What have you been doing today?

[Mottie]

I made a big 'ole in my ceiling. Had a crappy little loft hatch, 60x56 and bought a decent hatch and wooden steps, 60x110 so had to cut a bigger hole. Mission accomplished for today. Went from this:

To this:

Just got a bit of making good to do tomorrow.

And then my builder/plasterer mate will come and give me a hand to lift the hatch/steps into place when he gets back from his Golfing break in Turkey. These builders do like their golf, don’t they.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Had a crappy little loft hatch, 60x56 and bought a decent hatch and wooden steps, 60x110 so had to cut a bigger hole.

It's all those big breakfasts!

 

[Mottie]

It's all those big breakfasts!

True. When we first moved here in 1990 we didn’t even have any loft ladder. I’d stand on the upstairs bannister and pull myself up into the loft. 35 years later I’ve put on a bit of suet and I was finding it a squeeze to get up there. Even then it was a bit small - we have 4 extra chairs for the table for when friends/family come round and to get them up there I have to go up, disconnect and remove the ladder to enable me to get the dining chairs in and out of the loft. I haven’t told Mrs Mottie yet but she says her mate has a pulley system to get heavy items up and when this is done, I’m thinking of getting an electric winch setup.

 

[MNW67]

True. When we first moved here in 1990 we didn’t even have any loft ladder. I’d stand on the upstairs bannister and pull myself up into the loft. 35 years later I’ve put on a bit of suet and I was finding it a squeeze to get up there. Even then it was a bit small - we have 4 extra chairs for the table for when friends/family come round and to get them up there I have to go up, disconnect and remove the ladder to enable me to get the dining chairs in and out of the loft. I haven’t told Mrs Mottie yet but she says her mate has a pulley system to get heavy items up and when this is done, I’m thinking of getting an electric winch setup.

I had a wooden one like your replacement at my last house. Everyone thought it was very swanky.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I haven’t told Mrs Mottie yet but she says her mate has a pulley system to get heavy items up and when this is done, I’m thinking of getting an electric winch setup.

I use a pulley, bolted to one of the rafters. I use it even for the awkward, but lightweight stuff - it beats struggling on a ladder, with armfuls.

 

[Lirefighter]

For the last few years the opposite appears to be true, Battersea dogs home is choc a bloc with French Bulldogs and the like, the gentry are taking rescue dogs, mongrels, from Spain, Portugal, Romania. They parade them in the parks as their little 'refugee dogs'.

It's a little weird.

 

[fillyboy]

True. When we first moved here in 1990 we didn’t even have any loft ladder. I’d stand on the upstairs bannister and pull myself up into the loft. 35 years later I’ve put on a bit of suet and I was finding it a squeeze to get up there. Even then it was a bit small - we have 4 extra chairs for the table for when friends/family come round and to get them up there I have to go up, disconnect and remove the ladder to enable me to get the dining chairs in and out of the loft. I haven’t told Mrs Mottie yet but she says her mate has a pulley system to get heavy items up and when this is done, I’m thinking of getting an electric winch setup.

Didn't you find a stash of soft porn mags in the loft or am I thinking of somebody else?

 

[Mottie]

Didn't you find a stash of soft porn mags in the loft or am I thinking of somebody else?

Yeah, I did. They are still there somewhere under the boards.

 

[fillyboy]

I like that you left them there, like a 'time capsule' for future generations.

 

[Brigadier]

I like that you left them there, like a 'time capsule' for future generations.

Perhaps they were stuck down

 

[fillyboy]

Perhaps they were stuck down

Eeeeuuuuuurrrgh

 

[Brigadier]

A lad I used to work with called his collection "foldaway ladies"

 

[blup]

I made a big 'ole in my ceiling. Had a crappy little loft hatch, 60x56 and bought a decent hatch and wooden steps, 60x110 so had to cut a bigger hole. Mission accomplished for today. Went from this:

View attachment 381715

To this:

View attachment 381716

Just got a bit of making good to do tomorrow.

View attachment 381717

And then my builder/plasterer mate will come and give me a hand to lift the hatch/steps into place when he gets back from his Golfing break in Turkey. These builders do like their golf, don’t they.

Trying to work out how those overlapping joists either side of the hatch are staying up. Does a structural floor run under them?

 

[fillyboy]

Trying to work out how those overlapping joists either side of the hatch are staying up. Does a structural floor run under them?

He's right mottie. those 4 x 2's (or whatever size) should run full length with fixings each end, and the joists either side fixed to the full length pieces.

 

[Mottie]

Trying to work out how those overlapping joists either side of the hatch are staying up. Does a structural floor run under them?

He's right mottie. those 4 x 2's (or whatever size) should run full length with fixings each end, and the joists either side fixed to the full length pieces.

TBH, I have no idea. I just copied what was there and extended it. I think it’s been like that since the house was built in 1960 so assume it’s okay.