trusses need an engineered redesign that often makes the project too expensive.
Do I need a permit for an attic conversion?
Yes. A bedroom or office in the attic is new living space, so it needs a building permit, plus electrical, plumbing and mechanical sign-offs. We draw the plans, file the permit under our license and meet the inspectors.
Can I use a pull-down ladder for an attic bedroom?
No. A living space needs a permanent stair that meets code for width, rise and headroom. Finding where it fits is often the hardest design question, and it usually takes space from a hallway or closet below.
How long does an attic conversion take?
A simple attic room takes about eight to ten weeks, a bedroom suite ten to thirteen, and a conversion with a dormer twelve to sixteen weeks after the permit is issued. Plans and permits usually add three to six weeks before that.
Will the attic room be too hot or cold?
Not if it is insulated and conditioned properly. We use closed-cell spray foam in the rafters and a ductless mini-split sized for the room, which keeps it close to the temperature of the rest of the house all year.
Does an attic conversion add value to a home?
An extra legal bedroom and bathroom usually adds meaningful value, often recovering a good part of the cost at sale. The room must be permitted and meet code, because unpermitted attic rooms are often not counted by appraisers.
Attic conversions near you
Your remodeling address, within our service area.
Attic conversions are built by local crews under the license of your state, with permits filed in your town. State license numbers are listed below.
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
- New York
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
- Florida
- Check your remodeling address
Free attic check
Send your answers and a height at the peak. Find out if your attic can become a room.
An attic supervisor reads your answers, texts you within five minutes on business days and sets the inspection visit.