Definition of "Attic"
An attic is an accessible room or space between the roof rafters and ceiling joists of a structure. The attic can be completely finished as a habitable place, complete with floors, insulation, beds, and furniture, like just another bedroom or home office. But when giving an attic definition, one can also refer to a sort of vacant space, unfinished, used as a storage room or not even that; just a gap filled with vacuum and void at the top of a house.
Why not filling this empty attic space? Lazyness, maybe. But that’s not to say that empty attics serve no purpose to the home; they are not really “dead” spaces. Attics serve the purpose of naturally controlling the temperature in the house by providing a large mass of slowly moving air. The heat produced by the residents in the lower floors get retained in attics, warming the home as a whole for longer periods of time. In fact, without proper refrigeration and ventilation, during the summer an attic can become an inhabitable place because of the intense heat. So much so that a modern building code will advise that even unoccupied attics should get proper ventilation from attic fans so there’s no accumulation of heat and moisture, thus reducing the proliferation of mold and other indoor allergies that could be creeping up on whoever lives in the house.
Because they are not proper rooms, attics are known to have unconventional shaped spaces, slanted ceilings, and are usually accessed through a hatch via a stair that serves no purpose but to connect the regular living space of the house to the attic.
Also called garret or sky parlor, the word attic comes from the Attica region of Greece as a nod to their architecture style which favored low decorative facades atop of a story in a building.
We hope our attic definition didn’t make you scared of all the indoor allergies that could be creeping up on you because of the lack of attic care and maintenance. But if it did try to declutter and make your home feel like new; we get the appeal of holding on to things, but one of those things you’re holding on to might be a disease, so declutter and live a healthier allergy free life!
Popular Real Estate Terms
Site where mobile homes are located. Mobile home parks are often mandated by municipal zoning laws. They provide necessary utilities to the mobile homes often including recreational ...
Unlimited interest in property. A freehold estate may be a fee simple or file estate. Freehold estate includes freehold in deed, a fee simple estate; freehold in law, an inheritable estate; ...
Word, or group of words, that identifies a business or one of its products. The name is registered with U.S. Patent Office and provides legal protection for an indefinite number of renewals ...
The process of changing, updating, and altering the appearance and structural characteristics of a building. For example, John remodels the kitchen in his home by replacing the cabinets, ...
To clip or prune shrubbery,etc. ...
The interest left in an estate after all costs have been deducted. For example, if a business is willed to X for life with the balance to Y upon X's death, Y has a remainder interest. ...
Wires, such as for electricity, places beneath the floor of a structure. ...
Interest based on a 360-day year instead of a 365-day year. The former is referred to as simple interest and the latter is termed exact interest. The difference between the two types of ...
(1) Financial ability and soundness of a business or individual to afford the purchase of property. (2) Worth of the dollar in real terms considering inflation. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.