From Cluttered Attic to Petra’s Dream Home

The decision to stay home

Petra, like many of her peers after finishing college, had a dilemma - should she leave the family home and move to a small apartment closer to the cityt, or should she stay in the family house where she grew up and arrange a completely autonomous apartment in the attic, independent of the rest of the house? Without much hesitation, she decided on the second option.

The attic, which she once used for her childhood "research", after a thorough renovation, has become her home, where she feels great.

"Two years ago, the attic looked completely different – it was dark and full of unnecessary things. It was divided into smaller spaces and functioned as two separate apartments. In one part of the attic was my own childhood room and family storage, and in the other part my grandmother had her rooms. We decided to merge all these spaces into one apartment of about one hundred square meters, in which I have everything I need – a living room with a dining area and a kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet, a laundry room, a bedroom, a study and my favourite part - the terrace" - says Petra, adding that VELUX products made this transformation possible.

"I knew I wanted a lot of light and hoped to have a roof terrace. However, any classic solution with a terrace meant that we had to "retract the roof" and reduce the interior area to make room for the terrace. And when we almost gave up, my mom found out about a great solution - the VELUX roof terrace. It is a product that functions as a combination of roof and vertical window that can be opened to exit to the terrace. We were delighted with this solution because it enabled us to use the existing canopy and turn it into a terrace, while keeping the same area of the interior space" - explained Petra.

A perfect place to unwind

The space behind and in front of the roof terrace is her favourite corner of the home where she likes to relax. She spends her free time mostly in that corner - she is either on the terrace, enjoying the nice weather or in the interior and enjoying the beautiful view outside.

"Roof windows have significantly changed this space and given it a completely new functionality. In addition to bringing in a lot of daylight, in some places they provided more usable space for standing, better ventilation and a feeling of openness and freedom. This addition of functionality is most visible in the bedroom. Namely, considering the height of the attic, we decided to create a gallery in the highest part under the ridge of the roof, where we envisaged our bedroom. It was hard to imagine that a pleasant corner would be possible in that low and dark space, but when the windows came, everything changed. We got a wonderful and bright bedroom where it is very cosy and romantic to sleep. I enjoy looking at the stars from my bed, and I especially enjoy opening the windows in the summer, so I feel as if we were sleeping outside under the starry sky" - says Petra, who lives in the attic with her boyfriend.

Smart use of space in the attic

The stairs to the gallery hide many cupboards and drawers for storing various things, and living in the attic always gives opportunities to use the roof slants and beams for built-in wardrobes, bookshelves, lighting on the beams, plants...

"We like to cook and we like having the kitchen island in the middle of the home. Cooking is a joy and it doesn’t have to be hidden in some corner, but quite the opposite. It is very convenient that we have a window near the stove, so the steam and cooking smells can quickly air out."

Energy efficiency and comfort

Considering the fact that Petra is a physicist, we also talked about the energy aspect of the attic.

"Many people fear that the attic will be cold in winter and hot in summer. The most important thing is to insulate the roof well and choose quality windows with excellent physical properties. We chose three layer glass VELUX roof windows, and as additional protection from the sun there are shades, awnings and blinds" - says the young physicist, adding that the space is extremely warm and bright, and that she almost never has to turn on the light, except at night.

"This is my home and I am happy that I made the decision to stay living in a house with three generations – my grandmother, my parents and my boyfriend" - concludes Petra.