The
Attic Stairs
begun May 15, 2004
Task: Install a stairway to the attic and add 150 sq. ft. of flooring to make it easier to store away the twenty years of accumulated memories currently cluttering the house.
The small alcove where the three upstairs bedroom doors converge
has been chosen as the spot to install the pull-down access stairs
to the attic ('cause it's the only place it will fit).
The first step consisted of cutting the hole in the ceiling,
which meant relocating anything above that opening (insulation,
wiring and a few boxes of previously-stored who-knows-what).
Because it was 100+ degrees in the attic, the going was slow.
But we got the opening framed and a couple floor panels temporarily
in place.
The next day, ably assisted by the Wife's Husband, father and
brother-in-law, the preassembled stair unit was hoisted into
place and secured with heavy-duty hardware.
But the attic space can't be utilized until we get some flooring
in place.
And there's not a lot of working room up there (less than four
feet of headroom).
... and the heat was no fun. We stuck an oscillating fan up there,
which only served to spread the hot air around.
Before any flooring could be put down, there was the matter of
the house wiring that criss-crossed the attic randomly. We had
to tack down sections of lumber on top of the joists, with gaps
for the wiring to pass through, so the floor panels would not
be laying flat on the wiring.
Each of the plywood floor panels had to be notched to fit around
the roof trusses ...
... then screwed into place. Because of the heat, all work was
done at night, but even then only about two panels per night
could be completed ...
... but after a week the floor was completed.
Opie observed the operation throughout, ready to offer advice.
We tapped into existing wiring to add two hundred watts of lighting
(notice Opie paw-washing one floor below?) ...
... in the form of two electrical boxes at each end of the floor
space, each with a 100-watt lamp, an electrical outlet, and a
switch for the light.
The attic project is now complete, with light
from above, awaiting the boxes of clutter soon to fill this newly-available
space.
Oops! Not quite done ...
The attic exhaust fan (that's supposed to keep things cool up
there) wasn't working (shoulda been obvious) ...
... it proved to be a faulty motor
... and a replacement was procured.
It's still a sauna up there, but the fan is working.
Attic completed June 1, 2004