Building a storage platform in my garage

[tokamak 6431]

Our garage has very high ceilings - about 15'. That's a lot of unused vertical space that I'd like to use for storage so I'm thinking about building a platform. Size would be something in the neighborhood of 12' x 8'. Height about 9-10' off the ground. Stairs running down from a corner of it, along one wall of the garage. This is basically a simple, rectangular deck but with 9' posts underneath it. There's plenty of YouTube videos on how to build a deck that I can watch. I'm not a huge DIYer, definitely never built anything this big, but I'm also not an idiot and I'm patient and willing to learn. Is this a bad idea, or a really bad idea?

Some random questions off the top of my head before I get real serious about this:

• is this going to get me in trouble with the city somehow? do I need to worry about codes/permitting?
• I was thinking a post at each corner, but my neighbor (who is some sort of architect) said I could also just mount a runner board into the studs and set it on top of that. The platform is in a corner, so bordering two walls. Pros/cons of 4 posts vs attaching 2 sides to wall studs?
• How do I get the posts plumb? I assume my garage floor isn't perfect.
• Worried about building the stairs. How hard is that? If I'm coming down from 9 feet, do I need to do a support half way up?

[immamac 42864]

Why not hang from the ceiling instead? Are you trying to store really heavy shit or just use it as a kind of open attic? 

[tokamak 6431]

17 minutes ago, immamac said:

Why not hang from the ceiling instead? Are you trying to store really heavy shit or just use it as a kind of open attic? 

I've seen those hanging racks and they are pretty nice, but I think they'd be too high for me. I'm not planning to put anything very heavy up there, but I think it'd be pretty awkward and dangerous to try to drag an extra large rubbermaid tote or whatever up my highest ladder.

[Gil Bang 25975]

46 minutes ago, tokamak said:

Our garage has very high ceilings - about 15'. That's a lot of unused vertical space that I'd like to use for storage so I'm thinking about building a platform. Size would be something in the neighborhood of 12' x 8'. Height about 9-10' off the ground. Stairs running down from a corner of it, along one wall of the garage. This is basically a simple, rectangular deck but with 9' posts underneath it. There's plenty of YouTube videos on how to build a deck that I can watch. I'm not a huge DIYer, definitely never built anything this big, but I'm also not an idiot and I'm patient and willing to learn. Is this a bad idea, or a really bad idea?

Some random questions off the top of my head before I get real serious about this:

• is this going to get me in trouble with the city somehow? do I need to worry about codes/permitting?
• I was thinking a post at each corner, but my neighbor (who is some sort of architect) said I could also just mount a runner board into the studs and set it on top of that. The platform is in a corner, so bordering two walls. Pros/cons of 4 posts vs attaching 2 sides to wall studs?
• How do I get the posts plumb? I assume my garage floor isn't perfect.
• Worried about building the stairs. How hard is that? If I'm coming down from 9 feet, do I need to do a support half way up?

Yes, attach to the walls where you can.  You should only need 1 post...the other 3 "corners" will be handled by the walls.  The "runner board" is actually called a "ledger".  Attach a ledger to both walls, use "Simpson" hardware to attach your joist, a you will be fine. 

Getting the post plumb isn't an issue, if you own a level.  I think you really mean "level" as the garage floor should slope.   Once you get both ledgers level with each other, your post will fall into place.  You need to use a post base that's well-secured to the concrete, so it doesn't get knocked out of place and the whole thing falls on your head. 

Use screws for everything...no nails at all.  If you were ever to get in trouble with the city, you could easily disassemble the whole thing. 

Edited April 14, 2021 by Gil Bang

[High Plains Drifter 11050]

1 minute ago, Gil Bang said:

Yes, attach to the walls where you can.  You should only need 1 post...the other 3 "corners" will be handled by the walls.  The "runner board" is actually called a "ledger".  Attach a ledger to both walls, use "Simpson" hardware to attach your joist, a you will be fine. 

Getting the post plumb isn't an issue, if you own a level.  I think you really mean "level" as the garage floor should slope.   Once you get both ledgers level with each other, your post will fall into place.  You need to use a post base that's well-secured to the concrete, so it doesn't get knocked out of place when the wife backs the car into it, and the whole thing falls on your head. 

 

fixy.

 

I would check the city codes before you start.

 

Also, I don't know if you would need a support halfway up the stairs, but it wouldn't hurt. You can attach one stair runner (or whatever its called) to the wall. And for the love of God, put in a railing on your stairs. A fall from 9 ft is no joke.

