Convert your attic space into livable space.
Knee walls are used to create living space in an attic. Knee walls are short vertical walls installed between the attic floor and the roof rafters. The space behind the knee walls can be closed off and not used, or access panels can be made in the knee walls to use the space for storage. The knee walls are usually insulated, but rarely sheathed on the back side. This allows air to infiltrate around the electrical outlets and access panels from the soffit vents. The air will degrade the insulation; this will lead to condensation buildup on the drywall. To solve this problem, the back side of the knee wall should be sheathed before it is installed.
Instructions
1. Measure the area between the attic floor and a roof rafter where you want the knee wall to be located. Cut a 2-inch by 4-inch stud a few inches longer than your measurements. Place one end of the stud on the floor and the other end running past the edge of the roof rafter. Use a level to plumb the stud. Draw a line on the stud, running the pencil along the angle of the rafter. This is called a story board, which gives you the angle for the top plate of the knee wall.
2. Adjust the T-bevel to the line on the story board. Using the angle on the T-bevel, place it against the saw blade of the circular saw and adjust the saw to the T-bevel. Use a 2-inch by 6-inch board for the top plate of the knee wall. Cut the edge of the top plate with the circular saw to match the slope of the roof.
3. Hold the mark on the story board on the edge of the last rafter. Make a mark on the rafter where the line is on the story board and make a mark on the floor where the bottom of the story board is sitting. Do this at both ends of the attic. Have a helper hold the end of the chalk line on the rafter where the mark is at one end of the attic and hold your end of the chalk line on the mark on the rafter at the other end of the attic. Pull the chalk line tight and lift up on the chalk line to snap a line across the rest of the rafters. Do the same on the mark on the floor to mark where the bottom of the knee wall will be located.
4. Lay out the top and bottom plates on the floor. Mark the location for each wall stud (either every 16 inches or every 24 inches) with a measuring tape. Measure the area from the chalk mark on the floor to the chalk mark on the roof rafter and subtract 3 inches to get the length of the wall studs. Cut the angled end of the story board. Measure the area from the tip of the story board down (using the measurement you just figured), make a mark and cut the story board.
5. Cut the wall studs needed for the length of the knee wall and one for each end of the knee wall using the story board as a template. Nail through the top and bottom plates to fasten each stud to both plates so that the point of the studs are against the side of the top plate with the cut edge.
6. Lay the knee wall face down on the floor. Measure the distance between the top and bottom plates. Cut the plywood and nail it to the back side of the knee wall facing up. With a helper, lift the knee wall into place. Nail the top and bottom plates with the knee wall lined up to the chalk line. Use a hammer to pound the wall into place, if needed. Insulate the knee wall. Run the wires and the plumbing before installing drywall to the face of the knee wall.
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