If the ceiling joist does not provide one side of the frame cut a second stringer the same length as the first one.
Framing out attic.
A finished attic weighs a lot more than boxes of off season duds.
Most attic ladders are made to fit between joists set at 24 inches on center.
Hire an engineer to inspect your house s foundation and framing to ensure they can carry the extra load.
We enlarged the entry to the kitchen and made a header to frame out a doorway here.
Our ceiling joists are 2 x 6 s.
Stand the front wall and align it with the marks on the floor.
I needed to cut one of those 2 x 6 s out to make our attic access larger.
Plumb the corners with a level and brace them with 2x4s.
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.
The plywood will create a smooth strong ceiling without having to apply drywall tape and mud to the ceiling.
Install the lower header with joist hangers figure a and assemble the front wall on the attic floor.
If the roof structure consists of trusses rather than rafters particular attention should be paid to.
Note that only one stringer is needed in figure 17 because the ceiling joist provides one side of the frame.
Cut a stringer to this length.
If you want your attic space to have a flat ceiling you ll need to add collar ties to the framing.
So let s break this down.
Framing the opening can be easy if you can locate the ladder so that it is parallel with the existing ceiling joists.
They are usually twice the size of the surrounding framing materials.
Have a pro check the structure.
Place 1 piece of timber along the edge of the hole and using the nails fix it into position.
Shim under the bottom plate to level it if necessary then nail it into the floor joists with 16d nails.
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.
If the framing in the attic shows evidence of physical damage further evaluation is needed.
Place the next piece of lumber parallel to the first and nail it into position in the same way.
Run the plywood down to the top of the knee wall.