 

Can you go all the way across the entire garage? Becuase then you might not need a post support at all. Three ledger boards would probably do the trick if the span is not too great.

[Gene Parmesan 4008]

Make sure the post that mounted to the ground is clear of your wife's car, or else you will have a doozy for the wives and the stupid shit they do thread.

[Gil Bang 25975]

5 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

fixy.

 

I would check the city codes before you start.

 

Also, I don't know if you would need a support halfway up the stairs, but it wouldn't hurt. You can attach one stair runner (or whatever its called) to the wall. And for the love of God, put in a railing on your stairs. A fall from 9 ft is no joke.

 

Can you go all the way across the entire garage? Becuase then you might not need a post support at all. Three ledger boards would probably do the trick if the span is not too great.

A 2 car garage is at least 20 feet wide.  That's a hell of a span, and would require a very large beam.  I'm thinking 4x12 but would of course defer to  @Onboard 2.0 

Edited April 14, 2021 by Gil Bang

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

51 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

A 2 car garage is at least 20 feet wide.  That's a hell of a span, and would require a very large beam.  I'm thinking 4x12 but would of course defer to  @Onboard 2.0 

I'd have an LVL sized with an addional load thrown on for the anticipated storage load.  It's still gonna sag a bit but not a failure sag just an all wood sags at some point sag

[Gil Bang 25975]

5 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

I'd have an LVL sized with an addional load thrown on for the anticipated storage load.  It's still gonna sag a bit but not a failure sag just an all wood sags at some point sag

And now you have to consider what's holding up that glu-lam.  Depending on the load (that's what she said) I would think that maybe an additional footing under the support studs.  And getting a beam of that size in place would be a complete motherfucker of a job, almost certainly requiring a forklift or something similar.

Edited April 14, 2021 by Gil Bang

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

6 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

And now you have to consider what's holding up that glu-lam.  Depending on the load (that's what she said) I would think that maybe an additional footing under the support studs.  And getting a beam of that size in place would be a complete motherfucker of a job, almost certainly requiring a forklift or something similar.

IF you're spanning from exterior wall To exterior wall you have about 8k you can load onto the existing footings at each end of the beam  before you have to do anything additionally to the footings.

[tokamak 6431]

2 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

Yes, attach to the walls where you can.  You should only need 1 post...the other 3 "corners" will be handled by the walls.  The "runner board" is actually called a "ledger".  Attach a ledger to both walls, use "Simpson" hardware to attach your joist, a you will be fine. 

Getting the post plumb isn't an issue, if you own a level.  I think you really mean "level" as the garage floor should slope.   Once you get both ledgers level with each other, your post will fall into place.  You need to use a post base that's well-secured to the concrete, so it doesn't get knocked out of place and the whole thing falls on your head. 

Use screws for everything...no nails at all.  If you were ever to get in trouble with the city, you could easily disassemble the whole thing. 

So the weight won't be any problem for the wall studs? The short side is an exterior wall, the long side is interior. Do I set the joists on top of the ledger, or hang them from it? Should I consider doubling up the ledger?

Was looking at something like this for the post base: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-E-Z-Base-Black-Powder-Coated-Post-Base-for-4x4-Nominal-Lumber-FPBB44/100655350. Still not clear on how to get it perfectly level if my garage is sloped. Shim the bottom somehow?

Interesting on the screws. I had read somewhere that nails are stronger but I don't know shit.

 

2 hours ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

fixy.

 

I would check the city codes before you start.

 

Also, I don't know if you would need a support halfway up the stairs, but it wouldn't hurt. You can attach one stair runner (or whatever its called) to the wall. And for the love of God, put in a railing on your stairs. A fall from 9 ft is no joke.

 

Can you go all the way across the entire garage? Becuase then you might not need a post support at all. Three ledger boards would probably do the trick if the span is not too great.

The garage is about 24' wide. I got a contractor to quote me a bigger platform that spans the whole thing, but he wanted $5k.  Hence why I'm thinking about doing this scaled down version myself. I got the impression that the beams alone for the full-width version were going to cost me >$1000. Plus, because of the way the garage door is configured, I wouldn't have been able to do stairs. It was going to have attic stairs in the bottom of it which makes it unusable when the garage door is open.

As for the wife, there's a 4" concrete step that serves as a tire stop. Post would be on the other side of that, so she'd have to be coming in pretty hot.

