Upon purchasing the house when you open this door, you would have been immediately met by a set of shelves, as soon as you enter the door. Apparently the owner at the age of 93-94 no longer was able to access this area so it was basically blocked off. In the event that someone else had to go into the attic the shelves would have been easily just pull down to access the area.
Attic entrance is a hazard
+13
This enyrance into the Attic is very annoying. As we become older, it is going to become an impossible task. I would love to put steps here that also had drawers in them. However, under them is a void space ,so how do you add structure to keep the steps strong and solid?
I repainted the area and put the shelves alongside the wall for storage.
This is the area directly under the attic entrance which leads to the garage. So I'm thinking if we built stairs, how would you make sure they're supported being that they would not be grounded. This is where I need help.
You're going to need a carpenter for this, to cut stringers for the stairs, and add the treads, and then to build runners for the drawers to fit into the area where the risers would be, and then to make the drawers.
What I would suggest is a safer solution that your current situation. You can buy kits which include folding stairs that, when collapsed, fit entirely into your attic. They have regular stair treads, which would prevent your possibly sliding off the " treads " on your current stairs. If I remember correctly. they are sized to fit within the normal 16-inch spacing of your ceiling joists, so you wouldn't need to cut any joists. You could remove your current " stairs ", and buy yourself some of that adjustable wire shelving like the department stores use for clothing displays, and get the type that comes with casters included. Then whenever you needed access to the attic, you just roll your shelving rack out of the way, and climb your "stairway to heaven". LOL Good Luck
Fold away staircase definitely the best and safest answer Also have light switch installed close to area that operates fixture in attic which can be easily turned on before assent and off after descent
The only way I see to add anything there is to add structural beams in the garage entrance so you have support. If you chose not to do that you can add half treads to the top of the board as opposed to the slips that are there. You would not be able to add any storage under them unless you used the entire space though.
Can you add a pull down stairway in a hallway or another room. In my neighborhood a lot of folks (me included) have just placed them in the upstairs hall way. Plenty of room to unfold the staircase. When you are done, it just folds up. Cannot be left down. You just see the outline of a rectangle in the ceiling. No big deal. Otherwise, we had a set up like you do, inside a bedroom closet. Just did not workout for Christmas decorations and such. I have a relative who ended up putting one in the ceiling of an extra bath - just the only place it would fit.
I think maybe no one is looking at this the right way. The attic door is on the wall, not the ceiling and the ramp is how you enter. If there is no floor under the ramp, you will need to put one in or have one put in. Lowes has premade stair runners you can buy to make 2, 3 or 4 steps, maybe more. You would need to get two runners in the size you need and boards for the steps. They are a standard size, maybe 18 inches wide. I think maybe you should try to find a carpenter to help you figure out what you need, since you will apparently need a floor put in under the stairs. putting drawers in can be tricky too.
O k, maybe I can help you straighten this out......When I mentioned a rack, I meant one you purchase from a place like Target, etc. The rack would REPLACE THE SHELVING you have on the wall. They are available with casters, so you can roll them wherever you need to move it to. You would REMOVE THE EXISTING RAMP, and install the folding stairs in it's place to allow you access into the attic. The stairs fold up, with everything going up into the attic, and being hidden, when not being used. With the rolling rack; whenever you needed to access the attic, you could roll the rack out of the way so that you have plenty of room to use the stairs . I hope maybe this makes it a little clearer. An attic fan would not make any difference about your access. Any other questions, I'm here for ya.
O K, I just read Alberta's response........if the access hole is in a vertical wall, that is entirely different than what I pictured. In that case, I would put down a sheet of plywood after removing your current ramp, and thereby covering the floor where there is nothing. That way, you could store boxes and other items where the ramp had been. A folding stairs could be installed in a hallway, or some other room in the house, to enable you to access the attic. And a rack on casters would give you additional shelving capacity to store off-season clothing, Christmas decorations, etc. Hope this helps.
Why don't you call a carpenter and have them come out and take a look and give you some ideas and maybe an estimate. You want to make a safe improvement.
The floor joists which are under the rest of your closet, would be the same size as all of the joists, are under your current ramp, and should be sufficient without adding anything else for reinforcement. If you hire a carpenter, he would be able to determine if additional support was needed.