At the word "penthouse" many imagine the luxurious two-level apartment, and this is true. In modern housing estates this view of the apartments located on upper floor of the building is on sale at the highest price. But if over your apartment the attic is located, you can and independently equip it to premises, having turned normal housing into prestigious penthouse.
Legal aspects
When you live in owner-occupied dwelling and are his owner, no problems will exist – you are free to dispose of the house at own discretion and can re-plan attic-floor room, having changed its assignment. But if you live in multifamily house, the attic under the law is all-share property therefore you should resolve issue of its use with all residents, each of which possesses part of the attic in the shares proportional to the area of their apartments. Besides, in local bodies of construction supervision you will need to get permission to reconstruction.
What to begin with
What functional zones will be in penthouse, depends also on that, it will be how convenient to rise there whether it will be possible to make in it spacious, ergonomic and safe ladder.
If you have decided to turn the attic into penthouse, planning needs to be thought over especially carefully, to consider at the same time many nuances. Think what rooms can be arranged or transferred from the first floor there so that to optimize apartment space. Naturally, there is no sense to have in penthouse kitchen – not really conveniently to carry products there or to go down from there, to the living room with ready dishes. And here bedrooms, the gym, billiard room, library, studio, office, the room for rest or the nursery taking into account beautiful view which usually opens from the top floors can quite be placed there. Make the plan of all garret floor, think over rational arrangement of each zone or the room, solve where and what type it will be necessary to establish additional windows, to make partitions and so forth. Perhaps, there is sense to use glazing as walls or their fragments, such option will allow to expand space of the former attic visually.
Equipping attic-floor room, do not forget to resolve issues it with warm and waterproofings.
Design decisions
The design decision is better to use one even if in penthouse there will be several separate rooms. As attic-floor rooms, as a rule, are small, it is better to plan laconic and simple interiors which will not distract attention from the main idea – the floor above which there is only sky. Look at options which are already implemented in ready architectural and design projects, choose that which will suit you, pick up under it furniture, coverings and textiles. Use in registration light tone to neutralize pressure of slopes of roof, in them, by the way, it is possible to arrange luggage storage. Volume lamps and chandeliers in such rooms cannot be hung up, they will not look, as well as magnificent, heavy curtains.