Attic Access OR Bats in our Belfry

You might already think that we have bats in our belfry, as they say, but I promise that WE don't think we're crazy. Our plans to have the old knob and tube wiring replaced dictated the order of operation for other things. For instance, dropping the ceiling in the basement would be required in order to string the new wiring for outlets. So, before we installed the new garage door I demolished the garage. Also, we had black mold in a part of the basement due to a leaky water supply shutoff valve, so I purchased an air purifier, a mold remediation solution, and suited up to carefully remove the drywall and secure it in thick plastic bags for disposal. Having addressed the mold in the wall, it only made sense to also pull down the ceiling for the needed access for the electrical job.

Similarly, we needed to consider attic access for wiring the ceiling lights. The only access to our HUGE attic was a small-ish access hole in the ceiling of the closet in the front bedroom. If one were to actually use the closet, she wouldn't be able to get up through the hole. Wouldn't it be GREAT to be able to access the attic for potential storage down the road? With some careful measuring and research to find the smallest attic ladder available, we determined that we could close up the hole in the closet in favor of an attic ladder in the hallway. There was no point in refurbishing the bedroom and closet until we patched up the attic access, and if we were going to patch up the hole, we might as well install the new access ladder.

Before: Do you see where it will go?	Before: Clearing the space in the attic.

As you can see in the photo, I had already started stripping the trim in anticipation of working in the hallway. I worked on this for a couple hours a night, with the goal of finishing one door frame a week. THERE ARE SIX DOORS IN THE HALLWAY!!! Sorry for the outburst...I just needed to emphasize how ridiculous that is.

Make hole, demo plaster.	Nice hole!

Nick figured out the precise measurements and marked the hole. He used a jig saw to cut through the lathe and plaster and a hammer and crow bar to knock down the plaster. Demolishing plaster overhead is the worst--it falls right into your face. Blech!

New framing.	Framing in action.

We knew that at some point we'd want to lay down a floor in the attic to make the space usable. However, Nick determined that we would not be able to get full 8' x 4' sheets of plywood into the attic once the ladder was installed due to the angle of the ladder and the limited space in the hallway. So, before the ladder went in, we bought a bunch of plywood and SHOVED it up the hole. This was SO much harder than you can imagine. One of us had to serve a as Receiver in the attic and the other had to be the Hoister on the ground. The Hoister had to lift up the plywood high enough for the receiver to take over. As I recall, I was the Hoister; a position earned after failing as the Receiver, which required more strength. 

Taa daa! Future floor. 

To be continued...