Help me not die when going up into my attic
September 28, 2021 7:19 AM Subscribe
there's lots of stuff I need up there, and also stuff I need to put up there, and at the moment because of fear of falling down a two floor drop, and not being able to carry things and climb the ladder, I'm waiting for my male friends to visit to do this for me which is pretty unsustainable!
I have an attic which is over a spiral staircase, meaning it's a two floor drop if I fell. There's a metal retractable ladder going over the stairwell to the attic, and because of my fear of heights, but also the fact there's only a small handrail quite far up the ladder, and the fact that the treads are small and not flat, I'm too scared to go up. I start sweating and I know I am small enough to go through the gaps in the ladder. I certainly haven't got the strength (I'm a small lady) to bring things up to the loft, in one hand, and go up the ladder.
Ideally I would like a wooden ladder with proper steps (not rounded ones) which are flat and quite broad, so I don't feel like I'll fall through, plus a proper handrail on both sides from the bottom. But when I look online, these seem to be defined as 'steps' and not a ladder, and steps are not possible - I need them to retract.
Does anyone have any idea how to get past this, aside from a full on loft conversion that i can't afford? Also any ideas for who might do this for me would be super helpful....
I'm based in London!
I have an attic which is over a spiral staircase, meaning it's a two floor drop if I fell. There's a metal retractable ladder going over the stairwell to the attic, and because of my fear of heights, but also the fact there's only a small handrail quite far up the ladder, and the fact that the treads are small and not flat, I'm too scared to go up. I start sweating and I know I am small enough to go through the gaps in the ladder. I certainly haven't got the strength (I'm a small lady) to bring things up to the loft, in one hand, and go up the ladder.
Ideally I would like a wooden ladder with proper steps (not rounded ones) which are flat and quite broad, so I don't feel like I'll fall through, plus a proper handrail on both sides from the bottom. But when I look online, these seem to be defined as 'steps' and not a ladder, and steps are not possible - I need them to retract.
Does anyone have any idea how to get past this, aside from a full on loft conversion that i can't afford? Also any ideas for who might do this for me would be super helpful....
I'm based in London!
You should pay a guy to at least move your attic access to a safer place. Yours sounds like it is in a poor location.
They sell these wooden steps - I can't say if the steps are wide enough for you, but I carry things up them all the time.
wooden retractable attic ladder
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:37 AM on September 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
They sell these wooden steps - I can't say if the steps are wide enough for you, but I carry things up them all the time.
wooden retractable attic ladder
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:37 AM on September 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
maybe you could rig up a block and tackle for moving things in and out
posted by thelonius at 7:49 AM on September 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by thelonius at 7:49 AM on September 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
That sounds like horrible access. I know space is at a premium, but maybe... just not use your attic? I'm not sure what percentage of your storage that entails, but it sounds extremely unpractical as a viable storage space as is. I know I wouldn't be comfortable using it either.
Failing that, since one of your issues seems to be carrying things while using the ladder, can you use a backpack to carry items leaving both your hands free to climb?
posted by cgg at 7:52 AM on September 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
Failing that, since one of your issues seems to be carrying things while using the ladder, can you use a backpack to carry items leaving both your hands free to climb?
posted by cgg at 7:52 AM on September 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Haha the loft is kind of....my only inbuilt storage space in a small house :) So I kind of need it. But I love the idea of changing the loft access hatch - i think this is an issue. If I was just going to fall onto the ground, I wouldnt be half as bothered. It's the two floor drop. Will investigate costs for that. Thank you everyone!
posted by starstarstar at 8:03 AM on September 28, 2021
posted by starstarstar at 8:03 AM on September 28, 2021
Response by poster: Oh also I love the backpack idea - funnily enough I hadn't thought of that. Lots of the things are too big, but some aren't so it's at least a solution for that...
posted by starstarstar at 8:04 AM on September 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by starstarstar at 8:04 AM on September 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
I saw a video recently where someone cut out another part of ceiling and installed a dumbwaiter the size of a Rubbermaid tub, so they would never have to carry anything up, just go up themselves and then move it around. Perhaps that’s also an option?
posted by raccoon409 at 8:25 AM on September 28, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by raccoon409 at 8:25 AM on September 28, 2021 [7 favorites]
While you wait for a longer term solution: I love the idea of a harness! I wonder if it would give you some confidence, especially if you (when a friend was there, from a low step) practiced putting some of your weight on it, so you knew it held.
