Attic Stairs - Pull Down - Suggestions needed please.

[Starpilot]

New Home. Need recommendations for quality install of Attic Stairs in the garage.

If you don't mind, please share Vendors contact info and pricing would be most helpful.

Thank you.

[villagetinker]

I do not have a recommendation for an installer as I did my own. These are very easy to install, just FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS, there are several handymen on this site that can do this work. One point to consider, make sure you look at the slant of the roof rafters and their location as you do not want to be climbing into the protruding roofing nails.

[bmcgowan13]

We used Mike Manning of M&M in early March.

Could not be happier. Great service and prices. Highly recommend (we used him after 3 other neighbors also used him).

mandmstairs@aol.com

[badkarma318]

https://majicstairsinc.com/

[CarlR33]

Stipes, 352-390-7744 for less than $500 for a standard aluminum stair. I would not do DIY after you see how fast they can do it and what is involved to get it right.

[Maker]

Pay attention to the weight load rating. Not knowing your weight, ladder could become overloaded if you are carrying a heavy box, or a second person is on the ladder helping you move a box.

[PJ_Smiley]

Used M&M - But we changed opening. Tinker is correct, "One point to consider, make sure you look at the slant of the roof rafters and their location as you do not want to be climbing into the protruding roofing nails." We have courtyard villa and the attic access in garage was located toward the back. To not climb in to "nails" most stairs we had seen went from back to front. This seemed counter-intuitive to me as I wanted to be able to walk from the front of the garage up the stairs. If the stairs were back-to-front, one had to walk around the stairs to go up. And, anything such as a long ladder would not fit. We had the access hole moved forward and the stairs faced the front (garage door). That way I can walk straight in and up the stairs. After the stairs were installed, we used the drywall from the access opening to seal off the old hole and finished off the ceiling. The ceiling and new access hole (with stairs) looks original.

[jrref]

Please read this thread on Attic Stairs -> https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/fire-rated-attic-stairs-348078/#post2305625

Florida building code (which differs state to state) requires 20 minute fire rating (just enough to get out of the house), 1/2” drywall on all walls and doors in the garage that is attached to the house. Attic stairs (without vent holes retro fitted into them) are allowed as long as it too provides the 20 minute requirement. Doors need to be solid core, not a standard residential hollow core door. Self-closing is not a requirement in FL. The 20 minute goes to 1 hr if there is a direct bedroom above or attached to the garage. No doors into an attached bedroom either. No venting from garage into attic is allowed however, a vent from garage to the outside thru the roof is allowed or the garage is separated from the house by an attic wall. Also, all penetrations (ducts and pipes) must be sealed with material that is also fire retardent.

When you purchase and install a metal or wood attic stairs from Home Depot or Lowes, it only has a single piece of 1/4 plywood between the garage and the attic. When you install something like this you are compromising the fire integrity of your garage and in the event of a fire, it will spread in minutes to the attic and the rest of the house potentially not giving you enough time to leave and get killed in the event.

Read this ->https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/2306642-post39.html
and
Read this-> https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/2312644-post41.html

This is the way it should be done. I got my fire rated attic stairs from Home Depot. Fakro is the manufacturer and the web site is Skylights, Roof Windows, Attic Ladders, Balcony Windows - FAKRO USA (http://www.fakrousa.com). Notice the triple gasket to prevent smoke from entering the attic and the thick wood outer cover vs the 1/4 inch plywood covers most have. Also, all the gaps around the attic stair frame was caulked with fire proof caulk that you can get at Lowes or Home Depot.

[Stu from NYC]

Thought the attic stairs were standard on designer homes.

Guess not

[jrref]

Thought the attic stairs were standard on designer homes.

Guess not

No, generally they put a piece of sheetrock over a framed opening and that's it.

[thevillages2013]

Please read this thread on Attic Stairs -> https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/fire-rated-attic-stairs-348078/#post2305625

Florida building code (which differs state to state) requires 20 minute fire rating (just enough to get out of the house), 1/2” drywall on all walls and doors in the garage that is attached to the house. Attic stairs (without vent holes retro fitted into them) are allowed as long as it too provides the 20 minute requirement. Doors need to be solid core, not a standard residential hollow core door. Self-closing is not a requirement in FL. The 20 minute goes to 1 hr if there is a direct bedroom above or attached to the garage. No doors into an attached bedroom either. No venting from garage into attic is allowed however, a vent from garage to the outside thru the roof is allowed or the garage is separated from the house by an attic wall. Also, all penetrations (ducts and pipes) must be sealed with material that is also fire retardent.

When you purchase and install a metal or wood attic stairs from Home Depot or Lowes, it only has a single piece of 1/4 plywood between the garage and the attic. When you install something like this you are compromising the fire integrity of your garage and in the event of a fire, it will spread in minutes to the attic and the rest of the house potentially not giving you enough time to leave and get killed in the event.