Lots of good thoughts in here so far, thanks yall

Edited April 14, 2021 by tokamak

[Gil Bang 25975]

Getting the post base perfectly level isn't that big of a concern.  I would think that the fence post base would be fine with a couple of washers under the downhill side. 

This one is a better choice  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-ABU-ZMAX-Galvanized-Adjustable-Standoff-Post-Base-for-4x4-Nominal-Lumber-ABU44Z/100375358

[tokamak 6431]

6 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Getting the post base perfectly level isn't that big of a concern.  I would think that the fence post base would be fine with a couple of washers under the downhill side. 

This one is a better choice  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-ABU-ZMAX-Galvanized-Adjustable-Standoff-Post-Base-for-4x4-Nominal-Lumber-ABU44Z/100375358

So the idea is that if I have the ledgers good, I can basically pull the post level if it's not just right?

Why do you say that base is better?

[Gil Bang 25975]

1 minute ago, tokamak said:

So the idea is that if I have the ledgers good, I can basically pull the post level if it's not just right?

Why do you say that base is better?

Because it doesn't matter if the base is perfectly level, you can still set the post plumb.  Set your base using a big-ass redhead, install your post, get it plumb, throw in a couple of screws, then drill it and bolt it into place.  

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

1 hour ago, tokamak said:

So the weight won't be any problem for the wall studs? The short side is an exterior wall, the long side is interior. Do I set the joists on top of the ledger, or hang them from it? Should I consider doubling up the ledger?

Was looking at something like this for the post base: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-E-Z-Base-Black-Powder-Coated-Post-Base-for-4x4-Nominal-Lumber-FPBB44/100655350. Still not clear on how to get it perfectly level if my garage is sloped. Shim the bottom somehow?

Interesting on the screws. I had read somewhere that nails are stronger but I don't know shit.

 

The garage is about 24' wide. I got a contractor to quote me a bigger platform that spans the whole thing, but he wanted $5k.  Hence why I'm thinking about doing this scaled down version myself. I got the impression that the beams alone for the full-width version were going to cost me >$1000. Plus, because of the way the garage door is configured, I wouldn't have been able to do stairs. It was going to have attic stairs in the bottom of it which makes it unusable when the garage door is open.

As for the wife, there's a 4" concrete step that serves as a tire stop. Post would be on the other side of that, so she'd have to be coming in pretty hot.

Lots of good thoughts in here so far, thanks yall

If you're going to spend $5K kind of money, just get a couple of the motorized storage platforms that hang from the ceiling and you can raise and lower.  Like this only you can find them cheaper.

 

https://auxx-lift.com/products/4x8-ft-premium-auxx-lift-1600-600lbs-silver-finish-free-shipping?variant=47226554709&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic

Edited April 14, 2021 by Judge Roybeanbag

[tokamak 6431]

Here's a shitty powerpoint drawing of the general plan.

Idea is to do 2x10 or 2x12 ledger boards attached with lag screws straight through the drywall and into the studs along the two walls. I'm thinking I'll double the ledgers so that I can drive the joist hanger screws to a good depth. I'm not really sure how or if to connect/attach the ledgers at the top left corner.

Then put a 6x6 post at the bottom right corner, attached to the concrete as already discussed. No idea what to use for the beam. The biggest question right now is if I need to do a post at the bottom left corner as well. Tentatively, that's where the stairs will attach (assuming they leave enough clearance for the car door, if not, I'll have to figure something else out). Seems like a lot of stuff to support on just the end of the ledger board without a post there.

Joists don't need to be too big. That span is only 7-8', so 2x8s or even 2x6s will probably work. Does the joist farthest right need to be bigger, more like a beam, or is a normal joist OK there? Width is like 10-11' so I'll figure out the math for 16" oc joists.

I'll figure out what to do about railing later. Details.

[Gil Bang 25975]

Lower left post isn't needed.  I would let the ledger there run long, so it picks up the next stud. Maybe the next two studs.     

I would think 2x6 joist are more than adequate.  For the beams, a 4x6 or even a double 2x6 bolted together in a few spots should be fine.  

