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My questions might sound silly, but my current house (southern New Hampshire) is a basic ranch with no basement so all plumbing, electric, etc. is accessed through the walls or the attic (easy access -- drop-down stairs in the garage and the attic runs the whole length of the house). I am moving to a 2-story house with a basement under the main part and crawl space under an addition. This new house also has an attic although its walls are not high and I won't be using it for anything. In fact, I will be adding lots of insulation to it (at the recommendation of my inspector and a colleague who does a lot of work on houses).
OK, that's the background. At my new house, I have easy access to electric/plumbing/heating etc. on the first floor via the basement, but I will want to do a few things on the 2nd floor like add ceiling fans in the bedrooms. (In some bedrooms there are light fixtures so I assume switching those to a ceiling fan would be relatively easy, but in other bedrooms there are NO ceiling fixtures so I assume I would need to access those areas via the attic?) And I assume that I need access through the attic (not through walls) for any "new" electrical items (e.g., adding outlets etc.)? Anything that needs attic access, I will want to do before adding insulation, so I am trying to make a list now.
Also, at some point I will be adding a bathroom in what is now a huge dressing area in the master bedroom (2nd-floor). The bedroom itself is ~13'6" by 25' but an area about 13'6" by 8' was carved out for a dressing area (it has its own door from the bedroom itself, 2 windows, and 2 closets). That dressing area is right next to another bathroom; a bathtub is right on the other side of the wall. Even if I don't have the bathroom added now, should I at least have the stink pipe etc. installed (since that piping would have to go up through the attic)?
My biggest concern is a lack of access to the attic once the new insulation is added, since it will likely total ~20".
To those of you who have 2-story houses with attics: for what kinds of renovations would you have to go through your attic as opposed to through walls etc.? I have excellent workers in terms of repairing drywall etc. for work in the walls -- just not sure for what kinds of work the attic is the ONLY access.
Hope all this made sense! Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!
My questions might sound silly, but my current house (southern New Hampshire) is a basic ranch with no basement so all plumbing, electric, etc. is accessed through the walls or the attic (easy access -- drop-down stairs in the garage and the attic runs the whole length of the house). I am moving to a 2-story house with a basement under the main part and crawl space under an addition. This new house also has an attic although its walls are not high and I won't be using it for anything. In fact, I will be adding lots of insulation to it (at the recommendation of my inspector and a colleague who does a lot of work on houses).
OK, that's the background. At my new house, I have easy access to electric/plumbing/heating etc. on the first floor via the basement, but I will want to do a few things on the 2nd floor like add ceiling fans in the bedrooms. (In some bedrooms there are light fixtures so I assume switching those to a ceiling fan would be relatively easy, but in other bedrooms there are NO ceiling fixtures so I assume I would need to access those areas via the attic?) And I assume that I need access through the attic (not through walls) for any "new" electrical items (e.g., adding outlets etc.)? Anything that needs attic access, I will want to do before adding insulation, so I am trying to make a list now.
Also, at some point I will be adding a bathroom in what is now a huge dressing area in the master bedroom (2nd-floor). The bedroom itself is ~13'6" by 25' but an area about 13'6" by 8' was carved out for a dressing area (it has its own door from the bedroom itself, 2 windows, and 2 closets). That dressing area is right next to another bathroom; a bathtub is right on the other side of the wall. Even if I don't have the bathroom added now, should I at least have the stink pipe etc. installed (since that piping would have to go up through the attic)?
My biggest concern is a lack of access to the attic once the new insulation is added, since it will likely total ~20".
To those of you who have 2-story houses with attics: for what kinds of renovations would you have to go through your attic as opposed to through walls etc.? I have excellent workers in terms of repairing drywall etc. for work in the walls -- just not sure for what kinds of work the attic is the ONLY access.
Hope all this made sense! Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Hi Karen I live in north central MA....I'm not exactly a construction expert but I have a 1.5 story house and have done a ton of work to it, same kinda design as yours...
I cut out a hole in the 2nd story ceiling in the hallway to do electrical work, there was already cellulose insulation up there, I decided to put one of those pull down ladders in the hallway so I could access up there in the future, in fact I now plan to put in a window and make it into a loft for sleeping up there. There is only insulation up to the joists though which are 10 inches or so.
I am pretty positive you can buy insulated pull-down stairs or access panel , you could pretty easily build an insulated access panel if you wanted and build a box around it so the insulation does not fall down when you open it. I have some ideas on how to do this if you want to hear.
Hope this helps answer your question,feel free to ask me anything!
Sturmgeist, I just want to be sure I'm understanding you. In order to do electrical work on the 2nd floor of your house, you DID need to access wiring from the attic (not just from walls)?
