Flood Proof Home Storage – Brisbane Case Study

Today’s case study looks at a roof space storage conversion for one of our clients in Paddington, that created a dedicated flood proof home storage space.

The family unfortunately lost their downstairs living and storage areas in the Brisbane floods in February 2022, so when they came to us, we were determined to ensure they had a secure, flood-proof space to protect their valuable items in case of a repeat weather event.

Below you’ll see exactly what it took to create a clean attic storage room fitted with our premium-quality ladder. Find out everything from the products we used, to its room size, the average cost of the build, and much more!

Looking to create your own flood proof roof space storage? Request your free quote here.

Project Brief: Flood proof home storage

The homeowners were looking for a clean attic storage room with an attic ladder that would give them an elevated storage area in case of flooding again.

About the property

This Paddington home in Brisbane’s inner north featured a 3 bed, 3 bath, 2 car high-set home with tall 2.9m ceilings. The home’s occupants included husband, wife, and kids.

Roof space available

The house had a conventional pitched roof, so they had an open roof space without the structural timbers that you would normally find in a truss roof.

The roof space was quite large with a cavity height of approximately 1800mm at its peak. We ended up making use of 15m² (footprint of 3.6m x 4.25m) with the roof peak at the centre.

Goal: Long-term roof storage that wouldn’t get flooded

Given the entire lower level of this home was flooded in February 2022. All salvageable items were moved up into the second storey of the home while waiting on insurance and rectification of their downstairs space.

During this time, the family was quite cramped with clutter and were looking for both a long and short-term solution.

In the short term, they wanted to free up space in the upstairs level as the downstairs was still unusable; while in the long term, the goal was to future-proof the home in case of more flooding.

The new clean attic storage room meant they now have a dedicated (and high) space to protect valuable items.

Why did the client choose Roof Space Renovators?

It wasn’t his first time dealing with us. We had visited him in 2016 and provided a quote, but they didn’t proceed with the job at the time.

The homeowner visited our showroom where we were able to show him our attic ladder range and attic storage options. Having that showroom experience may have been the final decision maker for him. He really liked our clean storage option.

Seeing each attic storage option in person gives you a better idea as to what solution best fits you and your house. If you’d like to visit our showroom, click here.

Roof space conversion: Products used

Aluminium Attic Ladder

We supplied and installed a premium Aluminium Access-Boss ladder. This range of attic ladders provide a safer, stronger option for tall ceilings due to them being more angled, with deeper and wider treads; making it great for regular use.

Solar Operated Roof Ventilation

Since sentimental items were being stored, a cool roof space was also requested so we supplied and installed 2x solar-operated ventilators. One in the front roof and the other in the back area of the roof).

Roof storage room with lights and power

Finally, our electrician installed a light, wall switch, and power point in the storage room. We also installed an access door for access to the rest of the surrounding roof space (for maintenance purposes – air con, electrical, pest, etc).

Project challenges

This ceiling contained asbestos so the owner had to have it removed before we could start.

As expected, commencement was held up a bit because of this extra step, but as soon as it was removed, the homeowner had us in to complete the job which took us about 4 days.

Roof storage room price

The price point for this job was between $13-$14K^{^}. This included:

A premium quality tall attic ladder which Roof Space Renovators supplied and installed
15m2 clean storage room (fully enclosed)
Electrical works (light, power point, light switch, etc.)
2x top-of-the-range solar heat extractors
An access door leading to the rest of the roof
QBCC insurance.

^{^}NB. Price range current at time of publishing.

5 Star Client Testimonial

Matthew (homeowner) kindly left Roof Space Renovators a 5-star Google review following the installation of his clean storage attic room.

Here’s what he had to say:

“A really great experience. From the assistance when I first visited the showroom from Patricia and Jodie, to the visit from Col to measure and quote and provide great advice, to the completion of the job with Daniel

A first class experience from beginning to end. Which was a major help for my family as we had lost all of our downstairs storage area and living space due to the Brisbane floods in February 2022. So, we were squeezed very tightly with storage lying all over the house. This extra space has saved us and allowed our family to finally move back into our home.

Thanks so much RSR!”