Hatch with stairs to the attic: types, choice of location, execution of the hole, putting the hole in order and fixing the hatch

Let's rephrase and say: "In the interior, everything should be fine." There are no trifles here. Once again you are convinced of this when it becomes necessary to equip a hatch and stairs to the attic.

It turns out there are a lot of design solutions. But they are all similar to each other and are based on the idea of ​​attaching a ladder to the inner surface of the hatch.

Even a hatch to the attic can sometimes become a design element.

Of course, a simple old option is also possible - a separate hatch, a separate ladder or stepladder attached to the wall.

But here we note some inconveniences:

• firstly, the stairs must be stored somewhere, it is clear that in another room, which means
• secondly, you need to constantly drag her back and forth, not everyone can afford it, at least the wife will not be able to go upstairs without your help (although it can be said in another way - without your knowledge, also what a plus);
• thirdly, if you go up to the attic once a month, then a simple hatch without a ladder will do, but if it is permanent, then keeping the ladder down is inconvenient for everyone who is already in the room under the attic.

Of the amenities, only one thing is seen - the installation of one hatch with a ladder, then, as it will be necessary and separately, will cost much less.

Be that as it may, but first you need to worry about the hatch.

Helpful advice!
The hatch can be built at any time, but it is best to think over this work in advance to include it in the general attic floor equipment plan.
The location of the hatch requires additional reinforcement in all three directions.

Types of hatches

The design itself is quite simple.

There are three types of hatches relative to the plane of their installation:

• horizontal - in other words, on the ceiling - the most common installation method;
• vertical - they are also called manholes;
• corner - or dormers - are often used in conjunction with dormers on a sloping roof.

About corner hatches, when they simultaneously serve as skylights, a separate conversation. There are entire specialized firms that are only engaged in the design and development of roof hatches.

Now we are talking about hatches to the attic. With all the variety of possible solutions, the principles for creating such hatches are very similar.

Work progress

The installation of the hatch (the ladder is fixed later, the main thing here is to maintain the dimensions) is carried out according to the following scheme.

Let's take a more complex version:

• installation was not expected in advance;
• attic floors are not ready for the installation of the hatch.

The first stage is an acquaintance with geometry

To begin with, we get acquainted with all the dimensions of the hatch and its stairs.

Here everything is interconnected and depends on the chosen method of fastening the stairs:

• if dimension A is 270 cm then:
  
  • B should be equal to 120 cm - and here attention is paid to the height of the attic in this place, which means that you must first select the position of the hatch;
  • C - 158 cm - we are already paying attention and making room on the floor below;
  • D - 120 cm - and again about the position of the hatch and the necessary free space in the attic;

• if dimension A is 300 cm, then:
  
  • B already - 150 cm;
  • C - 172 cm;
  • D - 153 cm;
• if A is 335 cm, then:
  • B - 185 cm - which forces a hatch to be made almost in the center of the attic;
  • C - 188 cm - and already at the bottom of almost 2 meters the space "do not touch";
  • D - 192 cm.

Note that the presented option requires an attic floor thickness of 31.5 cm (but this is the maximum value). The minimum is determined by the thickness of the hatch - 14 cm.

The second stage - choosing a place

This stage is quite simple, fast, but carries a great responsibility - nothing can be changed in the future.

When choosing a place, be guided by:

• the geometry of the hatch itself - its size depends on the model, but on average it is 60 cm wide and 80 long;
• the geometry of your attic - both vertically, to the roof, and horizontally - to the walls;
• the state of the ceiling at the installation site - the main thing here is not to get on the beam and provide yourself with as little work as possible with roof rafters; this is when you may regret that you did not maintain the recommended distance of 60 cm between the beams;
• if you also used transverse rafters between the main longitudinal ones, then try to choose a hole in such a way that from 3 sides it “leans” precisely on the rafters;
• if the situation turned out that the hatch can be placed on all four sides between the rafters, then consider yourself lucky.

