Understanding how you can make a loft hatch greater could make your loft house extra accessible, each for individuals and for cumbersome objects equivalent to bins, which will probably be vital if you wish to make your smartest loft storage concepts a actuality. I do know this first-hand, as I’ve had my very own loft hatch prolonged and accomplished components of the mission myself.
Nevertheless, there are steps in the direction of enlarging a loft hatch that shouldn’t be undertaken with out enter from a structural engineer or loft specialist (until you’re an skilled in your personal proper). The hatch mustn’t intrude with the structural integrity of the loft and roof, and this depends upon elements together with the accuracy of your slicing and the place of the ceiling joists throughout the loft.
That can assist you full your loft hatch enlargement safely and efficiently, we interviewed architectural designer, Chris Lawson of CK Architectural, and interiors skilled, Tommy Kebbson of Kebbson & Co. They’ll take you thru the planning, step-by-step course of and precautions wanted to make a loft hatch greater.
Security concerns when making a loft hatch greater
Above all, you should make certain that your newly enlarged loft hatch received’t compromise the structural integrity of the loft’s joists, boarding and the ceiling beneath it. We’ll clarify a number of the particulars behind this within the subsequent part – however the backside line is that it is best to seek the advice of a structural engineer, architectural agency or loft skilled earlier than you begin the work.
In case you’ve acquired the go-ahead to make your loft hatch greater and also you’re going to do a number of the work your self, there are additional security concerns to remember.
Enlarging a loft hatch means working at top, so that you’ll want stepladder that may stand securely on the ground beneath you. It’s probably you’ll use a robust slicing instrument equivalent to a reciprocating noticed, so the ladder should present a really safe platform that may can help you stand stably, even when the instrument ‘kicks again’.
In case you’re utilizing the instrument for the primary time, attempt it out on some scrap supplies at floor degree, earlier than utilizing it at top. Take the time to learn the producer’s directions, and comply with the instructions intently.
Warning: the recommendation given on this article isn’t any substitute for skilled information and expertise. We advise readers to get skilled assist with any facet of loft hatch enlargement that’s unfamiliar to them or could compromise the structural integrity of their property. Rigorously take into account your personal abilities and confidence degree earlier than endeavor any DIY work.
A pitched roof rests alongside a collection of trusses. These triangular wood frames are made up of a number of components, together with sloping rafters and horizontal joists on the base. Ideally, your loft hatch opening will keep away from the joists, that are structurally essential(Picture credit score: Future)
Planning the dimensions of your enlarged loft hatch
Very first thing’s first: you’ll have to verify whether or not your loft hatch can safely be prolonged. This relies largely on its place relative to the ground joists.
“The very first thing to know is that the loft ‘room’ in a home with a pitched roof construction is designed round joists and rafters, which kind triangular trusses,” says Chris Lawson, proprietor of CK Architectural.
“A variety of trendy trusses have 600 centres, which means there are 60cm areas between the joists, and the loft hatch business has designed hatches to fit into these gaps with out requiring structural adjustments to the truss.
“Older, Victorian properties had been accomplished on 400 centres that put loads of weight into the purlins somewhat than the joist,” he provides.
So, in the event you stay in an older property, you is perhaps confronted with selecting between a narrower loft hatch or a extra difficult mission.
Generally, it is best to make sure your expanded loft hatch will occupy the house between two joists, somewhat than requiring certainly one of these wood structural elements to be altered.
“In case you’re going to take away a joist, you should perceive what that may do to the roof’s structural integrity – which is one thing solely an skilled can let you know,” says Lawson. “Slicing a joist out willy-nilly may cause issues, so the most suitable choice is to make use of current spacing.”
After all, your loft hatch may even have to keep away from the roof beams – bigger timbers supporting the trusses – and any wiring or plumbing which may be current within the loft house.
In case you’re making your personal loft hatch, somewhat than shopping for a ready-made loft hatch like these ones from B&Q, it’ll be your job to resolve precisely how giant the opening will probably be.
“The minimal requirement is shoulder-width, and after that it’s a case of constructing the opening as giant as you may to swimsuit what you need to retailer,” says Lawson.
