Install blinds or shutters to help keep your attic bedroom cool during the summer.
An attic bedroom extends your living space and provides a private oasis away from your household's hub of activity. It also increases the value of your home. But it's not without its challenges. Older bungalow-style homes often have poorly insulated or completely uninsulated attics. As a result, comfortable temperatures can be difficult to maintain. Keep your bungalow's attic bedroom warm in winter and cool in summer by increasing its energy efficiency and choosing systems that are compatible with the space.
Instructions
1. Weatherproof the attic by sealing windows, doors and other spaces where drafts might occur. Use an acrylic latex caulk to seal around windows and exterior doors and to fill in corner gaps. Weatherstrip windows with self-adhesive vinyl V-stripping that fits into the windows' sash channels. Apply window film to insulate the glass.
2. Install insulation between the roof rafters and floor joists using the highest R-value insulation available. Also insulate exterior walls, including the space behind knee walls. If the attic bedroom adjoins an unfinished space that won't be heated, also insulate shared interior walls. Leave several inches of space around batting-style insulation to allow air to flow freely. Consider blow-in insulation if the space is already finished.
3. Ventilate the attic to let hot air escape and keep the insulation cool. Turbine vents are fast and relatively inexpensive to install along the exterior of your roof. As the hot air rises, it creates the wind that powers the turbine fans as it flows through the vents. The more hot air there is, the faster the fan blows and the more hot air is removed from the attic.
4. Install baseboard heaters if it's not feasible to extend your home's current ductwork into the attic. A typical attic bedroom needs two 1,000-watt units, plus an additional, smaller, baseboard in the bathroom, if the attic has one. Baseboard heat is efficient, inexpensive and relatively easy for a do-it-yourselfer to install.
5. Install portable freestanding air conditioners and window or through-the-wall units to supplement your home's central air conditioning or cool the attic unaided if you don't have central air. You'll need a unit with a minimum of 7,000 BTUs, and perhaps up to 10,000 BTUs, for a 15-by-15-foot room.
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