Given the size of the hatch 60 by 80 and the distance between the beams of 60 cm, it becomes clear that the direction of the hatch will be determined by the direction floor rafters attic.

Helpful advice!
We advise you to act at this moment according to the golden rule "measure seven times - cut once."
Pay special attention that the lines of the hatch "do not mow" and exactly correspond to the lines of the ceiling horizontally.

The third stage - the execution of the hole for the hatch

Actually, the design of the hatch is a ready-made assembly with seals at the top and bottom, with front strips around the entire perimeter at the top and bottom. Therefore, our task is to make the hole as accurate as possible to the size of the hatch assembly. It is more convenient to carry out work at this stage on the floor of the attic, controlling your actions with marks on the ceiling on the floor below.

Wherein:

• we mark a rectangular hole on the floor - it, of course, will be larger than the dimensions of the hatch 60 by 80 and will include the outer dimensions of the casing;
• grinder or any other suitable, but sharp enough tool that you know well, remove the top layer of the floor to waterproofing and insulation;
• very carefully cut the insulation around the perimeter of the hole, in no case pull it out;
• cut if necessary and removing roof insulation;
• if there is another layer of insulation from below, carefully, without pulling it, cut it and remove it;
• now it is already possible to make control holes through the ceiling, to control the position on the ceiling of the room below;
• we complete the hole, which now, perhaps, it will be more convenient to do from below.

Fourth stage - tidying up the hole

This stage can be considered one of the most responsible. Since you have to try on the frame of the hatch, we unwind and put aside the front rims for now.

And then:

• if the rafters are on the four sides of the hatch - the simplest and most successful situation:
  • we try on the rim of the hatch and if the size is not enough, then we determine the size of the cut on both sides, by which the hole needs to be enlarged so that the rim passes,
  • or the size of the seal required to keep the sunroof securely in place
  • in general, the task is to securely fit the hatch frame between the rafters;
• if the rafters are on three sides:
  • we press the rim tightly to the side that does not have a pair opposite;
  • on the contrary, at a distance of the size of the hatch, we mount an additional transverse beam, to which the hatch will dock;
  • on the two remaining beams:

• • if the size is not enough, then we determine the size of the cut on one of them, by which it is necessary to increase the hole so that the rim passes,
  • or the size of the seal required to keep the sunroof securely in place
  • the task is still the same - in reliable fastening of the hatch frame, but it is aggravated by the fact that on the one hand it is necessary to insert an additional beam to fasten the frame;

• if the rafters are only on two sides, then:
• on these sides you will have to make cuts or put seals,
• and on the empty sides, put additional transverse beams to fix the hatch frame.

All work to strengthen the hatch must be done with the utmost care - the entire structure must be designed for the future load of a person climbing the stairs of 250 kg.

Fifth stage - fixing the hatch

If the hole is made accurately, then installing the hatch itself is not difficult:

• having assembled the rim on the frame on one side, better than the one that will be at the top, in the attic, we insert the frame into the hole;
• we fix the rim on the rafters (the method of fastening largely depends on the design of the hatch);
• we go down into the room, and insert and fix the rim from below;
• further, the hatch cover is attached to the fixed frame;
• if the hatch and the ladder are a single structure, then we fix the ladder and check the whole mechanism of its operation.

Helpful advice!
The design of the stairs itself is calculated for a total load of not less than 250 kg.
Your weight, we hope, with all the contents of the pockets is much less.
Nevertheless, we advise you to carry out the tests gradually, do not immediately jump onto the stairs.
See how the design behaves first at low weight, and then gradually increase it.

conclusions

The instructions for installing a hatch with a ladder to the attic are divided into three large components. The first one is practically independent of the selected hatch model and consists in creating a hole in the ceiling (or floor, who is looking from where).

The second, and the third - the installation of the hatch and the installation of the stairs, on the contrary, largely depend on the model. Therefore, be careful and familiarize yourself with the installation algorithm and its complexity even before purchasing the hatch.

The video in this article will help you better understand all the nuances of acquiring and installing hatches in the attic.

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