Last summer, having overused my garage as storage space, I decided to make use of my attic to accumulate more of my precious garbage. I struggled to get out of the garage, entered the house and went straight to the hall closet where the access to the attic is located. I opened the door and looked towards the 2’X 2 ‘square behind which I knew there was unlimited space for the infinite amount of treasures that would soon accumulate there. I would need a ladder.
I stepped out back and grabbed my trusty six-footer, weather-gray and reinforced with duct tape and tie wire. I brought it in and propped it under the opening. I climbed with supreme confidence, writhing inside the closet shelf, lifted the plywood deck and climbed another two steps to peer into the attic. It was everything I imagined it to be. But he knew that to get into this storage Shangri-la he would have to pass the 2 ‘gap between the top of the ladder and the bottom of the ceiling. I carefully worked my way up to the top rung, and my right knee was almost to the edge of the opening when the ladder began this rhythmic back and forth motion (due, I think, to my violently shaking left leg).
Just when I was ready to put my weight on my knee and climb into the attic, my ladder swung beneath me, leaving me dangling in space, my legs flailing desperately for something to win over. They found the closet shelf. Thinking that I had found a safe haven, I stepped on the shelf completely, which broke, sending me to the ground in a heap; tangled with pieces of bookshelves and stairs. That’s when I knew: I was going down some stairs from the attic.
Being the nerdy type, the first thing I did was go online to see what was in the world of attic stairs. I found a lot. They come made from fiberglass, metal, wood, or a combination of these materials. For easier closing, most come with springs, but some use a hydraulic gas cylinder for this purpose. The most common ladders (they actually look like more ladders to me, but ladders sound easier to use I guess) are the folding type, but there are also telescopic attic ladders, which unfold downward in a scissor or accordion fashion. . An interesting model, made by Werner, uses aluminum tubes that snap together and slide in and out like a real telescope. It is perfect if you have less space available.
Going down the attic stairs ranges in price from under a hundred dollars to a super deluxe model (complementary bells and whistles!) For almost a thousand dollars. Being in the situation I was in, I opted for the basic type of wooden folding attic ladder, which I got for around a hundred dollars. Now my carpentry skills are such that I am reasonably certain that it is the flat part of the hammer that was supposed to hit the nail; but the instructions were easy to follow, there were easy tutorials to find online, and finally, to my surprise, I had my own set of swing-out attic ladders. And I had put them on myself! Now I go up and down those stairs like nothing else, hiding all my wonderful loot. However, it is already getting quite crowded. I wonder what is in that crawl space.
