Framing Out Attic

Standard joist spacing for the installation of attic flooring materials is 16 inches on center oc meaning the distance from the center of one joist to the center of the next joist is 16 inches.

Framing out attic.

Shim under the bottom plate to level it if necessary then nail it into the floor joists with 16d nails. Stand the front wall and align it with the marks on the floor. If the roof structure consists of trusses rather than rafters particular attention should be paid to. If the ceiling joist does not provide one side of the frame cut a second stringer the same length as the first one.

Run the plywood down to the top of the knee wall. If the framing in the attic shows evidence of physical damage further evaluation is needed. Cut a stringer to this length. Hire an engineer to inspect your house s foundation and framing to ensure they can carry the extra load.

Nail the lumber to the edge going across the length of the timber so that the wood is held securely in place. Place the next piece of lumber parallel to the first and nail it into position in the same way. At a minimum you may need to strengthen the attic s floor joists which are often too shallow or spaced too far apart for the job. If you want your attic space to have a flat ceiling you ll need to add collar ties to the framing.

We enlarged the entry to the kitchen and made a header to frame out a doorway here. Framing the opening can be easy if you can locate the ladder so that it is parallel with the existing ceiling joists. So let s break this down. Plumb the corners with a level and brace them with 2x4s.

They are usually twice the size of the surrounding framing materials. Use screws to attach sheets of birch plywood to the angled ceiling over the insulation making sure to drive the screws into the ceiling joists. Our ceiling joists are 2 x 6 s. I needed to cut one of those 2 x 6 s out to make our attic access larger.

Most attic ladders are made to fit between joists set at 24 inches on center. Collar ties are horizontal members that like rafter ties extend from rafter to rafter but. Install the lower header with joist hangers figure a and assemble the front wall on the attic floor. Note that only one stringer is needed in figure 17 because the ceiling joist provides one side of the frame.

Have a pro check the structure.