Hmmm, it appears that when one says they have a "drop down ladder" they mean just that....DROP DOWN.

If you install them yourself you know exactly what you have :)

Who did the professional installation? Approx cost?

At the time we built, we were told NONE of the contractors working for T.V.'s installed attic stairs. We were told (and did) to contact one of the various small businesses that did attic stairs... same as we had to do for guttering, at that time when you built to order, there were no options if you wanted guttering. Perhaps now that the V's builds "spec" homes, they come with stairs and gutters ? Not sure !

They do not....

Just a tip.... even though you don't plan on using any of that additional storage area, you might want to check on why it is too hot. That's not good, lots of other reasons aside from storage. It obviously is not vented properly, or enough, and you should be able to correct this at a reasonable cost. We do use ours a great deal for off season storage. It is warmer in the summer of course, but nothing excessive. When stairs are down, you can actually feel the air/breezes as it circulates in the the attic, but additional venting can be added if not sufficient.