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retractable attic stairs?????

bayouelton | Posted in General Discussion on September 20, 2007 09:39am

This isn’t going to be easy to describe so please bear with me – the attic area over the carport to the house I’m building abuts up to and is right next to my living room which has a vaulted ceiling. Therefore any type of retractable attic stair that could give me access to this unexpected extra living or storage area would have to be suspended in mid-air with pulleys and counter weights or springs or something else fancy like that. There’s no other way, at least that I can see, that will give me access to that area from inside the house I’m building. (I know, I know – I should have thought of that in the first place when my plans were drawn up). Can anyone here recommend a web site I can shop around in for something that might solve my problem? Or am I going to have to start looking for an artist-architect who’s going to charge me a $1000 bucks for just darkening his door? Thanks a bunch to anyone brave enough to brainstorm this corner I painted myself into.


Edited 9/20/2007 2:43 pm ET by bayouelton

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  1. User avater
    BillHartmann | Sep 20, 2007 09:58pm | #1

    Are you talking about accessing the attic from the wall of the LR in the catherdral area? IIRC there are expanding (scissor) ladder that will work.

    But why not a conventional attic ladder in the ceiling of the carport?

    .
    .
    A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
    1. User avater
      bayouelton | Sep 20, 2007 11:17pm | #2

      Are you talking about accessing the attic from the wall of the LR in the catherdral area?

      Yes, exactly. And thanks for asking the question and giving me the chance to explain what was probably pretty confusing. Sorry for not making that clear in the first place.

      But why not a conventional attic ladder in the ceiling of the carport?

      You're right, good point. And I do plan on doing that. I want to do both. If one one my kids wants to use that area as a loft with a bed I want to make access as user friendly as I can. Again, thanks for the response.

      1. User avater
        BillHartmann | Sep 20, 2007 11:40pm | #3

        We have been through this before.I am not sure, but I think that a US sorce was found.This are all UK.http://www.ladderstore.com/index.php?cPath=5_33Google on wall access ladder, folding wall ladder are two to start with..
        .
        A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.

      2. brownbagg | Sep 21, 2007 12:45am | #4

        if its living area. I think a nice wrought iron sprial staircase look good.Haga su trabajo de fricken

      3. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Sep 21, 2007 12:48pm | #7

        But why not a conventional attic ladder in the ceiling of the carport?

        You're right, good point. And I do plan on doing that. I want to do both. If one one my kids wants to use that area as a loft with a bed I want to make access as user friendly as I can. Again, thanks for the response.

        You mentioned pulleys and counterweights.  I made a set of stairs like that with standard rise and run for a similar overhead space using 2X12s for stringers and treads. 

        It didn't matter how heavy the stairs were because I just added sand to the five gallon buckets until the whole she-bang went up and down like a feather. 

        Some big strap hinges, about fifty feet of thin steel cable, a couple pair of big eye bolts, a pair of decent pulleys, some cable clamps, that was most of it. 

        It was simple enough to make it flush with the ceiling. I put spacers under the strap hinges upstairs, then installed some simple stops at the other end, and fastened 1/4" plywood to the bottom of the stringers. 

        I really like this staircase because the loft space is used for storage.  Having a wide comfortable set of stairs makes carrying heavy boxes a lot easier. 

         

      4. DaveRicheson | Sep 21, 2007 12:59pm | #8

        You're right, good point. And I do plan on doing that. I want to do both. If one one my kids wants to use that area as a loft with a bed

        Storage ok, a loft area as stated above needs to be a conditioned space with easily accessable means of egress.

        Better check your local codes before you try to fly that one.

         

        Dave

  2. mike_maines | Sep 21, 2007 12:55am | #5

    I installed one of these a couple years ago.  Pretty good quality, much better than the average attic stair.

    http://www.rainbowatticstair.com/attic-stairs-products/prestige-folding-attic-stairs.cfm

  3. User avater
    user-246028 | Sep 21, 2007 04:53am | #6

    I was thinking the same thing as Brownbagg. Wrought iron spiral stair case. You can get them pretty small. Meaning that they take up very little floor space.

    Dave

  4. User avater
    CapnMac | Sep 21, 2007 06:09pm | #9

    So, you are thinking a "loft" of sorts either through, or instead of, the gable wall that would divide LR from carport, correct?

    The loft idea is actually pretty neat.  Depending on the roof & ceiling pitches, I'd be inclined (NPI) to "explicitly" frame the loft space to have a kneewall on either side, and a depth of 6 to 8 feet.  That lets you do several things.  One is that you will have a defined "plane" to seal up (and insulate) between the carport and loft.  Controling the depth helps limit spaces less-accessible for persons of grown-up dimensions (who may have to get into the nooks and crannies to clean, dust, repaint, whatever).

    Now, the gable "end" of the loft could have a nice (locking) cabinet-style door for access to the carport's "attic" beyond.

    The access to the loft coudl be a simple as a ladder built into some casework on the wall.  An offset-step "stair case" might could sit between some bookcases.

    Bunches of answers, really.

    Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

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