 

No need to double the ledger.  Use these screws into your single ledger: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Simpson-Strong-Tie-Wafer-Head-Screw-8212-8-x-1-1-4-in-2-Phillips-Clear-Zinc-Coating-100-Qty/1002965982?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-hdw-_-google-_-lia-_-213-_-framinghardware-_-1002965982-_-0&placeholder=null&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6-SDBhCMARIsAGbI7Ujzsxl_i9ICLb9bHhuh6JLC2W57FCvLXxqlKiIugKJBZekA7NV3WIMaAjuqEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

And the 6x6 is overkill IMO.  Use a 4x4.  

Edited April 16, 2021 by Gil Bang

[tokamak 6431]

51 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Lower left post isn't needed.  I would let the ledger there run long, so it picks up the next stud. Maybe the next two studs.     

I would think 2x6 joist are more than adequate.  For the beams, a 4x6 or even a double 2x6 bolted together in a few spots should be fine.  

 

No need to double the ledger.  Use these screws into your single ledger: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Simpson-Strong-Tie-Wafer-Head-Screw-8212-8-x-1-1-4-in-2-Phillips-Clear-Zinc-Coating-100-Qty/1002965982?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-hdw-_-google-_-lia-_-213-_-framinghardware-_-1002965982-_-0&placeholder=null&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6-SDBhCMARIsAGbI7Ujzsxl_i9ICLb9bHhuh6JLC2W57FCvLXxqlKiIugKJBZekA7NV3WIMaAjuqEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

And the 6x6 is overkill IMO.  Use a 4x4.  

Good idea on letting the ledger run long, although now I can't picture how I would attach the stair stringer to that.

So lag screws to attach the ledger to the studs, then the screws you linked to hang joists from the single ledger?

[High Plains Drifter 11050]

22 minutes ago, tokamak said:

 

So lag screws to attach the ledger to the studs, then the screws you linked to hang joists from the single ledger?

 

everything gil said.

Yes, lag screws to attach ledger to the studs, then use the linked screws to attach joist hangers to ledger and beam. Joists sit in hangers.

 

 

and yes, the joist farthest to the right should be more like a beam (2 2x6 bolted together).

 

 

What are you doing for the actual floor?

 

 

[Gil Bang 25975]

1 hour ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

everything gil said.

Yes, lag screws to attach ledger to the studs, then use the linked screws to attach joist hangers to ledger and beam. Joists sit in hangers.

 

 

and yes, the joist farthest to the right should be more like a beam (2 2x6 bolted together).

 

 

What are you doing for the actual floor?

 

 

And yes, there are hangers designed for double 2x6 situations.   Lowes or HD may not have them in stock, but they do exist. 

[Gil Bang 25975]

2 hours ago, tokamak said:

Good idea on letting the ledger run long, although now I can't picture how I would attach the stair stringer to that.

So lag screws to attach the ledger to the studs, then the screws you linked to hang joists from the single ledger?

What's the garage floor situation?  Do you have a stem wall?  If so, that stringer needs to be inset so it hits the garage floor, not the top of the stem wall.  

Don't attach the stringer to the ledger, attach both of them to the "beam" in front, using simpson hardware. 

[tokamak 6431]

20 hours ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

What are you doing for the actual floor?

 

 

 

18 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

What's the garage floor situation?  Do you have a stem wall?  If so, that stringer needs to be inset so it hits the garage floor, not the top of the stem wall.  

Don't attach the stringer to the ledger, attach both of them to the "beam" in front, using simpson hardware. 

I don't know how to answer this. The rest of the house is elevated on piers (flood zone), but the garage is at grade. I think it's just a good ol' concrete slab. Below about 5 feet or so, the exterior wall (far left side of my drawing) has some sort of cement board or something on top of it, meant to flood. The wall is flush all the way down to the garage floor. I don't know if its cinder blocks or wood framing or what behind the cement board. I'm attaching a pic taken during construction. This is the wall that the stairs would run down. They'll have to be steep enough to miss that electrical outlet. Platform would be at the far right, over that doorway.

So is the beam in front (bottom in my drawing) hanging from the ledger just like a joist? Or sitting on top of it?

thanks for all the advice, btw. Y'all are crushing it

[davidg 4038]

As noted already, it’s probably overkill but I would use a 6x6 for the on post as it’s easy to notch and still have enough material to screw the out board joist and rim joist beam into it.  Something like this.

 

[tokamak 6431]

Weekend progress.

2x10 ledgers attached to the studs with 5” Spax Power Lags. The long beam is a double 2x10 and the short one is a double 2x6. Each beam is joined together with 1/2” bolts along its length. Beams attached to the ledger with double joist hangers. My wife was not impressed with my suggestion that I just leave those temporary posts and call it a day.


