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Shop Attic is 6ft W x 41-48 H.. do you utilize this space?

667 Views 15 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  Jeff is outside



the few things in this attic are still here from the previous owner.
my shop's attic FLOOR is going to be sealed and insulated this year and i was thinking about adding a pull-down ladder entrance and adding a basic floor with reclaimed deck wood.
this would be a space i can only crawl. I don't plan to store things here, but plans change.. i was just looking for a way to inspect this attic on occasions.
plans do change, so i was preparing it to be a storage space, if need be for the right things.

now i see i'll have to offset my pull-down ladder so that the ladder top is near the center of the attic.. would this be the right placement?
do you utilize such a short 41 inch high space that's 6ft wide? (it's 48" to the roof deck)
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10 Meter airgun range with target trolley installed. Or not.
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Insulate it and forget it ...that attic is identical to mine. 2x4 trusses are not design to have a load put on the ceiling boards ,,and you would have to crawl around on your hands and knees. Building a storage shed in the backyard would be a much better solution.
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i appreciate all the answers and slept on it.
since i need to crawl in there instead of standing, i think i'll still need to get up there and lay some boards down so i can apply scabbing to the broken rafter in the previous picture, review wiring and electrical boxes before it's insulated, remove this weird anchor hanging from my ceiling, mount a couple ceiling fans, and someday staple radiant barrier to the rafters.
the previous owner did some questionable things and i wonder how many sins are up in there which i cannot see. lol
with the observation from @lugnut i'll not be storing anything up there.
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Attics tend to get used for storing seasonal stuff. Like Christmas decorations and lawn chairs . I go up in mine about twice a year.
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Extra vinyl siding/ gutters and such.

Christmas decorations go in the house attic, keep that stuff out of my shop.
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Speaking in regards to myself, an attic becomes a place to store things that aught to be thrown out.
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Speaking in regards to myself, an attic becomes a place to store things that aught to be thrown out.
Yeah, me too... My wife told me last night (again) I'm a hoarder :ROFLMAO: Maybe a little bit, now that I see my son not throwing anything out... ever. Funny how kids are mirrors
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I'd only use it to store things that I keep but would probably never need. Like extra materials to projects that I finished and would maybe need if something happened but probably not, like siding, trim, etc.
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There was a guy who bought an old house with attic filled with stuff. He found a cigar box someone had labeled "Pieces of string too small to save".

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I did something similar, only my trusses are 6ft tall, and I have 5ft of headroom.

-Check all trusses to ensure they are sound and make any repairs to restore them to original working condition.
-Reinforce the bottom chords of the trusses by sistering a 2x4 to each one, extending it beyond the bottom panel point each way.
-Use 1/2" plywood for the walls and 3/4" plywood for the floors, this way the trusses act together and better distribute loads.
-Store only light materials. 10lbs per square foot max.

I analyzed my trusses (chords, web members, connections) to ensure nothing was overloaded. If you can't analyze them, then compare the new loading (dead load + Live Load + Storage) vs the original design (dead + Live) and make sure you are not more than 5% than design. You can compare total load on a single truss for simplicity, or also the bending moment as if it were a simply supported beam. Since you are only loading 3~4ft of the span with 10psf, you'll likely fall below the 5% rule.

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@Jeff is outside
  • how long is your attic ladder openeing, 48" or 52"?
  • is it 22.5" wide or 25.5?
  • was your ladder installed when you carried the sheets of wood up? or did you shove all the sheets up prior to the attic floor and garage ceiling being finished?
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@Jeff is outside
  • how long is your attic ladder openeing, 48" or 52"?
  • is it 22.5" wide or 25.5?
  • was your ladder installed when you carried the sheets of wood up? or did you shove all the sheets up prior to the attic floor and garage ceiling being finished?
I believe I installed all the sheathing off a work ladder before the installing the access ladder, leaving the opening clear. The trusses are 24" o.c. so I installed a 22.5" wide ladder. I'm pretty sure it's 48" long.

As you can see I installed the ladder off to one side so that I have a sort-of landing in the attic. If you install it centered, it could be more awkward/dangerous to maneuver
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7







Looks bowed because I used panoramic to fit it all in lol
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Nice!
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