Not sure how to hinge Loft Hatch, edge of ladder in the way!

[jaba]

I have large ish loft hatch door which is getting damaged little by little every time I need to up there as I have to slide it to one side (it's bloody heavy)
I need to repair, sand and paint as it looks a mess. But no point in doing that until I don't have to slide it open!

I've got a couple of hinges, the type that you can remove the pins so that if I needed to remove the door it would be an easy process!

The problem;
I fitted a loft ladder some time ago and if I simply fit the hinges to the opposite side to the ladder, the hatch would be stopped by the edge of the ladder where it hinges.

I can't push the ladder back as it will not let the ladder rotate to a vertical position when lowering. I could in theory cut into the floor but I think when the ladder would rest at an angle it would pull the screws out which would be bad to say the least! Don't want to do that at all.

Any advice welcome on how to do this?

I think I might be able to botch something together, like 2 sets of hinges so I can lift the opposite side of the hatch to the ladder first and push back a little before lifting from the ladder side, but would be better if there is a better solution!
Cheers..

 

[StephenW]

My loft hatch hinges downwards on the same side as the ladder. You need to remove the ledge that your hatch currently sits on and fit a catch.

 

[jaba]

Removing the ledge would mean distroying not only the ledge but also the wood framing the opening which is at least 3 inches deep all the way round plus the sections on the ceiling which would do a lot of damage. I think that would be unnecessary perhaps!

I guess I could just cut down the current hatch and fit a latch but I want it to hinge up anyway.

The current hatch door is also so heavy and a large size that I don't like the idea of that swinging down. One of the joists is just in the right place for it to rest at a good angle so would be easy to close!

So I'm still in need of some idea on how to hinge this big old door up not down?
Thanx

 

[foxhole]

Loft ladders are designed for dropping loft hatches.You would need a different type of ladder probably a folding ladder.

 

[jaba]

Loft ladders are designed for dropping loft hatches.You would need a different type of ladder probably a folding ladder.

Oh I didn't know that. So looks like I'm at a dead end then if I keep the current ladder

I've just found these on the Net which is what I had in mind so I might see if I can make these work. As long as I can lift and push back an inch in the direction of the hinges before lifting other side next to ladder I think these could work!!
Probably not the done thing but I think it might do the job..

 

[jaba]

I finally got round to having a 2nd go at doing this and got it working!
I used double type hinges as I pictured before but with a wider gap in the middle!
With various tinkering and raising and fitting the hinges to the exact position got it working

The ladder I have is the problem. The design really needs a small tweak to reduce the amount it overhangs. Rather than messing with it I opted for working on the hatch door to accommodate the hinges and what hight they sir at! So if anyone wants to do this you now know it can be done!

So now I have a loft hatch that hinges up and just clears the standard sliding ladder, not a folder type ladder!!