Read this ->https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/2306642-post39.html
and
Read this-> https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/2312644-post41.html

This is the way it should be done. I got my fire rated attic stairs from Home Depot. Fakro is the manufacturer and the web site is Skylights, Roof Windows, Attic Ladders, Balcony Windows - FAKRO USA (http://www.fakrousa.com). Notice the triple gasket to prevent smoke from entering the attic and the thick wood outer cover vs the 1/4 inch plywood covers most have. Also, all the gaps around the attic stair frame was caulked with fire proof caulk that you can get at Lowes or Home Depot.

I don’t see how the piece of drywall sitting on top of trim work meets code. That’s how all these attic access openings are built

[Kingsport]

When we first bought our house a couple of years ago, we DIY installed a nice set of attic stairs from Home Depot. However, I found getting larger items up there to be a pain and thought I might end up falling some day as I get older. So, we got a set of Majic Stairs. If you really intend to use your attic, it is worth the $4K.

To be honest, we could have gotten rid of the attic stuff, not missed it, and kept the $4K! But, that is the subject of another thread.

[Dougmudge]

New Home. Need recommendations for quality install of Attic Stairs in the garage.

If you don't mind, please share Vendors contact info and pricing would be most helpful.

Thank you.So, like some other comments, knowing the weight rating of the ladder is super important; the aluminum ones tend to have higher ratings and be more stable. The next consideration would be, why do you want an attic ladder? Please don't say to store things in the attic space. As an inspector, I can tell you most trusses are not designed for any more load than the sheetrock ceiling, and people who store a lot of stuff up there tend to have ceiling cracks. On top of that fact is that in the summer months, attic temperatures can and do reach 140 degrees. That is certainly not good for anything you might care about.
Just some things to think about, hope its helpful

[retiredguy123]

I don’t see how the piece of drywall sitting on top of trim work meets code. That’s how all these attic access openings are built
In most cases, it does comply with the code. You are just required to slow down the transmission of fire and smoke from the garage to the attic. So, as long as the drywall is the same thickness as the garage ceiling drywall, it should meet the code. But, some people will prop open the drywall with a 2x4, which defeats the purpose of creating a fire and smoke barrier.

[derkster]

[
https://majicstairsinc.com/

[Michread]

Jason with Village Home Solutions does an excellent job.

The stairs went up in price from when we had it installed. We paid $500 but now friends had it done recently for $600

Jason:
774-276-2930

[Bill Dozer]

One thing to consider, if possible, place the stairs in a location where you can access them without having to move a vehicle.

[jrref]

In most cases, it does comply with the code. You are just required to slow down the transmission of fire and smoke from the garage to the attic. So, as long as the drywall is the same thickness as the garage ceiling drywall, it should meet the code. But, some people will prop open the drywall with a 2x4, which defeats the purpose of creating a fire and smoke barrier.

Right! Many don't understand how fast a fire in the garage will spread to the attic and then to the rest of the house jeopardizing their ability to get out and survive. The smoke alone will overwhelm you very quickly. And forget about if this happens when you are sleeping.

As far as Majic stairs is concerned, I know the lift and I think the stairs has metal and not plywood so that will be OK. You can also get fire retardent paint Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/INSL-X-Fr210099-01-Retardant-Latex-Gallon/dp/B08DZBPJS6/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2GTRUF981ZT92&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.xsCJsF_V_jZ2S7dvbCxmVnys3EE1Czkbj iL7XbLP5qxKHePNkHIWllPjogiHhA7UGzXBiOta9mL_U8Ri8fN gO857vrxqeZo7biVjWKZNVjz9Ey643FjzDAfn5gDX9FUdcCQEl CR9Tj9jkofYFcpoXez2X85XLEjKU7ZPjei5A20iK-7fcyIQ9f9gpvEhJCqjRTnnX5su63QpviHFwFmKS9ZI7YzqL5c-q2kAMliszZvHot7h6tkRyuIbwEnrSQdt5UMuLtrT04X3z7glTT AL31C6B1WmptUPL2NTEgGhUYU.yg0U-doomtz5GgYqimCUxpC9dEiR8OVRYXWNByJoMjE&dib_tag=se&keywords=fire+rated+paint&qid=1745843507&sprefix=fire+rated+paint%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-7)

This stuff is used all the time to comply with code. But in addition to this, you need to have a good gasket around your stairs and or lift because of the smoke. I used that BBQ grill gasket which is flame proof as a seal between my Majic StairsLift and the opening. Inexpensive, you can get it on Amazon and it works well.

Anyway, the message is
1) If you prop open your attic stairs for garage ventillation, you are an idiot. (sorry)
2) If you purchase and install a typical attic stair system from Lowes or Home Depot or anywhere else and it's not fire rated, you may as well prop open you stairs for ventillation becasue that 1/4 inch plywood cover is like not having any barrier during a fire in the garage.
3) If you order and install a fire rated attic stairway, make sure the installer uses fire rated caulk around the stairway frame or you will be defeating the purpose of the fire rating.