I've got an older house, built in 1919 (stacked stone foundation, brick, lots of heavy lumber) and I got this crazy idea I could build out the 3rd floor into a FAR more useful space than it is now. I'm not sure why some other owner didn't think/attempt this so may there is something I am missing — someone DID put a HUGE antenna in there but beyond that, a single light socket and all the loose insulation, its untouched.
The cross beams in the attic are 10×2 and stupid strong (busts nails, no really) being about 13" apart. The roof is shaped in a steep V and high enough I can stand up easily (I'm 6'8) and it's all completely open — 16' wide by … probably 50' deep – all of which is utterly wasted. I'm thinking I could feed some plywood up there to create a floor and start building it out into more useable, maybe even living space. The biggest catch as of right now is the opening — it's <2' by 3'. Barely big enough to me to sneak my way in there and MAYBE bend some 8'x2' sheets up there (rip an 8×4).
Really what I need it for today is simply storage. Long term, we'd like to build a walk-out 3rd floor but since in ~100 years no one else has bothered…it makes me think "why didn't someone?". Any ideas/thoughts on this?
Best Answer
As far as the opening goes, you can put in a collapsing ladder, such as this one. I've installed one before and they're not too bad, just a little framing work and some large nails (I used 16p nails and you'll need a friend or two to help, the ladder and frame is somewhat weighty). This gives you a ladder and an easy way to get up to the attic and it collapses down to just a panel which can be painted and framed to make it look nice against the ceiling.
The attic in my house just has some plywood on the truss floor which serves as a great storage floor. Just have to be sure not to block the air flow in the attic and realize that it may get very hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I made the mistake of storing some candles in boxes one summer ..... wound up with candle blobs when I discovered them again.