How Do You Cut A Space For An Attic Ladder

Now that you ve cut your joists it s time to frame the new opening.
How do you cut a space for an attic ladder. Full size attic ladders usually need an opening in the ceiling that is at least 22 1 2 x 54 inches. Click here to purchase the easy access attic ladder by werner. For smaller attic ladder openings with a minimum measurement of 18 x 24 you will need to measure from the finished floor to the attic floor. Whether you installed a new set of folding attic stairs or your existing set was never cut correctly you can cut the legs of the stairs to the proper length.
Looking for a space adequate to this opening is your first step. How to cut legs for folding attic stairs. Swing clearance measure and verify the amount of space available to swing out the stair sections of your ladder this extends beyond your attic opening. 2 how much weight could the ceiling joist hold.
Ensure that you have the right size ladder and that there s suitable landing space in the attic for safe mount and dismount from the ladder. To convert your attic to living space you cannot provide access via a ladder. Looking to take advantage of some open space in our attic and want to install an attic ladder. Also make sure there s enough floor space to accommodate the ladder when it s fully extended.
The ladder length will depend on your ceiling height. Part 6 shows you how. Before i do can anyone help me answer the following questions. This would require cutting some of the ceiling joist.
Step 2 go up to the attic and with a hammer tap a nail through the ceiling by the joist as a starting place to cut your rough opening. Saw through the joist s being careful not to cut through the ceiling and making sure the cut ends of the joist s are flat and vertical. Before you can take on your attic ladder install you may need to choose a location and cut a hole for your access point. What your attic probably does not have is a set of code compliant stairs.
If you re installing pull down attic stairs for the first time you ll likely need to cut the hole yourself. 1 can the joist be cut to make room for the attic ladder. If there is ample space you can do a pull down ladder that folds out as explained in this article.