ᐅ Drywall construction/hallway for wooden staircase to expandable attic space
Created on: 14 Jan 2019 22:39
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hauspeter
We are building a solid bungalow with an attic that can be converted later. Originally, a insulated folding attic ladder was planned. However, we have now decided to install a quarter-turn wooden staircase to the attic right away, to ensure that building materials can be brought up properly later on.
Since the attic will be insulated and finished at a later stage, a small hallway with a door needs to be created in the attic. What is the recommended wall structure here, and which types of doors are suitable? At this point, there must be an airtight and insulated separation between the ground floor and the attic.
Since the attic will be insulated and finished at a later stage, a small hallway with a door needs to be created in the attic. What is the recommended wall structure here, and which types of doors are suitable? At this point, there must be an airtight and insulated separation between the ground floor and the attic.
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Caspar202015 Jan 2019 14:21Nordlys schrieb:
Where did I say that there is a double vapor barrier?No,
Nordlys schrieb:
on the floor, we have OSB boardsBut OSB also acts as a vapor retarder.
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hauspeter15 Jan 2019 22:03Nordlys schrieb:
I don’t have a photo of the patio door. But you know what a white patio door looks like. Yes, there is already one on the ground floor. :o)
I’m more interested in the construction that supports the door. Is it made entirely of metal profiles or is it a wooden structure? Does it extend all the way up to the roof or is there a horizontal intermediate ceiling above the door?
Metal or wood doesn’t matter; it’s the framework that counts. How this can or should be designed in your case can’t be guessed from here.
The minimal version would be (viewed from the side standing in the attic) a triangle with a door height of about 2m (6.5 ft) at the top of the stairs, sloping down to zero at the opposite end of the stairwell opening.
You can turn the triangle into a rectangle for a bit more headroom when climbing the stairs, but of course, you can also extend either shape all the way up to the ridge/rafter.
Alternatively, a folding hatch could be an option. Screw or stick a frame all around the stairwell opening (to create a smooth surface without gaps), use an OSB board (28mm (1 1/8 inches)) sized about 10cm (4 inches) larger all around, glue insulation onto it, and simply add a seal on the frame. The weight of the board should seal the “door” as well as regular floor hatches do. Costs should be below €100 and the effort is minimal… as long as there is no stair railing in the way ;-)
For easy opening, attach a counterweight via a rope winch to the rafter above.
The minimal version would be (viewed from the side standing in the attic) a triangle with a door height of about 2m (6.5 ft) at the top of the stairs, sloping down to zero at the opposite end of the stairwell opening.
You can turn the triangle into a rectangle for a bit more headroom when climbing the stairs, but of course, you can also extend either shape all the way up to the ridge/rafter.
Alternatively, a folding hatch could be an option. Screw or stick a frame all around the stairwell opening (to create a smooth surface without gaps), use an OSB board (28mm (1 1/8 inches)) sized about 10cm (4 inches) larger all around, glue insulation onto it, and simply add a seal on the frame. The weight of the board should seal the “door” as well as regular floor hatches do. Costs should be below €100 and the effort is minimal… as long as there is no stair railing in the way ;-)
For easy opening, attach a counterweight via a rope winch to the rafter above.
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hauspeter16 Jan 2019 00:08Two images for clarification. On the ground floor, the staircase and the attic ladder are marked; on the upper floor, only the attic ladder is shown. The planned staircase is located between two beams and is approximately 3.5m (11.5 ft) long, positioned about 1m (3.3 ft) behind the 2m (6.6 ft) height line on the upper floor. I estimate the height to the roof is also around 3m (9.8 ft).
With the attic ladder, everything would have been nicely sealed. With the wooden staircase, we now have a 3m² (32 sq ft) hole in the ceiling that needs to be closed—from the exterior wall to the middle of the hallway.
With the attic ladder, everything would have been nicely sealed. With the wooden staircase, we now have a 3m² (32 sq ft) hole in the ceiling that needs to be closed—from the exterior wall to the middle of the hallway.
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