Lost attic: the lost attic has a framework made up of industrial trusses (often W-shaped) with no load-bearing base truss, and is only accessible via an inspection hatch. These frameworks are a real treasure, because once they've been transformed, you can use them to create your new floor, perfectly in line with your current project, pleasant to live in, and adding value to your home thanks to Poutrespace. In short, an attic is not convertible (or lost) in its current state, but never definitively.
Arbalétrier (cross-beam): piece of wood connecting the ridge to the purlin Arrêtier (headboard): piece of wood located at the interface of two roof slopes.
Change of pitch: construction allowing the height of existing walls to be maintained, while raising the ridge to provide sufficient volume for the upper floor, using the Poutrespace system.
Traditional framework: made of wood, the traditional framework is characterized by the presence of two or three main trusses resting on load-bearing walls and carrying the various purlins and the entire roof.
Pegboard: a construction in the frame allowing the installation of a dormer or roof window.
Entrait: piece of wood connecting the crossbeams. It can be either high (towards the top of the frame) or low (at the base of the frame). The low transom of an unconverted attic is not load-bearing. It cannot be used to create a load-bearing floor. When Space Beams are installed, however, they take on the role of the low header. In this way, they create a load-bearing floor, transforming an undevelopable attic into a comfortable new storey.
Ridge: piece of wood at the highest point of the roof structure, to which the cross-beams and hip-beams connect.
Roof window: a window installed in its header and following the slope of the roof. Roof windows (Velux type) offer numerous possibilities for shading, rotation and home automation. Roof windows allow you to optimize the amount of light in your attic space, while staying within your budget.
Truss: this is the basic construction of the roof structure. The truss is a triangle whose two sloping sides carry the roof, with the bottom piece (the low entrait) serving to prevent the roof from spreading. Within this triangle are various pieces of wood working in tension or compression: one of the great skills of carpenters!
Fermette industrielle: a type of framework made up of wooden or metal “W ”s, perpendicular to the load-bearing walls, spaced at 60cm or more apart, preventing the roof space from being occupied. It is found in houses built from the 1980s onwards. With Poutrespace technology, it's perfectly possible to convert such a framework to create a new storey.
Jambette: pieces of wood connecting the crossbeam to the low entablature.
Dormer: opening in the roof structure with its own roof, offering a straight window opening, as on the ground floor. A dormer adds a unique touch to the aesthetics of your home.
Purlin: a piece of wood running parallel to the load-bearing wall and located at the bottom, middle and top of the roof structure. The highest purlin is called the ridge purlin, while the purlin at the bottom of the frame is called the runner purlin. The purlins in between are called intermediate purlins.