How do you finish an attic space, step by step?

1. Fix the roof first

Look for stains on the rafters and decking, soft spots and daylight around penetrations. Anything questionable gets repaired now, because drywall will hide it.

2. Choose vented or unvented

• Vented: every rafter bay over the sloped ceiling gets a continuous baffle from the soffit to the ridge, leaving at least 1 inch of air space under the deck, with a ridge vent at the top. Insulation goes below the baffle.
• Unvented: insulation applied directly to the underside of the deck, built to the code's unvented attic rules. Soffit and ridge vents over that area are closed.

3. Handle the knee walls

The short walls on each side create small side attics. Either insulate and seal the knee walls and the floor of those side attics, or bring the insulation out to the roof line so the side attics become conditioned storage.

4. Air seal

Seal top plates, wiring holes, the stair opening and the joints where knee walls meet the floor. Air leaks are what turn attic rooms into ovens.

5. Insulate

Sloped ceilings need as much insulation as the rafter depth allows, which may mean furring down the rafters or adding rigid foam.

6. Mechanical, then finishes

Plan HVAC early; attic rooms in Georgia almost always need their own cooling. Then electrical, drywall and flooring. Pull a permit; inspectors check stairs, egress, headroom and smoke alarms. See roof ventilation basics and attic heat and shingles.