Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
ASK THE INSPECTOR: Attic access proves height of frustration
QUESTION: We have a 22-year-old house in Whyteridge that has no inside attic access. It has a small vented trap door on the top side wall. Our house is a two-storey and I want to get into the attic. The side hatch is right at the highest point and not easy to get at because there is a large tree on the same side.
What points should I consider when making an inside attic access hatch? Many of the houses in this neighbourhood have the same setup with no inside attic access. What is the reason for this style of construction? D. Baril-Bissett, Winnipeg
ANSWER: I empathize with the frustration you feel about not being able to gain easy access to the attic hatch on the outside of your house. I often run into this same situation during inspections and since I don't regularly carry a 30-foot ladder on my vehicle I cannot get in to view the attic. Most of my clients are more than understanding but often ask the same question that you have posed about the reason for the strange location of the hatch.
When it started to become common practice to put the attic access hatch on a gable end outside the home, several years ago, I initially applauded the idea. It is often difficult to get a good look inside an attic from a tiny opening cut between two ceiling joists, especially when it is located in the top of a small, crowded closet.
My enthusiasm has lessened in the last few years as builders have increasingly gone higher and higher with these hatches, often locating them above small alcoves that create another obstacle to entrance. If you have a bungalow or a home with multiple levels or vaulted ceiling, the outside location is ideal. It is even better when a gable vent is installed on the hatch, which allows much needed ventilation into the attic, especially above vaulted ceilings.
If your tree is planted in such a location to obstruct the attic hatch, perhaps it's too close to the house or in need of trimming. With an attic hatch on a two-storey home like yours, it may be at least 20 feet above the ground, which should require four to eight feet of clearance between the bottom of the ladder and the house for setup.
If the tree is tall enough to become a hazard and is closer than that distance to the home, you should consider other problems that could arise from its location. The branches and leaves could rub or sit against the house walls and cause moisture damage. If the top branches are above the roof line, they could cause premature wear or damage to the roofing, if not trimmed frequently.
Depending on the type of tree, the roots could cause some issues with the foundation or drying out of the soil in that area of the yard. Unless it is still small, looking into removal of the tree before it becomes too large or causes damage may be in order. In that case, installation of an additional inside attic hatch may be unnecessary.
If the previous issue is not a concern, and you are committed to installation of an interior access hatch, the location may determine the next course of action.
The ideal area for an access hatch is in a wide hallway or ceiling that will give you sufficient room around the hatch for access with a ladder. It may be unsightly to install this hatch in the upper floor hallway, so the next best location is in the ceiling of an upper floor bedroom. If you have a large walk-in style closet, normally in the master bedroom, this will be the ideal spot. This is the preferred location in most new homes that don't have the exterior opening. It's an area that is not normally visible to most guests, and will have enough room around the perimeter for easy entry.
Installation of this interior access point for your attic will depend on the style of roof framing and the spacing between the trusses or ceiling joists. The majority of homes your age, and in your area, will have pre-manufactured trusses with spacing between the members of approximately 22 2-1/2 inches. This is due to the typical installation of 24-inch centres for the trusses. This spacing should allow sufficient room for installation of the hatch without modification to the trusses, which is not recommended.
The first thing to do is locate the trusses in the area of the ceiling you wish to install the hatch with a stud finder, or old fashioned hammer and nail. Once located and marked out between the bottom cords of trusses, the drywall on the ceiling could be carefully cut with a small drywall saw or reciprocating saw, to make the opening. Once the hole in the ceiling is complete, and your hair and clothes are covered with loose fill insulation, you can frame in the sides of the new hatch between the trusses and secure the drywall with screws to prevent sagging.
Once this rough opening is complete, it should be lined on all four sides with plywood or OSB sheathing to provide a moisture resistant square box, tall enough to prevent the loose insulation from falling into the opening. The next steps are to nail thin wood stops near the bottom of the opening to support a plywood cover cut a little smaller than the inside dimensions of the box. This cover should be insulated with a couple of layers of rigid polystyrene insulation with a weatherstrip installed on the top of the stops to seal the hatch when in place.
