i want to create a small office in my attic, but how do i maintain attic warm in winter without causing problems, i heard heat can cause snow too melt on roof tops and cause water to freeze on gutters and melted water to seep into house, how is this fixed, i know people have living attics and they must stay warm during winter?
You have two problemsInsulation is a must for both Summer and WinterThe heating system has to be repaired or whatever it needsThis is considered upkeep of the houseYou may want to consider whether what you have is worth the cost.
if you are doing any wiring to a rental that action is against the law check with the city bldg inspector for the truth in your area .
Let me suggest this to you, contact a LOCAL handyman or twoNot the franchise guys, the ones who live in your area and maybe have their adds in the vestibules of grocery stores, or a neighbor knows of oneSee what their take is on your situation.
Without hiring a contractor, and in the absence of a friend willing to work for free who knows what they're doing, then you learn to do it yourself I can't even begin to guess what kind of heating system you have, from your description, except that it sounds like it's a forced air systemYou didn't give any other useful information so it's impossible to say what the solution is.
when you decide to heat attic space, you need to insulate the attic between the rafters, usually with a paper backed fiberglass insulation sold in rolls or battsYou put the unfaced side up against the roof, and staple the paper edges to the raftersthen you need a heating vent and cold air return to be added into the heating system, or just have an open stair well into the heated part of the house and see how that worksIf you have windows in the attic, you may need to add storm windows to the exterior, or some plastic insulating film to the interior, to block out draftsattice windows are normally not made like the insulating windows in the main living areaIt's okay to leave the insulation under the floorboards in the attic, as long as you either add the vents from your heating system or leave the stairwell open to get the heat to rise up and into the space.
