Enlarge loft hatch

Hi Everyone,

Looking for some advice regarding enlarging a loft hatch in a 1930's semi detached house. Please see below for picture of original setup and proposed plan.


The green area shows the proposed new opening

The green rectangles or the proposed new support timbers ( 4 x 2)

The Blue rectangles are the temporary support timbers (4 x 1)

The red x's and lines are screw points.

The purple circles are my areas of concern.

1) adjacent joists, although I do not intend to cut adjacent joists I will be screwing into them, should I be concerned?

2) Should I be concerned about screwing into joists which have already been screwed into, will the integrity of the joists be compromised.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Why are you doing this?

What you propose will work.

I'll try to keep it simple: the long green trimming pieces should be doubled.

At either end can you extend the header (top) pieces to rest on the walls at the left and the right?

Use screws in everything - pilot hole the screws if necessary. Use hangers wherever they can be fitted.

FWIW: before starting, remove all insulation and vacuum the area. Post pics when all is cleared.
Re-fix the lighting cables.
Use wide kneeling boards - dont work off the loft joists.

Dont work alone, have someone below - always.

ree said:

Why are you doing this?

What you propose will work.

I'll try to keep it simple: the long green trimming pieces should be doubled.

At either end can you extend the header (top) pieces to rest on the walls at the left and the right?

Use screws in everything - pilot hole the screws if necessary. Use hangers wherever they can be fitted.

FWIW: before starting, remove all insulation and vacuum the area. Post pics when all is cleared.
Re-fix the lighting cables.
Use wide kneeling boards - dont work off the loft joists.

Dont work alone, have someone below - always.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply.

The reason why I am doing this is that the existing loft hatch is very small and I want to enlarge it in order to use the loft as a storage area.

In regards to adding double trimming pieces, it did cross my mind however it would mean that I'd have cut the adjacent joists mentioned in my previous post, not by much only by an inch or two in order to get the desired width. Would this be wise?

I agree about using joist hangers where possible.

Well you are going to have to cut joists to extend the opening.
Clean up and post pics and the exact joist connections will be clear.