Framing Out Attic

Framing the opening can be easy if you can locate the ladder so that it is parallel with the existing ceiling joists.

Framing out attic.

A finished attic weighs a lot more than boxes of off season duds. Use screws to attach sheets of birch plywood to the angled ceiling over the insulation making sure to drive the screws into the ceiling joists. Run the plywood down to the top of the knee wall. Stand the front wall and align it with the marks on the floor.

If the roof structure consists of trusses rather than rafters particular attention should be paid to. So let s break this down. At a minimum you may need to strengthen the attic s floor joists which are often too shallow or spaced too far apart for the job. Have a pro check the structure.

Collar ties are horizontal members that like rafter ties extend from rafter to rafter but. If you want your attic space to have a flat ceiling you ll need to add collar ties to the framing. The plywood will create a smooth strong ceiling without having to apply drywall tape and mud to the ceiling. I needed to cut one of those 2 x 6 s out to make our attic access larger.

They are usually twice the size of the surrounding framing materials. Our ceiling joists are 2 x 6 s. Install the lower header with joist hangers figure a and assemble the front wall on the attic floor. Note that only one stringer is needed in figure 17 because the ceiling joist provides one side of the frame.

We enlarged the entry to the kitchen and made a header to frame out a doorway here. If the framing in the attic shows evidence of physical damage further evaluation is needed. Cut a stringer to this length. Standard joist spacing for the installation of attic flooring materials is 16 inches on center oc meaning the distance from the center of one joist to the center of the next joist is 16 inches.

If the ceiling joist does not provide one side of the frame cut a second stringer the same length as the first one. Shim under the bottom plate to level it if necessary then nail it into the floor joists with 16d nails. Place 1 piece of timber along the edge of the hole and using the nails fix it into position. Most attic ladders are made to fit between joists set at 24 inches on center.

Plumb the corners with a level and brace them with 2x4s.