Getting Rid of the Attic Access Cord

by ScavengerChic

Do you have a pull down attic stairs? Is there a string attached to the stairs that is kind of an eyesore?
Over the past several months we've been helping my son and his wife renovate an old 50's rancher. They opened up a bunch of walls so that there are direct sight lines between the living room and kitchen.

The old attic access used to be enclosed within the walls of the stairwell and not really noticeable from the main living areas but with the tearing down of walls and the new open concept living room/ kitchen, there it is. That’s the kitchen with the lights and just to the right is the living room.

Didn’t even think about the attic access pull cord being an eyesore until it was installed. It was definitely not pretty.

I knew the happy homeowners would not get to this project during the week with so many other things on their minds so I checked my stash of junk when I got home. I already had a hook with the screw. I even had a screw eye I could use but I liked this U bolt that comes with the plate and nuts even better. Only needed a dowel to complete my parts.

Because I was making it for my son and daughter-in-law, I decided to pretty up the dowel a bit by sanding the ends.

If it was just for my own use, I probably would have left it as it was.

Predrill a hole in one end of the dowel, slightly smaller than the hook with the screw.

fyi...move your hand out of the way of the drill more than I have it here, it was hard to take a picture and show the drill at the same time.

Screw in the hook.

I stained my dowel to make it prettier, but again, feel free to skip this step, it will probably just be put in a closet.

Take the U bolt and mark where the new holes will be drilled. The rope in the middle is the preexisting pull down string.

Drill the holes and insert the U bolt.

Tighten the nuts securely.

Because I drilled from the inside of the door access, the wood splintered around the holes…very cheap wood!!

Some paintable caulk filled in the splintering as well as the rope hole in the middle.

Let dry then paint with the attic door color.

The new attic access pull down is not much to look at, but that is sort of the point. The dowel is tucked in a closet until needed.

Enjoyed the project?

You can do it! Saved to your projects

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this project?

Ask a Question

Comments

Join the conversation

3 comments

Crafty Momma on Jan 13, 2017
We did the exact same thing in our new home, our Superintendent recommended it since our string was no match the the heavy door on a 12 foot ceiling.

Like Reply
- ScavengerChic on Jan 13, 2017
  They only had an 8 foot ceiling...I can't imagine what the weight of a 12 foot ladder would be.
  
  1
Haysha S. on Jan 18, 2017
Great Idea!

Like Reply