Also, I hear you expressing some frustration that you wait for men friends to visit to help. What if you asked a woman friend to help? I think it might be helpful if you frame this as being about fear of heights rather than female frailty (not that you said exactly that).
Or, what if you had a neighbor (especially a woman) that you paid sometimes to do this for you? I'm emphasizing finding a woman to help with this because I think you've put yourself into a position of thinking this is a man's job, which makes it harder to find solutions in the short term.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:13 AM on September 28, 2021 [4 favorites]
Also, I hear you expressing some frustration that you wait for men friends to visit to help. What if you asked a woman friend to help? I think it might be helpful if you frame this as being about fear of heights rather than female frailty (not that you said exactly that).
Or, what if you had a neighbor (especially a woman) that you paid sometimes to do this for you? I'm emphasizing finding a woman to help with this because I think you've put yourself into a position of thinking this is a man's job, which makes it harder to find solutions in the short term.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:13 AM on September 28, 2021 [4 favorites]
A harness system would be how OSHA would handle this. That plus a backpack would make things much safer.
posted by q*ben at 12:21 PM on September 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by q*ben at 12:21 PM on September 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
Yeah, we just got a timber loft ladder from B&Q to solve a similar problem. My son fitted it so it's doable by a lay person as long as they are handy and also strong. The timber ones are sturdier and more comfortable to climb than the metal ones. I've seen pictures through online search that showed foldable wooden ladders with a handrail but I've never seen those in at the hardware stores so maybe they are only available from specialised builders merchants.
We also had a very unsafe ladder situation - ours had to be propped into the adjacent door jam to keep the base fixed and still wobbled like hell - so I'd not been in our attic for years. With regards to fitting the new ladder we now have to block off one end of the opening to fit our slightly smaller pre-measured hatch thingy. The instructions presume you might be cutting the hatch yourself so I don't think it would be complicated to choose a new spot for the opening. As always, as long as the person fixing it has some idea what they are doing.
Re help with carrying things, I've been wondering about fixing a pully to the rafters to help hoist heavy things up there.
I don't quite remeber what it cost but it was cheaper than expected, I think it was this one at £107. It's a little unwieldy to unfold - I am also small - but doable, and I've since been in the attic by myself without fear. The most expensive kit is this one at £177. I notice the reviews for this one are poor but ... a ladder is more stable at a steep angle than at a wide one, so maybe reviewer no. 2 wasn't aware of that.
Here is B&Qs loft ladder buying guide.
posted by glasseyes at 12:34 PM on September 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
We also had a very unsafe ladder situation - ours had to be propped into the adjacent door jam to keep the base fixed and still wobbled like hell - so I'd not been in our attic for years. With regards to fitting the new ladder we now have to block off one end of the opening to fit our slightly smaller pre-measured hatch thingy. The instructions presume you might be cutting the hatch yourself so I don't think it would be complicated to choose a new spot for the opening. As always, as long as the person fixing it has some idea what they are doing.
Re help with carrying things, I've been wondering about fixing a pully to the rafters to help hoist heavy things up there.
I don't quite remeber what it cost but it was cheaper than expected, I think it was this one at £107. It's a little unwieldy to unfold - I am also small - but doable, and I've since been in the attic by myself without fear. The most expensive kit is this one at £177. I notice the reviews for this one are poor but ... a ladder is more stable at a steep angle than at a wide one, so maybe reviewer no. 2 wasn't aware of that.
Here is B&Qs loft ladder buying guide.
posted by glasseyes at 12:34 PM on September 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
Be careful with the harness system. I have a pulldown ladder attic hatch thing, and while it's sturdy enough to climb up and down, with the force exerted on the ladder going downwards to the floor, I'm pretty sure that tugging on it in other directions as would happen if a harness was linked to it and someone fell off would destroy it.