The final step is to install casing or trim on the bottom, to cover the cut ceiling drywall edges, and paint on all the new material. If you have typical truss roof construction this installation should be straight forward, as long as there are no electrical wires or other obstructions in the attic.
Following these guidelines will provide a well-sealed interior access hatch for entry into your attic.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors - Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be e-mailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
SOLUTIONS: Getting baked-on food off ceramic counter
QUESTION: In an apartment building I own, the client cooked on the ceramic-top stove, but neglected to clean the top surface and now it is all baked on. How can I start the removal of the old baked-on mess? -- Jean, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Head to a store where appliances are sold. They will sell you a tool that looks like a razor blade. This little gadget will not damage the surface but it will save you time and effort in cleaning the stovetop each time you use it. There are also products on the market for cleaning cooktops but a little dish soap, water and the razor tool are all I would use.
QUESTION: I have recently noticed a layer of strange-coloured soil on all my houseplants that looks fuzzy, much like white mould. I do not water my plants very often and am wondering what the cause of this is. What is the best way to get rid of it and prevent it from happening again? I just mixed it into the soil but am thinking perhaps I should have scraped it off. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks -- Sheri, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Depending on where you live, the problem may be the amount of salt in your water. In other words, if you have a salt softener on your cold-water taps and you are using cold water to water your plants, the white layer you see forming may be salt and not mould. If this is not the case, typically mould comes from overwatering your plants. Wait until the soil is dry five centimetres deep before watering. Or move the plants to an area where they will receive additional sun. If the problem remains, re-pot the plants and start over with sterile soil.
QUESTION: I have been reading your column regularly and appreciate your easy solutions on so many things. I have a problem I am unable to resolve. I used rubber/silicon feet to support some display items on a windowsill, which was exposed to morning sun on the east side. After a few weeks I discovered these feet left marks on the paint of the sill. I have tried many things to remove these marks without success. I was hoping not to have to sand and paint the whole area. I did try sanding with a very fine paper (Diamond Grit 600) without any success. I would very much appreciate any suggestions. Thank you. -- Harwant, Winnipeg
ANSWER: What I would use in your case is plain old baking soda and water. Make a paste. Leave for 20 minutes and scrub hard. If the marks remain, spray the area with WD-40. Wait for 10 minutes and wipe. If the marks are still there, you will need to clean the area with TSP and water or dish soap and water and repaint.
QUESTION: When I lend books to my friend they come back smelling strongly of perfume and/or creams. Sometimes after I've visited her, my clothes also reek of perfume. I am highly allergic to strong odours. How do I get the perfume smells out of my books and clothes? I very much enjoy your articles. Thank you. -- Marion, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Leaving books and fabrics outside on a dry day is an effective way to zap odours. When you bring your items back into your home, soak fabrics in borax and water before washing (according to the care-label directions). As for the books, place them in a plastic container or garbage bag with either kitty litter or charcoal. Or lay the books in your freezer for a couple of hours. That should zap any lingering odours.
QUESTION: In your column, you mentioned micro-fibre clothes. We bought one a while back, but we don't know how to use it. Do you wet it, spray it with some kind of solution or just use it dry? There were no directions on the package when we bought it. Thanking you in advance for your reply. -- Gerry, Belair, Man.
ANSWER: This is such a great question, it made me smile! Good quality micro-fibre clothes are a worthwhile investment and this coming from a very frugal person. If you get your hands on a good quality cloth, each fibre is 100 times finer than human hair. The reason this is important information is the cloth will hold a lot of water, and water is all you need. You can wet the cloth once and wipe down several windows without having to re-wet the cloth. If you also find a micro-fibre drying cloth, you will be laughing because then you are really in business. Wash your windows with water and dry in a circular motion (on a cloudy day or in the morning) with your drying cloth. No streaks!
Reena Nerbas is the author of the national bestselling Household Solutions series. Her website is www.householdsolutions.org. You can contact her at Box 429, Blumenort, Man., R0A 0C0.
