We are in the midst of renovating the attic now. In the middle of a heat wave too. We have to hang and finish dry wall and then a friend of mine is gonna install new flooring. If I didn't already rack up a balance from some emergency pet healthcare in the last six months I'd be all over the mini split option. At this time though I'm going to have contractors out beginning of next year to give me estimates on installation. In the next few weeks it's going to come together nicely as a work and hang out space for my partner and I and she understands that the rest of the summer up there may just be tough. Our current apartment is a renovated 1700s colonial so it's not like we are coming from the Taj Mahal of modern convenience. The rest of the house has sufficient coverage from window units.
The reason that's not an attic option is casement windows (finally figured out that's what they're called).
The mini split is an appealing permanent solution for next year due to the fact that it minimizes the holes that have to be busted through the cinder block walls.
In the mean time I have a Whynter 14,000 btu dual hose portable AC on the way. It's got some decent reviews on Amazon as far as portable ACs go. I like that the dual hose setup will create positive pressure in the room like a window unit would vs a single hose whose intake is inside of the room, creating negative pressure, inviting in more heat (sounds great for an attic right?) and the whole thing just ends up working against itself. Nope, not in such a demanding space.
It's also a heat wave right now so it's tough to judge the livability of the space once finished at all.
With the sky lights cracked and some fans in the windows at least we will be able to work and finish the drywall up there.
Once I have the portable AC installed should I try running it with the sky lights cracked as a form of ventilation or do y'all think the unit will perform best with every window sealed up tight?