“Keep in mind that the bigger it’s, the dearer the supplies and the larger the structural knock-on results will probably be – but when it’s too small you received’t have the ability to make good use of the loft as a cupboard space.”
Which course you lengthen your loft hatch in will rely largely on its location relative to the joists. In case you have the choice, it’s usually suggested to work in the direction of the apex of the roof, the place you’ll have essentially the most house for manoeuvre if you enter the loft.
Chris Lawson
Chris Lawson is the founder and managing director of CK Architectural, an architectural design firm working nationwide. Chris and his crew incessantly assist owners to transform or lengthen their lofts.
What instruments you’ll want for a DIY loft hatch enlargement
An excellent stepladder
Exhausting hat
Goggles or protecting glasses
Mud masks
Pencil
Tape measure
Stud finder
Straight edge information
Cordless drill-driver
Mud sheets
Wall plugs
Screws
A brand new loft hatch (if shopping for off-the-shelf)
Loft hatch supplies e.g. architrave and MDF (if making your personal)
Bosch Reciprocating Noticed Psa 700 E (710 W, in Carton Packaging)
A reciprocating noticed is a robust and usually fairly priced possibility for slicing ceiling plaster. You may as well use one for demolition work, so they are a helpful addition to a renovator’s instrument shelf.
Draper Ps1200d Plunge Noticed and Information Rails 240v
It’ll take some energy to make use of it at top, however a good plunge noticed ought to make gentle work of slicing your ceiling. It’s straightforward to go off observe when utilizing these saws freehand, so get a mannequin with a information rail.
Oscillating multi-tools aren’t as fast or highly effective as the opposite instruments we’ve talked about, however they’re typically exact and beginner-friendly. I gave this Ryobi R18MT multitool 4.5 stars in my full assessment.
Step-by-step: how you can make a loft hatch greater
1. Mark the opening and make pilot holes
Your loft hatch most likely has current elements on its decrease aspect, equivalent to a wood panel and a body. Take away and discard these, as they received’t match the enlarged opening.
At this level you must also verify for hidden obstructions that will hinder slicing.
“You need to use a stud, pipe and wire detector to do that,” advises Tommy Kebbson, founding father of the inside design agency Kebbson & Co.
Subsequent, mark the place the ceiling will probably be reduce away to make the loft opening bigger. Measure this fastidiously, a number of instances, to ensure the size match the brand new loft hatch you’re going to put in. There shouldn’t be any joists, wires, pipes, beams or different obstructions above the marked space. Use a tape measure, straight edge instrument and pencil to mark the traces precisely.
Within the locations the place the enlarged loft hatch will kind a brand new nook, drill a pilot gap contained in the traces to make subsequent slicing simpler.
Tommy Kebbson
Kebbson & Co. is a luxurious design studio primarily based in London and Buckinghamshire. The agency’s founder, Tommy Kebbson, has a wealth of expertise spanning inside design and luxurious property growth.
2. Minimize the ceiling to widen the opening
Now you can use your chosen slicing instrument (see our suggestions above) to chop alongside your pencil traces to widen the loft opening.
Keep in mind to make use of a really secure ladder whereas working at top, and put on a tough hat, goggles and a mud masks to guard your self towards mud and falling particles. Earlier than you begin the work, take away any loft insulation from the realm instantly above the place you’ll reduce.
Whereas slicing, take nice care to not unintentionally reduce any of the ceiling joists.
3. Have any reduce joists strengthened (if relevant)
We advise towards slicing or altering joists to enlarge your loft hatch, as this provides complexity and danger to the mission. Nevertheless, if this measure has been unavoidable, you’ll want to strengthen the reduce joists in an effort to protect the structural integrity of the roof.
This can be a job for knowledgeable, and shouldn’t be accomplished with out the required abilities or information. One potential resolution is to rebrace the reduce joist utilizing further timber and metal hangers – however finally, you’ll have to belief in knowledgeable’s favoured resolution that’s particular to your constructing.
Finishing my very own loft hatch enlargement mission (which doubled up as an opportunity to assessment a beginner-friendly Black + Decker BCD700S1K-GB combi drill) (Picture credit score: Pete Sensible)
Step 4: Set up the brand new, bigger hatch
Supplied your loft hatch goes to be comparatively easy, this needs to be the most secure and best step within the loft hatch enlargement course of to finish for your self.
