I Turned My Unfinished Attic Into Extra Living Space | Building a Livable Loft in an Attic

This used to be an unfinished attic with some sketchy flooring, bad lighting, and a rickety pull-down ladder… and I decided to turn it into a loft and extra bedroom right before our first baby arrived. 😅

In this video I walk you through how I turned an unfinished attic into livable space, step by step – from cutting a giant hole in the living room ceiling, to building a new staircase, framing, insulation, drywall, and finally creating a cozy loft and extra bedroom. I’m not a professional contractor, just a handy homeowner who loves projects, so you’ll see the real process: what worked, what went wrong, and what I’d do differently. If you’ve ever thought about finishing your attic, adding square footage to your house, or building stairs to an attic loft, this will give you a realistic idea of the work, cost, and chaos involved.

I’ll show you how I planned the stair layout, dealt with old framing and a wonky chimney, leveled the floor with OSB, built knee walls for storage, ran electrical and HVAC, and fought through endless mudding and sanding. We also talk about how this project fit into real life: doing a big DIY renovation with a baby on the way, living in a construction zone, and eventually adding around 400 square feet of usable space and another bedroom for about $5,500 in materials. If you’re trying to decide between moving vs renovating, or wondering if a DIY attic conversion is worth it, I break down the value side too.

🔨 If you’re searching for:

how to turn an unfinished attic into living space

DIY attic conversion or DIY attic remodel

adding a loft and bedroom on a budget

how to build stairs to an attic

finishing an attic before baby arrives

increasing square footage without an addition

turning a dead attic into usable living space

real-world attic renovation before and after

…this video is for you.

I tried to cover everything I wish I’d known before I started: planning the staircase, dealing with old framing in an older house, managing dust, keeping the first floor usable, and balancing a big DIY renovation with family life. If you’re thinking about cutting that hole in the ceiling and building your own loft, I hope this gives you the courage (and the warnings) you need.

✅ Gear / Tools & Topics Mentioned (general):

DIY stair building & stair calculators

Framing walls and closets in an existing house

Running HVAC and electrical to a new space

Attic insulation and ventilation (ridge vent, baffles, R-values)

Drywall, mudding, sanding, and painting tips

Carpet installation over attic subfloor

Budget vs value: cost of materials vs added square footage

If you have questions about any part of the process—stair layout, framing details, attic flooring, or whether a project like this makes financial sense—drop them in the comments.

Thanks for watching, and if you enjoy DIY renovations, attic makeovers, and home projects with a deadline… hit subscribe and go build something.

0:00 – Turning an unfinished attic into a loft before baby
0:43 – Why I decided to turn my attic into a loft
4:20 - Building a staircase to finish my attic
13:33 - Working on the second floor
19:04 - Baby
19:29 - Finishing the attic
21:44 - The reveal