Attic flat

One of the most widely held beliefs about the best flats concerns their position within the building. The ideal flat is said to be the one in the middle – both vertically (e.g. on the second floor of a four-storey block) and horizontally (e.g. between the neighbouring flat and a flat in the next stairwell). Indeed, such a home is recommended because it needs the least additional heating. The least recommended is the top-floor flat, which loses heat too easily in winter and builds up too much of it in summer. But many other factors also affect the appeal of flats! So we should ask ourselves: is it really worth passing over listings of attic flats for sale?

Warm, warmer… cold?

Let's deal once and for all with the problem of temperatures in top-floor flats. There is no denying it – when there is another home above the flat, heat loss is limited. If there is only a roof and then open sky, the flat cools down more easily. The same goes for summer. We have no buffer above us that the sun's rays would have to pass through. The heat accumulated by the roof therefore passes easily straight into our flat. This does not mean, however, that we should give up viewing this type of flat altogether. It is best to do so in winter, when we can feel the temperature inside the rooms for ourselves. It is also worth asking the owner or their agent to show you the heating bills. It may turn out that they are not so high as to make buying an attic flat unprofitable. A lot depends on the technical condition of the building and on whether the roof is well insulated. If it is, the flat will be neither too cold in winter nor too hot in summer.

High, too high

In newer buildings this is hardly a problem – a lift will take us to the top floor of the block, after all. The matter becomes a little more complicated when the flat you have your eye on is in a tenement house, where a lift is by no means standard. In that case you really do need to consider whether climbing the stairs (with a pushchair, or with an elderly person living with us) will be too much of a hindrance.

Limited design options?

Ah, those sloping ceilings… Unavoidable in an attic flat, and so problematic when furnishing a home. At least in theory… and only in theory. In reality, a space with sloping ceilings can be designed in a very attractive and interesting way; you just have to abandon traditional thinking about interior design. It is worth hiring a designer for whom such a space will be no problem at all. To pay for this, we can use, for example, the money saved on the purchase of the flat itself (but more on that in a moment).

In tenement houses, where the ceilings are high, it is worth building a mezzanine. It is an extremely fashionable and functional architectural element today, which makes it possible to use the space better and makes it look more attractive. A mezzanine can hold a small library with a seating area, or a bedroom.

Prices that change everything

It is finally time to say a word about the prices of attic flats. They are decidedly attractive and very competitive compared with the prices of flats lower down in the block. Just remember not to give in blindly to the charm of an attractive price, but to check how the usable floor area of the flat is calculated. Under the new standard PN 70 B-02365, it is counted at 50 per cent where the room height is between 1.40 and 2.20 m, and at 100 per cent where it is more than 2.20 m. The decisive factor in the purchase should be whether the floor area and the ways the space can be used suit us, not the price alone.

Attic flats also have a few smaller advantages, which may nevertheless be quite important depending on our individual preferences. People who value freedom and independence will certainly be pleased that there is no one living above them, stomping around or making noise. Others will appreciate the excellent natural light in the flat and the beautiful views from the windows.