I made my DIY loft hatch body by measuring the opening and slicing items of architrave to suit round it. I mounted the body items into the ceiling (focusing on the joists above) utilizing wall plugs and screws, then reduce a bit of board to relaxation contained in the body and canopy the opening.
Totally different strategies could also be required to put in an off-the-shelf loft hatch, relying on the mannequin. Retailers equivalent to B&Q have a tendency to supply good recommendation, both with the product or in-store.
Extra refined loft hatches – equivalent to lockable, hinged ones – will be put in when you have the know-how and inclination. Nevertheless, knowledgeable installer will often obtain a greater end than the common DIYer. Some loft hatches, equivalent to these with an built-in ladder, are finest left to the specialists.
Becoming a extra advanced loft hatch, such because the one pictured, is more likely to want a specialist(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
FAQs
What forms of loft hatches can be found?
An important distinction between loft hatches is how they open and shut.
“There are hinged hatches that drop down, sometimes opened by pulling a deal with or with a hooked pole, and these are nice when you have a loft ladder hooked up to the door, as you may simply pull this down with a pole. Nevertheless, they’ll additionally take up fairly a little bit of house and the opening might not be as extensive as different types,” says Tommy Kebbson of Kebbson & Co.
“A unique sort is the push-up hatch which lifts vertically, often requiring a touch-catch mechanism or key. These aren’t as suitable with loft ladders, nonetheless they’ll maximise the opening house.”
“Above all, you should make certain the locking mechanism is safe,” provides architectural designer Chris Lawson of CK Architectural.
“Fancy magnetic catches look nice whereas they work, however they’ll fail, inflicting the panel to swing down and presumably hit you,” he provides. “A sliding bolt lock may not be as enticing, however at the very least you understand there’s a metal bolt maintaining the panel in place.”
Lawson additionally recommends getting a loft hatch with an insulated panel, to scale back warmth loss from dwelling areas beneath. “It’s all the time finest to get an insulated hatch in case your funds permits, because it prevents a big chilly spot within the ceiling,” he says.
Some loft hatches have an built-in ladder, offering a protected and handy technique to entry the loft. “In case you’ve acquired the house, a hard and fast ladder is quite a bit safer than positioning an everyday ladder everytime you go into the loft – and it’s particularly helpful if there’s a rail on the aspect that can assist you go up it whereas dealing with bins,” says Lawson.
The only type of loft hatch panel is a bit of board rested throughout the hatch’s body. It’s a barely rough-and-ready resolution, however a bit of MDF and an architrave body will do the job for some owners – together with the writer of this text.
What are some frequent issues to look out for when making a loft hatch greater?
Sadly, there are a number of frequent issues that might crop up when you’re within the course of of constructing your loft hatch greater.
Uneven ceiling One frequent downside – particularly in older properties – is an uneven ceiling. This can make it tough to suit the loft hatch neatly to the enlarged opening. One of the best resolution is perhaps to sand down sections of the hatch to accommodate the ceiling’s irregularity.
Ceiling materials Typically this would possibly make the job trickier. “It’s tougher and messier to chop by means of a lath or plaster ceiling, somewhat than plasterboard,” says Chris Lawson of CK Architectural. “Fortunately, each will be reduce out neatly sufficient, particularly in the event you’re utilizing a trim like architrave that may cowl up cracks.”
Not planning sufficient house In keeping with Tommy Kebbson of Kebbson & Co, one other frequent pitfall is failure to plan in sufficient house to entry the loft utilizing your chosen ladder. “One thing some could not take into consideration is the compatibility with the house,” he says. “To actually add worth you need usable entry to the loft, maybe even a staircase of some type. Though loft ladders are an possibility, they don’t seem to be sensible for any often used house. In case you’re merely utilizing the loft for storage, the hatch ought to at the very least be appropriate for the dimensions of the ladder – or chances are you’ll have to get a brand new ladder.”
Enlarging your loft hatch will probably be key to getting the absolute best use out of this often-underutilised house. The next step, if you have not accomplished it already, will probably be to look into loft boarding prices.
If there’s an issue with condensation within the house, you would possibly want to put in loft air flow to guard your saved objects too.
