Building An Attic Hatch

What is the building code requirement for an attic access hatch scuttle or door.

Building an attic hatch.

The florida building code fbc and international residential code irc both require a minimum of one attic access opening for homes with combustible such as wood roof construction if the attic space meets these two criteria. A wellhöfer attic hatch provides access to the roof space or loft without compromising airtightness or the effectiveness of the building s insulation. Moreover when it comes to attic hatches they can impact the overall proper operation of a building and space when not fully insulated or cared for. An attic hatch can often be found in walk in closets or hallways but wherever it is situated it still functions to allow one access to attic space.

Air leaks around attic hatches drastically reduce the effectiveness of the building s insulation layer cause cold spots and lead to condensation when warm humid air from the building meets. Call it a scuttle trap door or attic hatch every attic needs an entrance and often it s merely a square opening in the ceiling. A wellhöfer attic hatch provides access to the roof space or loft without compromising airtightness or the effectiveness of the building s insulation. In days long gone such openings.

The last few attic hatches i have installed were the simplest most cost efficient and effective. The most common of these is the push up type panel that is simply drywall or plywood held in place by simple wood trims. We recently finished building a custom house for a client who had requested that the house be especially airtight for the sake of conserving energy and providing increased comfort. Frame the attic opening with playwood to a height above the attic insulation and drywalling the ceiling to the edge of the plywood opening as usual.

This model has 96mm of insulation on the door. How to open up access into your attic space for inspection and or insulation. Like the standard airtight attic hatch. Wednesday july 4 2018.

Build your own airtight attic access hatch. Covers how to select a location find studs measure and cut a hole install tr. This is a typical goal of ours anyway but because the client had made a special request and because the house was a.