{"id":231,"date":"2017-03-13T10:45:46","date_gmt":"2017-03-13T10:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/?p=231"},"modified":"2024-05-31T11:57:38","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T11:57:38","slug":"project-turning-the-attic-into-a-playroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/project-turning-the-attic-into-a-playroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Project: Turning the Attic into a Playroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I bought the log cabin, it had a completely unfinished crawlspace attic. Just insulation and stuff the previous owners had abandoned laying over the roof trusses. There was access from the ceiling in the second bedroom.<\/p>\n

\"Project:<\/a>
Before: Completely unfinished attic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Roof trusses or roof rafters are not the same as floor joists, the framing that would be put in to have an actual second story. The carpenters started by checking the structure. There was enough support, close enough together to make my playroom.<\/p>\n

The electric wires were not in the center of the attic, so that solved that problem.<\/p>\n

Two sun tunnels came through the attic. One into the hallway, one into the living room.
\nWe changed them to light the attic instead.<\/p>\n

We also have a whole house fan. We boxed that in.<\/p>\n

\"Project:<\/a>
Carpenter installing the stairs to the attic playroom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We opened the ceiling between the trusses to get into the attic just as you walk in the front door of the log cabin. The carpenters spread them apart a little more. The stairs are narrow, only 21\u201d, but they are standard otherwise. (Stair width is recommended to be 35\u201d) Riser height is 8.25\u201d Nosing protrusion 1.25\u201d to prevent tripping. Headroom is 6\u2019 8\u201d at its lowest, in the attic.<\/p>\n

\"Project:<\/a>
Carpenter installing the stairs to the attic playroom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is a lot easier to get up and down than a ladder!<\/p>\n

Some of the trusses were nailed to each other diagonally. They replaced this with supports on the other side of the new wall.<\/p>\n

\"Project:<\/a>
The walls are made of clear birch wood beadboard, sanded and painted with high gloss paint.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We finished the walls with beadboard.<\/p>\n

Clear birch wood beadboard comes in 4′ x 8′ sheets. I laid them out on dropcloth on the front porch and sanded them with a drywall screen. Then I rolled them with coat after coat of gloss latex paint. Each coat of paint would raise the grain, so I sanded between coats until the grain stopped getting rough.<\/p>\n

Paint, wait.
\nSand, dust, paint, wait.
\nSand, dust, paint, wait.
\nSand, dust, paint, wait.<\/p>\n

It took weeks, but it\u2019s a lot easier than crouching and twisting up after it was installed. I also pre-painted all of the trim boards.<\/p>\n

Once the beadboard was painted, the carpenters installed it with nail guns and covered the joints with the trim. I caulked all the seams and touched up the nails.<\/p>\n

\"Project:<\/a>
There is plenty of room to play. You can see how much light comes in just from the sun tunnels.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We moved the sun tunnels so that they light the attic. The light spills down the stairwell.<\/p>\n

\"Project:<\/a>
My brother was able to get me this great window! There are two sun tunnels.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My brother was able to get me this great window!<\/p>\n

\"Project:<\/a>
The attic window looks great from outside, too!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Project:<\/a>
Play room in the attic with beadboard walls, click-lock floor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We used click-lock flooring. That went really fast, but the installer cussed the entire time as he kept bumping his head.<\/p>\n

\"Project:<\/a>
Click Lock Floor
Railings, so grandchildren don\u2019t fall down the stairs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We added railings so the grandchildren don\u2019t fall down the stairs.<\/p>\n

\"Project:<\/a>
There is room for a single bed, just the boxspring and mattress on the floor. The curtain hides storage on the other side.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I put a curtain on the other side of the stairs. The other sun tunnel is there. That side of the attic is for storage.<\/p>\n

The ceiling is only 6\u2019 8\u201d in the center, but it gives great usable space!<\/p>\n

Later, when I had the heat pump installed, they added the attic as a second zone. The carpenters made fitted panels to cover up the entry, so that I only heat and cool the attic when I want to. I also screwed the window shut after my nephew climbed out of it.<\/p>\n

