How Much Does It Cost To Finish An Attic?

When done right, an attic conversion can be an excellent addition to your home. You can use it for better functioning storage space, or you can even turn it into a whole extra room in your house. 

How Much Does It Cost To Finish An Attic?

There are plenty of different ways you can convert your attic, but one of the main things you need to be aware of before you start is the cost. Attic conversions are not cheap, but they can be affordable. 

How much it is going to cost really depends on what you are doing to it and if you are doing it yourself, but we are here to help you. Read on to find out how much it costs to finish an attic.

We will break down a couple of ways as well as some extra factors you should consider before you start. 

How Much Does It Cost To Finish An Attic? 

Obviously, there is no set price that we can give you because every attic is different. Some attics are little more than a small box in space, while other attics are quite large.

If you are just changing the wallpaper, it’s going to cost a lot less than completely renovating the entire room. 

The average cost to finish an attic can fall anywhere between  $4,600 to $16,400.

You can cut the costs down a bit if you compromise on your overall design, but you should still be prepared to spend a couple of thousand dollars to have it completely finished.

There is also the cost per task and per square foot to consider, but we will get into that a little later on. 

The more work that you need to do to finish your attic, the more it is going to cost, so it’s important to plan out what you need and try and work out how much it is going to cost so you aren’t left shocked by how much you will need to spend. 

Per Square Foot

To make things a bit easier for you to work out the costs, let’s take a look at how much it will cost to finish an attic per square foot.

The average cost to finish an attic per square foot is anywhere between $30 and $60, but of course, this will vary depending on how much work you are doing and what sort of materials you will be using. 

In some cases, the cost per square foot can increase to about $200, but that is for when you are doing a lot more than just basic refurbishments. 

Per Task 

Another way you can work out the price that it is going to cost to finish your attic is by calculating per task. There are lots of different kinds of tasks you will need to do when finishing your attic and they all really vary in price. 

Basic clean-up counts as a task, as well as something like repairs or pest control, so it’s quite a broad list of things. Typically, if you are calculating by task, you can expect the overall cost to total anywhere between $1,500 to $15,000.

And that is per task, not the total of everything. 

It really depends on what sort of tasks you need to complete in your attic, and it can get a bit pricey calculating it this way, but it’s better to know roughly how much you need to spend in advance so you can budget and plan accordingly. 

Factors To Consider When Finishing An Attic

There are also other factors that you need to take into consideration when you are finishing your attic. Some of these factors you may have already considered, but there are some you may not have even thought about. 

Here’s a brief rundown of some extra factors you should consider when you are finishing your attic. 

How Much Does It Cost To Finish An Attic? (1)

Electricity

If you are completely converting your attic into a living space or living room style area, or anything similar, then you are going to have to look at getting electricity up there.

The cost of installing electricity up in your attic can cost anywhere between $1,000 to $3,400. This of course will vary depending on if you’re installing wiring or outlets, so you may want to look into that if you haven’t already. 

Plumbing

Plumbing is another important factor to consider when you are finishing your attic, especially if you are turning it into a wetroom or some form of living space that needs any plumbing of any kind.

The average cost of installing plumbing up in your attic is going to cost anywhere between $8,000 to $35,000. 

Plumbing is actually one of the biggest expenses when it comes to finishing off your attic, so you should really take some time out to plan and consider just how much you will need to spend in this area. 

Windows

If your goal is to convert your attic into a living space or recreational area, then you are probably going to need to install some windows up there.

Windows are also required for safety reasons and they are a great way to let natural light in so you don’t have to spend as much money on extra lighting. 

Installing windows into your attic is going to cost anywhere between $2,500 to $5,100 and if you want to install a skylight instead, it is going to cost $1,000 to $2,400. 

Conclusion

There are lots of things to consider when you are finishing off your attic, and you will have to spend quite a bit of money to do it.

You can bring the costs down so you don’t have to break the bank, but you definitely need to have some money set aside in order to complete renovations properly. 

When you plan on finishing your attic, you really need to take into consideration just how much everything is going to cost, and this guide, it will help you plan out exactly what you need to spend and what you need to consider. 

Luke Powell
Scroll to Top