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Utilising unused roof space into a storage area & creating an easier to traverse roof walk space.
THE SCENARIO
Storage has always been an issue throughout our history in our previous rentals, but when we purchased a home we had the opportunity to utilise and improve on unused spaces. When we purchased this home, one of the defining features left out by the realtors was the amount of clearance inside the roof, at 1.8 meters at its peak, it easily allows for one to walk around without hassle and has plenty of room for storage, but the positioning of the beams made this difficult. Enter, an Attic space.
THE GOAL
The goal is simple, create a working Attic space where we can store items that we don't use often (such as camping gear) so that our primary storage always has a use. This is the primary area we came up with and what will be stored there.
(Note: Number 1 indicates the storage we are building now, Number 2 indicates the first expansion).
The completed version will end up looking like this:
Red: Access Ports
Yellow: The first Storage Area
Green: The Second Storage Area
Blue: The Walkway
Why a walkway? One of the most annoying things I've done in any house is setting up stuff through the roof, having to carefully walk on beams gets old after a while, so the Blue Walkway is for us if we ever wanted to create additional storage areas, to connect our two access ports (the original one in the house is in our garage) and for trades to be able to access and walk through our roof much easier when they are here.
FIRST STEP - LADDER
First up is the ladder, we didn't do anything too special with this, Bunnings do a really good Attic ladder Install video that you can follow to get an idea of how to do it, my dad has put hundreds of these things in so it was a 1 hour job for him. We placed it here to be out of sight, as we didn't want it to be noticeable down our long hallway.
SECOND STEP - ATTIC
The next step is the Attic, we used various lengths of Blue Pine that were installed in the opposite direction to create a bit of a gap between ceiling timbers (allowing for cables to run underneath) and so the attic itself was more stable. Once these were in the places we wanted, we measured the sections and cut our Flooring Particleboard Yellow Tongue to size. As soon as the first bit is down and secured, the rest of the build is a breeze.
After about 3 hours of cutting, moving and installing, our first storage area was done.
Again, this is the hardest part. With this completed (stage 1), I can now complete the rest of this project in stages, so every Bunnings trip I grab a length of blue pine and some yellow tongue, cut to size and just place it down according to our diagram. In time, it'll be complete, but as our focus was the first storage area, it's not a priority to do in one day.
The first storage area ending up being more than what we needed, as we thought we had more stuff than we actually had, but I've been expanding since these photos regardless. I bought a wireless lighting system from Ikea that is used for lighting up here and will expand it along the house as we go.
An extra benefit from this project has been a noticeable decrease in temperature below the yellow tongue, with my baby room and 2nd bedroom a few degrees cooler than it has been previously, which is great.
Please keep us updated on your project @woodenwookie and feel free to reach out if you need any assistance.
Mitchell
Hello @Lee777
It's wonderful to see that this project has inspired you to explore the possibility of creating your own attic roof storage space. Before you make any structural changes, I suggest engaging the services of a registered builder and asking them to examine your ceiling frame. It's important to find out if your ceiling frame is strong enough to hold weight and if it needs to be reinforced so that you can turn it into a storage area.
Please remember that there are electrical wires and light fittings in the ceiling cavity as well so it's important that you take electrical safety into consideration as well. Please make sure to take all safety precautions when exploring your ceiling cavity. Make sure that the power is turned off and that you are wearing personal protection such as appropriate clothing, gloves, goggles and a mask. This will protect you from the insulation fibres in your ceiling.
Keep in mind that there might be exposed screws and unfinished flashing ends that could pose as safety hazards.
Since you will be using a ladder, I also suggest having a look at this guide - How to use ladders safely by @Adam_W.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
Eric
