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Quick and Clean Attic Storage

Thu 07 Dec 2006 - 13:19

Quick and Clean Attic Storage
By Michael Fahey

Over the last 15 years we have visited over 15,000 homes in various regions of the US. Over 90% of these houses had unfinished attic space used as storage. Most of these spaces were unsafe and dirty with minimal access.

Effective utilization of this space can create excellent areas for storage of infrequently used goods like holiday decorations or seasonal cloths.

If you are handy with tools and have done minor repairs around the home, you can tackle this project on your own over a weekend and add valuable storage space..

To properly determine if this project is good for you, you need to

  • Evaluate access to your attic

  • Determine useable space

  • Determine any safety issues

  • Decide on level of finish

    Access

    In most A frame homes, the attic access is in closets or sometimes in the main hallway. Most hatches are simply drywall or press board cut outs in the ceiling. Some homes have drop down stairs leading to partially finished attic space.

    You should go up in the attic to determine clearances and examine if it is possible to add additional access points like hallway hatches or closet hatches.

    You can easily add hatches in most closets. These hatches can be cut out in the ceiling of the closet and framed. AGAIN,be sure to first inspect the attic for any obstructions over the desired hatch area like duct work, support stringers or electrical wires. Always clear the closet and cover the areas beneath with a heavy drop cloth to catch debris and insulation before cutting.

    The more/easier access you have increases the likelihood of effective use. Hallway access is the best as it is usually central to the home and has the roof peak above, which enable installation of most Drop down stairs.

    If you have knee walls on the second or 3rd floor, look to the knee walls to create access. This can create storage spaces of 4 feet high by 4 feet deep in most cases, and generally the length of the room or house.

    Useable Space

    Some attics will allow you to actually stand up in them. These types can be excellent for all types of storage. Typically, look for areas of free space where you have at least 3 feet from floor joists to roof rafters. Measure out the square footage of the useable attic floor space for storage and write it down.

    Draw the layout on paper, including proposed/existing hatches.
    Inspect the floor area (ceiling joists) for any obstructions, wires, or junction boxes. Make note on your layout.

    Safety Issues

    Inspect the area for wires, exposed nails, water pipes, rodent droppings, venting, recessed light fixtures. Make sure the area is clear and clean. Make sure all attic vents are clear and free of debris.

    Determine the insulation level. If the insulation comes above the floor joists, you will need to build up the floor with 2x4 to add clearance above the insulation (at least 2 inches). Remember, the attic floor should be insulated, not the roof.

    Make notes on your layout.

    Level of Finish

    The assumption here is this will not be a finished attic for another room, just storage or closet space.
    If you have clear access to roof with no stringers, wires, or obstructions in your planned space, you can install walls to the ceiling and close off this space from the unfinished attic. Side hatches or doors can be installed to access unfinished attic. You can tap into a junction box (another article) to install an overhead light and switch.

    If you have stringers, wires, or other obstructions, you may just want to create floor space and drape out an area with heavy plastic. Adding lighting would be the same by tapping into a junction box. If you are going to add a light, do this first and leave loose. Secure it after the floor and drywall is installed.

    Remember, fiberglass insulation is an irritant which can cause itching, allergic reactions, and lung/breathing problems. We want to isolate a storage area from the insulation. There is nothing worse than cleaning insulation off your Christmas balls.

    Once you have determined your space and if you will finish with drywall or drape plastic, get all your measurements to buy materials.
    As an example, lets say you will finish the space with drywall and you determined your free floor space to be 8 feet by 20 feet long (160 sq.ft.). You will need 160 sq. ft. of ¼ inch plywood.

    An easy way to figure the drywall is add up the linear feet, divide by 8 (length of sheet of drywall), and add 1 sheet. So 20 ft. + 8Ft. times 2 = 56 divided by 8 = 7 sheets plus 1 =8 sheets of drywall. (This works since the main wall sizes are less than 4 feet.) If sizes are greater, do accurate measurements.

    (4) 2 x 4 may be required to create corner studs. This should be more than enough to secure your walls.

    You will need the following tools: Tape measure, Circular saw, screw gun, hammer, drywall knife, taping tools, caulk gun, sawzall if you are cutting hatches.

    additional materials are drywall tape, mud, 1 1/2 inch screws, 1 inch floor nails, caulk.
    Once you get materials and tools, do the following.

    Measure size of access to get materials into attic. If your opening is 2 feet x 2 feet, you need to cut the materials to fit through the access. Sometimes it is better to create a bigger access to get larger materials up there. Your skill level determines this.

    First, cut plywood to lay floor area. If you are cutting 2 feet x 8 feet, do all the cuts at once and bring floor up. Sometimes it is best to cut it 2x4 for easy handling. Layout floor on ceiling joists. You can nail floor to ceiling joists if pieces are thin, but it is not required.

    Once floor is laid, cut drywall in 2 feet sections or larger and bring up. Remember, this is only storage. Start from the peak down on each side. Screw into roof rafters. Now do the side walls. If framing is required, cut 2x 4 to run from rafters to plywood floor. Screw into rafter, and toe in to floor. Screw drywall in sections.

    Once drywall is laid out, you can tape and mud the seams to isolate from unfinished attic. Caulk floor seams, and caulk drywall to floor around perimeter.

    If you are not adding walls or drywall to the ceiling because of obstructions, you can staple heavy plastic around the perimeter and also staple to the roof rafters to easily isolate an area. staple the plastic to the floor to enclose the area and isolate it from the insulated portion of the attic.

    This project can be completed in a weekend at an easy pace.
    Cost is less than $150 to $400 if stairs are purchased.

    If clarifications are needed, please visit http://www.thetradesjournal.com or e-mail
    info@thetradejournal.com

    Michael Fahey has performed work as a general contractor and inspected over 15,000 homes. He currently publishes the tradesjournal, http://www.thetradesjournal.com, an online guide for finding contractors and home products in Northern California.

    Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Fahey


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