Drop down stairs

[Luca]

Any wisdom/comments about having drop down stairs installed to a crawl space would be appreciated.

[Runtime Error]

Buy a good quality folding step unit that will fit between your ceiling joists. If you're putting it in yourself, follow the detailed directions carefully and exactly. Measure twice, cut once-- especially when you trim the height of the ladder to your installation. Too short is a real bitch....

If you're not up to do it yourself, hire a capable guy who knows what he's doing to install....

[dpb]

My comment would be I ken dropdown stairs to/from an attic; I don't follow how they would function in a crawl space, at least w/ an ordinary definition of crawl space.

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[DerbyDad03]

Think about what you will be putting up in the crawl space. The stairs come in various widths, so get the widest one you think you might need. Nothing worse than putting in a 22" width only to find that you really need 30" or more.

Don't settle for what you see on the shelf at the home center, there may be more widths and options available on-line than at the store. Do some research. Do you want metal or wood? Do you want a railing? etc.

Standard attic stairs can be pretty energy inefficient. There are stairs with built in insulation or you can buy covers that go over the stairs on the attic side or you can find some pretty simple plans on- line to make your own cover. I'll be making one this fall.

I added a piece of hardboard across the bottom of my ladder so the wood wouldn't dig into my carpet.

[Oren]

I don't know the ordinary definition, but one should have to crawl around and have no need for a ladder.

[Oren]

If the steps are for an attic, does it meet local code/fire rating. Various styles have various fire ratings, I think...

[Frank]

When my house was new, I installed them into an attic area over the garage. You could stand in part of it but rest you'd have to stoop. I put down a few partical boards and use for storage.

At the time I was fighting with the county and builder over my septic coming up and had to install a new drain field. County inspector came around to check job, glanced in garage and saw stairs and had "loft" added to my property tax assessment. I insisted his boss come out and inspect it and he did and removed assessment.

[Red Green]

Luca wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Yea. Why? Do you like go down there and get drunk? Just how high is this "crawl" space? Isn't it accessed from outside? Where would the stairs be when they are up? In the house?! I mean the part that normally is out of view when it's in the attic.

Obviously having problems envisioning this one.

[aemeijers]

For those that came in late- OP, like some others I have noticed on this group over the years, apparently uses the term 'crawl space' to describe the typical unwalkable 5-12 roof modern attic. They all probably live in slab-house country, and don't even know that the term traditionally applies to the mini-dungeon under the house, not the one above.

-- aem sends...

[Red Green]

aemeijers wrote in news:Uy1rk.171945$ [e-mail]:

Ahhhhhh, thanks.

[DerbyDad03]

re: I don't know the ordinary definition, but one should have to crawl around and have no need for a ladder.

One might need a ladder to gain access to the crawl space so that one could crawl around.

My attic is a crawl space which I use for storage, so I have a drop down ladder in the hallway for access.

[dpb]

DerbyDad03 wrote: ...

Your attic is still an attic, even if it isn't tall enough to stand in. It isn't a crawl space.

"A rose by any other name..."

Or (supposedly) from A Lincoln -- "How many legs does a sheep have if you call the tail a leg?" "Four. Calling the tail a leg doesn't make it one."