Post is a treated 4x6 because that’s what Home Depot had. Worked out pretty well because there’s room for both beams to sit on it. Cut it to length and notched the top for the difference in height between the 2x10 and 2x6s. The 2x10 beam is attached to the post via a 7” bolt that passes through the beam and the notch. Then I put a couple lag screws through the big beam into the end of the smaller beam. Added some metal braces on the outside for good measure. Post is sitting on a metal bracket attached to the concrete with a 4.5” long 5/8” anchor. Drilling the hole for the anchor was a real bitch with my wimpy homeowner-grade hammer drill. Perspective kinda distorts the picture but there’s about 6’ of vertical clearance above the platform, enough for me to fully stand up.


After adding 7 2x6 joists. This thing feels sturdy as fuck.

Time for some refreshment.

All that’s left is to add some 3/4” plywood decking and then cut a hole in the bottom for an attic staircase. I might also tack a 2x2 around the edges just to keep shit from rolling off or whatever (although I managed to get it surprisingly level). Maybe lights on the bottom too depending on how dark it ends up underneath.

I’m a little stuck on how to attach the plywood. Because I had to avoid some lag screws in places, the joists aren’t all perfectly 16” on center. The edge of the first sheet of plywood falls on top of a joist, but not centered. Only grabs about 1/4” of the joist. I’m considering 3 options:
1) going in with the deck screws at an angle. Feels messy.
2) tacking some scrap wood to the side of the joist so I have a solid surface to sink deck screws into. Easiest solution but I’m not sure how structurally sound.
3) cutting the plywood short and having it fall on the previous joist. Probably the best structurally, but I’m very skeptical of my ability to saw a whole sheet of plywood with that precision.

Edited May 10, 2021 by tokamak

[NeverMarryAStripper 21907]

It bugs me that both beams are not 2X10.  I could never live with seeing that everything I pulled into the garage.

Edited May 10, 2021 by NeverMarryAStripper

[tokamak 6431]

It bugs me that both beams are not 2X10.  I could never live with seeing that everything I pulled into the garage.

Hah. Thanks for pointing that out.

I did it that way because I was thinking about the short beam as a “super joist” instead of a beam really. Since all the joists hang from the long beam, I made it beefier.

I suppose I could always tack a 2x4 to the bottom of the 2x6 for symmetry.

[fattyflattie 4639]

That looks good.  

[davidg 4038]

Looks good,  that will probably be there longer than the house.    I would probably just sister a 2x2 or 2x4 along side the joist where the deck plywood hits short but if it bothers you just cut the deck.  I assume that the deck isn't more than 16' long so you would have to make a cut anyway.

 

 

 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

46 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

It bugs me that both beams are not 2X10.  I could never live with seeing that everything I pulled into the garage.

For aesthetics I'd have made them the same size for some applications, but If seeing the structure was part of the plan, as in a modern design I'd want the beam sizes to reflect the loads they're carrying.

[Bevo 13579]

On 4/14/2021 at 11:04 AM, tokamak said:

Our garage has very high ceilings - about 15'. That's a lot of unused vertical space that I'd like to use for storage so I'm thinking about building a platform. Size would be something in the neighborhood of 12' x 8'. Height about 9-10' off the ground. Stairs running down from a corner of it, along one wall of the garage. This is basically a simple, rectangular deck but with 9' posts underneath it. There's plenty of YouTube videos on how to build a deck that I can watch. I'm not a huge DIYer, definitely never built anything this big, but I'm also not an idiot and I'm patient and willing to learn. Is this a bad idea, or a really bad idea?

Some random questions off the top of my head before I get real serious about this:

• is this going to get me in trouble with the city somehow? do I need to worry about codes/permitting?
• I was thinking a post at each corner, but my neighbor (who is some sort of architect) said I could also just mount a runner board into the studs and set it on top of that. The platform is in a corner, so bordering two walls. Pros/cons of 4 posts vs attaching 2 sides to wall studs?
• How do I get the posts plumb? I assume my garage floor isn't perfect.
• Worried about building the stairs. How hard is that? If I'm coming down from 9 feet, do I need to do a support half way up?

We did the wire ones you buy off amazon and got them to install. They were fairly inexpensive and work great. I have lots of heavy stuff up there that it is difficult to get down but other than that, I don't have any complaints.

