Attic Stair

Attic stair work basically creates an access point to the remodel area and gives homeowners a way to get up and down to and from their new bonus room. There are different ways a stair installation can be done depending on the location of the attic relative to the home. In some cases the attic stair needs to be dropped in the middle of a room below. But in other cases, it is not only possible but preferable to create a staircase on the outside of the house to give the newly finished space its own private entry. Again, this all depends on how attics are located relative to the rest of the house and what exists below them.

Attics above Attached Garages

Stair construction in an attic above a garage can only go one way without causing trouble. Though the original access point was in all likelihood in the center of the garage somewhere, once there is a need for a permanent attic stair it will need to be built on the outside of the home. Of course, it is still possible to do disappearing stairs that pull down and then rise back up and out of the way. But this gives the impression of unfinished storage rather than a finished bonus or play room.

There are other attic renovations that sometimes work in attached garages as well. Occasionally in colonials, it works out to move some things around on the second floor of the house to create a hallway or some sort of inside entrance point for the new area. But this can often cost a lot of money, because closets, bathrooms, and even ductwork might need to be rerouted. Most of the time it is cheaper to go ahead and do an attic stair and create a private or semi private entrance to the newly remodeled room. Of course, these are just a few examples based on one possible location for the attics being finished. There are certainly other possibilities and these ones are only given for illustrative purposes.

Designing Attic Staircases

In many cases the attic stair drops right into the main living area of the house somewhere. When this is the case, there exists a strong need to come up with a design that looks good and that appears to have been more than just an afterthought. If the stair drops down in the outside edge of a room, a single extension with all the necessary steps is probably sufficient and a new wall can be built shortening that room by three or four feet in depth. But sometimes we are not so lucky and the only place available to locate an attic stair is right in the middle of a room. If there is any way to avoid this, of course it is advisable. But if not, we have to make the best of it. This is something to think about when choosing whether to finish our attics. In gaining square footage upstairs, we might end up losing some significant square footage downstairs.

Choosing where to locate the attic stair might end up being one of the most important decisions that designers and consumers make together on these projects. Stair installation is of course necessary if we want to have some real access to the attic. In more cases than we probably think beforehand, an exterior entry point ends up being chosen. This is to conserve space downstairs and upstairs in the attic as well. Stair location and design should be done intelligently and with some caution. One of the things that folks often find helpful is to look at photos of different attics that have been done with staircases located in various areas and built in differing ways. There are more options than we might think at first, and as homeowners we have to keep in mind the best options to get the most out of the new room without taking away too much from the existing one.

Low Prices on Stair Construction

In many instances a project like this is the domain of a skilled finish carpenter. There are sometimes unusual measurements to work around and other such contingencies, so risers usually have to be built by hand. Any covering that is needed for exterior attic entries have to be designed in such a way that they match up with the home and are inconspicuous. This adds to the challenge of the job. Attic stair plans may take some time to put together, but when this step is done, contractors can be off and running finishing the upstairs. Get some quotes on attic stair designs and look at the many possibilities there are for your home based on the way your house is situated and the location of the bonus room.