I have drop-down stairs to the attic at my current house and they are very convenient. At the new house, there are 2 (covered) holes in the 2nd floor ceiling -- both in closets, one hole bigger than the other -- for attic access. But currently there's only about 6" of insulation -- nowhere near enough in the house (my inspector suggested 21" total up there and thought it would make a big difference in terms of energy usage). I think that once I have all that insulation put in, I won't have any easy access at all, hence wanting to get stuff done now. But I am still not sure about what the attic is needed for in terms of access. Maybe EVERYTHING on the 2nd floor can be accessed through the walls?
I do like the idea of keeping an "attic access panel" just in case. Sturmgeist, you said you have some ideas about that?
Any thoughts on doing some of the work for a future bathroom while I have attic access?
Sturmgeist, I just want to be sure I'm understanding you. In order to do electrical work on the 2nd floor of your house, you DID need to access wiring from the attic (not just from walls)?
I have drop-down stairs to the attic at my current house and they are very convenient. At the new house, there are 2 (covered) holes in the 2nd floor ceiling -- both in closets, one hole bigger than the other -- for attic access. But currently there's only about 6" of insulation -- nowhere near enough in the house (my inspector suggested 21" total up there and thought it would make a big difference in terms of energy usage). I think that once I have all that insulation put in, I won't have any easy access at all, hence wanting to get stuff done now. But I am still not sure about what the attic is needed for in terms of access. Maybe EVERYTHING on the 2nd floor can be accessed through the walls?
1st, I hope I'm understanding you correctly lol
Yes, I re-wired the house myself and to run the wires for the smoke detectors,lights and switches I needed to go into the attic...(if your walls are all opened up like mine were on the 1st floor you won't need to access the attic to do wiring) I'm pretty sure if it even was possible to do it any other way it would have been super difficult to near impossible. Accessing the wiring after you are done running all the wires is a different story, yes no problem and so long as they are not stapled to can fish them and replace them without much trouble. Also I agree with texdave, unless you are doing the wiring yourself I'm sure your electrician can answer all these questions and advise you..
I'm only 22 and had no prior electrical experience before wiring my house so I don't want to give you the wrong advice and have you get pissed at me..
Oh, and durrr, what kind of electrical do you need to do or are you just asking if access will be needed should you need to do electrical work in the future? That of course would also depend on what specifically you need to do. I'm kinda going around in circles, sorry for the rant,I'm confusing myself
Quote:
I do like the idea of keeping an "attic access panel" just in case. Sturmgeist, you said you have some ideas about that?
Yeah, I will make a drawing in MS paint of my idea for you and post it tomorrow
Quote:
Any thoughts on doing some of the work for a future bathroom while I have attic access?
Not sure specifically what work you would want to do but if you anticipate the attic being sealed off then absolutely, do anything and everything you need or want to do from up there while it's still open!
Sturmgeist, I just want to be sure I'm understanding you. In order to do electrical work on the 2nd floor of your house, you DID need to access wiring from the attic (not just from walls)?
I have drop-down stairs to the attic at my current house and they are very convenient. At the new house, there are 2 (covered) holes in the 2nd floor ceiling -- both in closets, one hole bigger than the other -- for attic access. But currently there's only about 6" of insulation -- nowhere near enough in the house (my inspector suggested 21" total up there and thought it would make a big difference in terms of energy usage). I think that once I have all that insulation put in, I won't have any easy access at all, hence wanting to get stuff done now. But I am still not sure about what the attic is needed for in terms of access. Maybe EVERYTHING on the 2nd floor can be accessed through the walls?
I do like the idea of keeping an "attic access panel" just in case. Sturmgeist, you said you have some ideas about that?
Any thoughts on doing some of the work for a future bathroom while I have attic access?
Thanks again!
My suggestion based on my own renovations and insulation project a couple of years ago:
Build the walls of the attic access up higher than your new attic insulation will be. You can insulate the lid with hard foam (pink or blue board)
Build a raised walkway (again build just slightly higher than the top of the insulation will be) to those attic areas which will need accessed for your renovations or other potential repairs.
Have the insulation company blow the insulation under the walkway and up to nearly the top of the sides. Similarly make certain the insulation company blows the insulation several inches over any existing HVAC ducting in your attic.
*** Have the attic insulation blown AFTER the electrical work has been done and have the electrician place wiring it in metal conduit.
Ideally you don't want anyone walking ontop of the insulation and compacting it. If they do it will be a waste of your money and your insulation's efficience.
Your idea of having the plumbing stack run ahead of the future bath renovation and before the insulation is upgraded is a good one, IMO.
In one home I owned, attic access was through a panel in the closet ceiling and one walked on ceiling joist hoping they did not fall through the ceiling as many have. I added a set of drop down stairs and installed basic plywood flooring and a light. I used the area for storage.
What you want to do is quite common and easily done.
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