Moving loft hatch

[BN83]

We're about to get the keys to our first house and have a list of jobs we're going to be doing in order. The first one is to sort the loft out before we move anything in as we can imagine it being a pain in the bum to sort later with stuff in the loft. The current loft hatch is absolutely tiny, so we're going to replace it, but it's currently at the top of the stairs. The stairs and main landing run right angled to the joists, and where the current loft hatch is it wouldn't be safe to have the ladders coming down to the top of the stairs, equally it won't be possible to fit it right angled as the ladders would hit the landing bannister.

So, I'm planning to move it to the main run of the landing, a few feet away, but the only option is to have it right angled to the joists. I've done some research that says if you cut joists, you need to double up the next joists in the run. So does that mean that if we cut 2 joists, we then have to put a joist the full width of the loft either side of the hatch as well as double joists either side of the hatch? Or do we just need to double up the joists around the frame itself?

Images of the hallway with rough drawings of where things should be and where we want them.

I obviously don't have full details of the joists etc as we haven't examined the loft fully yet.

 

[Mottie]

I didn’t move my loft hatch but I recently enlarged it to allow for a new hatch with attached steps. This pic may help you. The blue lines are the existing joists that I removed and the red lines are the new joists that were added.

 

[BN83]

I didn’t move my loft hatch but I recently enlarged it to allow for a new hatch with attached steps. This pic may help you. The blue lines are the existing joists that I removed and the red lines are the new joists that were added.

Thanks for this - and I could be wrong, but I need to cut through joists the other way - right angled to them?

 

[Scally-Ho]

When adding your trimmers, I suggest you use annular (ringed shank) nails or decent gauge screws.

 

[BN83]

@Scally-Ho absolutely will do - not going to cheap out on this.

My thinking of potential cuts and new supports/noggins are like this...

But I've seen other things saying you need to double up on joists all the way around so would that mean the noggin joist either end of the loft hatch (far left and right in this) need a joist that spans the roof?

 

[Scally-Ho]

@BN83 Yes, that should make a good strong job of the hatchway I've always opted for over-engineering where possible.

 

[BN83]

@Scally-Ho If the angles of the wall / ceilings / roof / hatch etc don't allow for a full length joist should I just put a joist from the outside wall (left in original photos) to above the bedroom walls, so essentially across the landing?

 

[Scally-Ho]

Put what you can where you can, just so long as good support is affected