Attic ladder replacement: One Room Challenge, Week 3

We finally got to replacing that attic ladder!

Attic ladder replacement

The attic ladder, sometimes referred to as a scuttle hole ladder, provides access to the attic space in our home. Where I live, there aren’t many cellars or basements, so the attic is especially important.

Why was an attic ladder replacement necessary?

Before, our old attic door did not close completely. As a result, our house was losing heating and cooling, escaping to the attic through the busted door. Also, the final stair on the attic stairs was broken and unsafe. I suppose we could have gotten a piece of wood and repaired the old wooden attic stairs. However, with both the stair and door being messed up, we figured it was best to buy a whole new contraption.

Follow along on the Spring 2022 ORC! Week 1 | Week 2

We bought the new Louisville attic ladder from The Home Depot. In particular, we loved that it features an aluminum stair. Simply, we used a sawzall to cut down the ladder to the height we needed. The attic ladder had guides on the side of the ladder that informed you of where to cut. In the future, I’ll detail how we replaced the door. It is not an easy DIY job!

Is it difficult to install attic stairs?

Yes. The attic ladder does come with instructions, but it does take some critical thinking and ingenuity to properly shim it and swap out the attic ladders.

Which is better: aluminum or wood attic stairs?

In my opinion, aluminum attic stairs are better. The light weight of the stairs makes pulling down the door a lot easier. Also, we liked how cutting the stairs to fit the stair height was so easy. An aluminum attic ladder is much easier to find nowadays compared to wooden attic ladders.

That’s all this week for me! Be sure to check out the other projects from week 3!

-Felicia.

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