 

[Grimas 669]

Why aren't you going from the elevated stairs on the right?  Just knock out that existing section of handrail and add a few steps there...

[Gene Parmesan 4008]

10 minutes ago, Grimas said:

Why aren't you going from the elevated stairs on the right?  Just knock out that existing section of handrail and add a few steps there...

Yeah it seems it would be a lot easier to load/unload coming from there than an attic door underneath.

[Gil Bang 25975]

measure for the plywood, and have HD or Lowes cut it for you on the panel saw.  

[High Plains Drifter 11050]

20 hours ago, tokamak said:

I’m a little stuck on how to attach the plywood. Because I had to avoid some lag screws in places, the joists aren’t all perfectly 16” on center. The edge of the first sheet of plywood falls on top of a joist, but not centered. Only grabs about 1/4” of the joist. I’m considering 3 options:
1) going in with the deck screws at an angle. Feels messy.
2) tacking some scrap wood to the side of the joist so I have a solid surface to sink deck screws into. Easiest solution but I’m not sure how structurally sound.
3) cutting the plywood short and having it fall on the previous joist. Probably the best structurally, but I’m very skeptical of my ability to saw a whole sheet of plywood with that precision.

 

Looks good.

 

4) sister joist on the joist that is not 16" on center. Then attach the plywood to the sister joist.

 

Also might want to add block supports, although that might be overkill, they are quick and easy. No need to use hangers for those. Just one between each joist down the middle, more or less. Offset them from each other to make them easier to attach.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by High Plains Drifter
tony two times two times

[Bevo 13579]

 i think I purchased SafeRacks Overhead Garage Storage

[tokamak 6431]

Why aren't you going from the elevated stairs on the right?  Just knock out that existing section of handrail and add a few steps there...

I thought about that at one point but dropped it for several reasons. Code compliance concerns, kid safety, wife-acceptable looks, and lack of DIY skills on my own part.

I do think in practice that I’ll end up shoving shit on and off from that landing. I’m still not absolutely married to this attic stairs idea, but because of the way it’s situated, there’s not a great place to run stairs down. Plus I don’t want to mess with trying to build stairs myself.

[Grimas 669]

Have you looked at an alternative to plywood floor?  Either a sheet of expanded steel mesh or even hog fencing if you are just going to be putting boxes up there... (looks good as is by the way...) Or make a pergola in the garage and lay down 1"x4" slats or even narrower ones..

Edited May 11, 2021 by Grimas

[tokamak 6431]

Just remembered I never wrapped this thread up. I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for the big conclusion.










Attached 3/4” plywood decking. My joists weren’t perfectly spaced so I had to cut the plywood which I was nervous about getting straight but it turned out fine. Trimmed the excess plywood all the way around after I screwed it down.

Putting in the attic stairs was probably the hardest part of the whole thing. I kind of went crazy with the Simpson hangers in framing out the opening. Actually walked over to a house under construction in my neighborhood to cheat and see how they were doing it. Lots of measuring and cutting to get the hole size just right. Damn near dropped the entire staircase unit through the hole one night. In retrospect I should have used one of the joists as one side of the frame for the stairs. That occurred to me way too late. Next time.

Final thing was tacking a 2x2 all the way around the edge to keep shit from sliding off and cuz I like the way it looks.

This thing feels sturdy as hell and as you can see we’ve already loaded it up with a ton of crap. Thanks all for the pointers.

[Gil Bang 25975]

you did good, and gained some valuable experience.  And your wife is gonna hit that post. 

[Jerry Callo 8704]

Good job. That frees up space for your wife to get more crap.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

2 minutes ago, Jerry Callo said:

Good job. That frees up space for your wife to get more crap.

If you build it..... they will fill it.  My client mantra about big closets....

[tokamak 6431]

2 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

Good job. That frees up space for your wife to get more crap.

Hell yeah. To be fair to her though, I am the crap-keeper in our family. Not pictured above is her standing just out of frame rolling her eyes. She just doesn’t understand that I NEED to keep all 4 boxes of my late dad’s water-damaged baseball card collection. 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

On 6/13/2021 at 11:36 AM, tokamak said:

Hell yeah. To be fair to her though, I am the crap-keeper in our family. Not pictured above is her standing just out of frame rolling her eyes. She just doesn’t understand that I NEED to keep all 4 boxes of my late dad’s water-damaged baseball card collection. 

Women have no sense of priorities....or sentimentalism either apparently.