Fortunately this is a fairly easy fix.
How to raise roof to have a walk up attic.
You have truss framing if the roof supports have triangular truss supports in the corners of the roof where it meets the attic floor supports.
To be classified as a livable space your floor to ceiling height will have to be at least 7 feet.
If your home has rafter roof framing it will be easier to increase the ceiling height.
If you re finishing your attic insulating it to the proper r value can cause a dramatic loss of headroom if you limit yourself to fiberglass batts.
For years 8 ceilings were standard.
Electrical rewiring plumbing restructuring.
You might open up your attic and find bare joists with fiberglass or cellulose insulation between the joists.
A truss framed roof on the other hand doesn t have any attic space to expand you re probably going to have to raise a truss framed roof to get more space.
You have rafter roof framing if the roof supports meet the floor joists with no extra supports or diagonal bracing.
You can sister the joists by cutting 2 x8 boards the same length as the joists applying construction adhesive and affixing each to a joist with nails.
A top floor addition a dormer making more of existing attic space and changing the pitch of the roof.
To meet all three goals insulating your finished attic ventilating the roof and maximizing headroom use a combination of dense batt insulation rigid foam sheeting and air chutes.
The first is your ceiling height.
If you have truss framing it may become more expensive than it is worth due to the roof reconstruction needs.
Raise the roof to create more cubic feet of space beneath it.
This may seem like a daunting task but it can be done with the help of a contractor.
If your attic is shorter than this you can lower the ceiling on the lower level or raise your roof.
Raised roof cost and roi.