Pull Down Attic Ladders

Pull down attic ladders make it possible for many homeowners to access their attic. When you are planning on making renovations, depending upon the location of such access points, you may want to keep them as is, or change them into a permanent staircase. It all depends upon the layout of the proposed attic renovation and the pull down attic ladders in relation to the new space.

The reason many homes have pull down attic ladders, also called folding or telescoping attic ladders, is because of some kind of space constraint. For instance, many pull down attic ladders exist because they drop down into a main walkway or hallway within the main or upper floors of the home. If they were not to pull down, they would be an extreme hazard and an obstacle to navigate in regular, daily life.

Thus, when most homeowners plan an attic remodel, they have to decide whether or not to install a power ventilator and what to do with the pull down attic ladders that they have relied upon for so many years. In some cases, the pull down ladders are left where they are, untouched. In other cases, the home renovations are so far reaching that a staircase will replace the pull down attic ladders.

Types of Stairs

There are a few ways to get up and down through the different floors of the house. There are spiral staircases, which do not take up much more room than the pull down attic ladders. There are staircases that have landings, which may suffice in larger structures. If you are doing major renovations, this may actually be a great solution for accessing the newly renovated attic space. A traditional staircase, which cascades down one wall (or through a room), takes up a good deal of room, and may not be ideal in this instance.

For others, they may now be facing up to four or five floors of space, and thus want to avoid stairs as much as possible. If you include a basement, main floor (or two, with a split level), upstairs, and an attic, stairs may seem very tiring, especially when cleaning or going between the floors. In this case, it may actually make sense to invest in an elevator. It will not take up much more room than a spiral staircase or pull down attic ladders. Yet, it will serve the whole family very efficiently.

In this case, though, you will still probably have to maintain a set of stairs or ladders that can suffice in case the elevator breaks, and cannot always pull its weight. It is necessary to have the option for pull down ladders even as a back up entrance into the newly renovated space. Though, if the pull is toward beautifying and trying to ditch the ladders, then still consider working with a designer. A designer will be able to anticipate (and thus prevent) such issues as windows or doors opening in dangerous or unhelpful manners.

Material Options

There are a few materials that are commonly used to make ladders that you pull out to use. Traditionally they were all made from wood. Steel and aluminum are also popular, though, because they can do more than just fold when they are secured into place. The metal variety can do what is called telescoping, which means they cascade out, and cascade shut. This saves a lot of headaches and trouble dealing with heavy wood steps.

Wood can be especially difficult for the shorter members of the family to use. Even shorter adults may have trouble reaching the hatch in the ceiling from where the steps cascade. The wood needs to be held as it is yanked from the ceiling. The metal poses less of a threat of dropping onto someone while in operation. Instead, ensure that operation of the steps will not harm your family. Safeguard them from problems such as these.

There is a variety of options. Though, if you will be using portable and cascading or telescoping steps, you will need to make sure that you keep them insulated, even if you have renovated the very far reaches upstairs. It is by way of a metallic lined blanket that hot and cold air is kept in the main areas of the home. It prevents transmission of the air your heating and cooling systems work so hard to regulate, into the upstairs. If this is a problem, it points to a need for the homeowners to actually insulate and weatherize their upstairs rather than deal with drafts and bursts of hot air.

Pull down attic ladders are a great tool for homeowners to reach the far reaches of the upstairs of their homes. Prior to a renovation, it becomes necessary to evaluate how to treat these items in the household. It is a question of whether to keep it or replace it.