Personally I would not use this attic for storage of anything much at all. But I've never quite understood what to use attic storage for, it's inconvenient at best as it's very difficult to carry larger items on a ladder, smaller items are much easier to store somewhere else, the attic gets very hot in the summer so it's not suitable for many things that would be damaged. So I probably don't have the best understanding of what you would even store in an attic.
There is storage furniture available even for a small house, sofas and beds with large amounts of storage underneath. If you are thinking of buying something that you would need to pay to have installed, it might make more sense to have better storage inside of the house.
posted by yohko at 2:49 PM on September 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
Personally I would not use this attic for storage of anything much at all. But I've never quite understood what to use attic storage for, it's inconvenient at best as it's very difficult to carry larger items on a ladder, smaller items are much easier to store somewhere else, the attic gets very hot in the summer so it's not suitable for many things that would be damaged. So I probably don't have the best understanding of what you would even store in an attic.
There is storage furniture available even for a small house, sofas and beds with large amounts of storage underneath. If you are thinking of buying something that you would need to pay to have installed, it might make more sense to have better storage inside of the house.
posted by yohko at 2:49 PM on September 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
While I like the idea of a harness, you want to make sure that the anchor point can hold a -lot- of weight -- 5000 lb is the OSHA fall protection standard. Also, if you are left hanging in mid-air, you need to be able to be rescued quickly. The pressure on your legs is going to be uncomfortable , and can cause enough damage to lose limbs in about 20 minutes.
... Upon re-reading, clicking in to each step of the ladder is a little safer, but the sudden force could still break them, but then you wouldn't be left dangling, you'd be on the ground.
Could you rig up a bucket/rope situation, and put things in a bucket and lower down with a rope?
posted by Sparky Buttons at 4:13 PM on September 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
... Upon re-reading, clicking in to each step of the ladder is a little safer, but the sudden force could still break them, but then you wouldn't be left dangling, you'd be on the ground.
Could you rig up a bucket/rope situation, and put things in a bucket and lower down with a rope?
posted by Sparky Buttons at 4:13 PM on September 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
The Skylark Electric Timber Folding Loft Ladder: "The Skylark comes with 100 mm deep treads, with plenty of toe room behind each step, which are made from Beech hard wood. Each step is just 230 mm apart from each other and the ladder also comes with two handrails as standard for safe climbing."
Stira Wooden Folding Attic stairs, with handrail option
Attic Easy Lift (searched for "UK Motorized Attic Lift" - US company examples of this device, for additional keywords)
I agree, find out if that access hatch can be moved to a safer spot.
Your home should be where you feel most comfortable. You're a physically small person with a fear of heights, contemplating a trip to your attic makes you break out into a sweat, and you'd like both hands free to negotiate the climb. Store fewer things up there, because it's not worth this stress. (An alternative for some storage.) bluedaisy's suggestion to call on a female friend, or enlist a female neighbor, is sound. My home has an attic hatch with a metal retractable ladder like yours (skimpy, wonky, near-dowel rungs; afterthought handrail), and I'm responsible for all attic-related chores because my roommate's acrophobia and dust allergies are worse than mine. If I lived near you, I'd help you.
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:50 PM on September 28, 2021
Stira Wooden Folding Attic stairs, with handrail option
Attic Easy Lift (searched for "UK Motorized Attic Lift" - US company examples of this device, for additional keywords)
I agree, find out if that access hatch can be moved to a safer spot.
Your home should be where you feel most comfortable. You're a physically small person with a fear of heights, contemplating a trip to your attic makes you break out into a sweat, and you'd like both hands free to negotiate the climb. Store fewer things up there, because it's not worth this stress. (An alternative for some storage.) bluedaisy's suggestion to call on a female friend, or enlist a female neighbor, is sound. My home has an attic hatch with a metal retractable ladder like yours (skimpy, wonky, near-dowel rungs; afterthought handrail), and I'm responsible for all attic-related chores because my roommate's acrophobia and dust allergies are worse than mine. If I lived near you, I'd help you.
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:50 PM on September 28, 2021
Another vote for making a new attic access and also (possibly using the existing hole with the ladder removed) setting up a rope and pulley so you can move things up and down without having to carry them.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 11:01 PM on September 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 11:01 PM on September 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by phunniemee at 7:36 AM on September 28, 2021 [11 favorites]