Here are photos of the finished room!<\/p>\n

\"Project:<\/a>
The stairs to the play room are narrow, only 21\u201d, but they are standard otherwise.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Project:<\/a>
The stairs to the attic playroom are just inside the front door in the living room.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Project:<\/a>
The whole house fan is boxed in.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Project:<\/a>
The room runs the entire length of the house, but it is only tall enough for adults to walk in the center. It is a great play room!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Project:<\/a>
The little attic playroom is like a little play house now.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Project:<\/a>
There are closable vents at both ends of the attic. The return is in the center by the stairs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Project:<\/a>
Even with no other light, the window and sun tunnels makes this room lovely.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I bought the log cabin, it had a completely unfinished crawlspace attic. Just insulation and stuff the previous owners had abandoned laying over the roof trusses. There was access from the ceiling in the second bedroom. Roof trusses or roof rafters are not the …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,8],"tags":[52,14,72],"class_list":["post-231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-log-cabin","category-projects","tag-addition","tag-log-cabin","tag-meadowbrook-log-cabin"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/featured_image-attic.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10557,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2022\/06\/log-cabin-shells-delivered-finish-the-inside-yourself\/","url_meta":{"origin":231,"position":0},"title":"Log Cabin Shells Delivered, Finish the Inside Yourself","author":"Carla","date":"June 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"These log cabins are delivered complete outside. Then you finish the inside yourself. There are a lot of options to choose from. These two examples give ideas and pricing. 14x40 Winchester Half-log Cabin 14x40 Winchester Half-log Cabin Unique Hinged Porch runs full length of building (folds for delivery to allow\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Log Cabins"","block_context":{"text":"Log Cabins","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/log-cabin\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"16x40 Winchester Half-log Cabin","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/featured-modular_cabin-16x40-1.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/featured-modular_cabin-16x40-1.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/featured-modular_cabin-16x40-1.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/featured-modular_cabin-16x40-1.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16557,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/sun-tunnels-and-skylights\/","url_meta":{"origin":231,"position":1},"title":"Sun Tunnels and Skylights","author":"Carla","date":"December 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A lot of houses do not get enough natural light. A-frames and semidetached townhouses often have dark central rooms because there is nowhere to put a window. Cabins surrounded by trees and houses that face north may receive very little sunlight. Many historic homes have small windows. Some Victorian and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Research"","block_context":{"text":"Research","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/research\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/featured-Velux_Panorama_Roof_Window.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/featured-Velux_Panorama_Roof_Window.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/featured-Velux_Panorama_Roof_Window.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/featured-Velux_Panorama_Roof_Window.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1114,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/meadowbrook-cabin-floor-plans\/","url_meta":{"origin":231,"position":2},"title":"Meadowbrook Cabin Floor Plan","author":"Carla","date":"June 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the plan to Meadowbrook Cabin. The house is 40' x 26', 1040 square ft before the additions. Find out more on these posts: Planning the Kitchen Log Cabin Kitchen Kitchen Before & After Turning the Attic into a Playroom Laundry and Storage Built-in China Cabinet and Dining Room\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "House Plans"","block_context":{"text":"House Plans","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/house-plans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Meadowbrook Cabin","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/featured_image-cabin-9.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/featured_image-cabin-9.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/featured_image-cabin-9.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/featured_image-cabin-9.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/featured_image-cabin-9.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10644,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2022\/06\/using-the-attic-for-storage-attic-storage-lifts\/","url_meta":{"origin":231,"position":3},"title":"Using the Attic for Storage: Attic Storage Lifts","author":"Carla","date":"June 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I finished the attic at the log cabin. It started out as a play room, but worked out to be really useful storage. I took out the pull down ladder and replaced it with stairs. 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You decide how you want the inside finished. They are available up to 24-feet wide and up to 40-feet long. You can add or move doors and windows. There are dormer window options. And you can\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Log Cabins"","block_context":{"text":"Log Cabins","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/log-cabin\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Customizable Log Cabin Shell with Gable Roof, Porch and Bay Window for only $31,125","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/featured-modular_cabin-14x32-bay_window.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/featured-modular_cabin-14x32-bay_window.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/featured-modular_cabin-14x32-bay_window.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/featured-modular_cabin-14x32-bay_window.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13599,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/02\/setting-a-blue-ridge-log-cabin-with-a-crane\/","url_meta":{"origin":231,"position":5},"title":"Setting a Blue Ridge Log Cabin with a Crane","author":"Carla","date":"February 8, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The couple that surveyed for our foundation are currently building a Blue Ridge Log Cabin. She gave me some photos of the process to share. We considered Blue Ridge Log Cabins and I went to their offices and toured. This cabin comes in two main sections. The roof is folded\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Log Cabins"","block_context":{"text":"Log Cabins","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/log-cabin\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/featured-blueridgecabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/featured-blueridgecabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/featured-blueridgecabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/featured-blueridgecabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14209,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231\/revisions\/14209"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}