ATTIX
PERTH (08) 9371 8525
SYDNEY (02) 8580 4411
Ladder locations- making it easier
Often people ask us ‘where’s the best place to put the ladder?’ Well, the answer is easy-ish depending on a few factors, which matter.
Firstly, you want to step off the ladder, at the highest point in your roof- there’s not much use in putting the ladder, say, in the laundry, if you step off the ladder and it’s only a metre high… You’ll be banging your head every time you go into your roof space.
Your existing manhole, is a good start, so grab a ladder, stick your head into your roof space and have a look where the highest point in your roof is located. Quite often it’s in the passageway, or a room, which is central in your building.
The other factor is the foldout and the standout dimensions of your chosen ladder. The fold out is the amount of space you’ll need to unfold the ladder- a diagram hereabouts shows the measurement of our Eco ladder.
You’ll note that in this particular ladder model, you’ll need to allow enough space for the ladder to be folded up and down without obstruction.
The other things people get concerned about, but don’t have to be, is the air conditioner ducting in your roof.
When we build a storage space in your roof we often insert additional sections of ducting and then re-route the ducting around the storage area. This makes no difference to the performance of your air-con, but leaves the storage space free of ducting that you’d have to constantly step over.
Next comes the issue of electrics and pipes.
When electrical cables cross over the potential ladder location we bring in a licensed electrician to re-rout the wiring for lights, smoke detectors etc. around where we’ll be working. When water or gas pipes obstruct the ladder location, we’ll organise a plumber to do the same- now understand that getting these additional services done will cost you extra, so it may be better if we locate the ladder opening somewhere where these issues don’t exist.
Hangers, collar-ties and support struts can also play a part in where you locate your in-roof storage area. You don’t want to be playing dodgem and having to jump over or limbo under these timbers.
Ideally, we want to put the storage area over load bearing walls, where there is a clear access and a good open area where you’ll be moving around within the roof storage area. If we need to relocate any supporting structure, we have our Registered Builder attend and instruct our installers the easiest, safest and most cost-effective way to ensure you get an open area, free of obstacles and still maintain full structural integrity.
So, before you decide where the ladder is going to be installed, check the height of where you’ll be exiting the ladder. Make sure that you have enough foldout space for the ladder, and that’s the ideal place to install your ladder.
Then have a look around for other obstacles, wiring, pipes, hangers etc.
OR, just call us, we’ll do it all for you, and we’ll give you a FREE quote and lots of options and advice- After all what would you expect from the best attic installation company in the known universe? (Well, according to one customer we are!).
Pip pip!
Tony
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Yes, of course we make mistakes…
The story thus far… Our biggest corporate client (who shall remain nameless) one of the (very) senior executives had organised for us to go and fit a ladder and flooring to his beautiful new home in the Northern Suburbs.
I organised a photographer to go to the install and take some photos for our before and after gallery- OK sounds relatively simple so far.
Our ‘Gun’ installer gets to the job, cuts the ceiling and starts to put the ladder in, and the photographer climbs into the roof, loses his footing and puts his bloody great foot straight through the ceiling…
Plaster and dust all over the room- and furniture and a hole the size of a basketball. Quick phone calls, Emergency Plasterer arrives, fixes, sands, patches, and after a few frantic hours and repainted the entire ceiling- it’s all good as new.
And we sent flowers…
YES, of course we have stuff-ups, just like every other business that ever existed, we rely on people to do our work and sometimes people make mistakes, nothing is ever going to change that, but by constantly looking at what happened, why it happened and what can we do to ensure it doesn’t happen again, our company experiences far fewer problems than we’ve ever had before. In the case of the photographer, we had his feet removed surgically to ensure he never does it again- Joking!
We completely understand that mistakes happen, and most of our customers understand. Particularly when we fix the problem as fast as we can.
A couple of years ago we all got together and devised a ‘Values’ statement, it’s on a plaque on our reception desk, there’s a photo of it hereabouts.
Yes we’re human, yes we make mistakes, and yes we treat our mistakes seriously so we can fix them.
I gotta say though that some people make complaints over some amazing things… Like the lady who phoned me a complained bitterly that our installer didn’t put the toilet seat down, or the lady who rang me at 8:30 on a Saturday night because she couldn’t find her cat- She accused our installer of stealing it… Then called me back at 7:00 am on Sunday to say she’d found it- WOW! Thanks for letting me know.
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Attic Conversions… Renovations are not a production line!
Often we’re asked ‘how long will it take to complete my Attix conversion?’
Bearing in mind that the average conversion will involve the following specific areas of expertise:
Draftsman
Structural Engineer
Estimator
Getting the amendments done because the owner’s always change their minds, then back to the draftsman, then the structural engineer… et al.
Back to the Estimator
Attix Client services manager
Builder
Supervisor
Councill Planning dept – they take anything from 2 weeks to 8 weeks
Council building licenses dept- as above in delays and some take longer depending on their efficiency…
Pay the Verge Bond to the council and eventually get it via snail mail.
Deal with all the OH& Safety stuff off and on-site
Then get quotes from at least two reliable:
Sparkies
Plumbers
Insulators
Roofing Carpenters
Finishing Carpenters
Plasterers
Scaffolders
Air Conditioning guys
Stairway manufacturers -Who always have to get the timber from the East- (No, I don’t know why either)
Painters
Then quotes from at least two suppliers of;
Timber, Steel, Insulation, Fittings, Gyprock, flooring, plumbing supplies, aircon, electrical fittings… Are you starting to get the picture here?
Then…
Accepting the best value for money and quality quotes from the above tradies, then booking the tradies, then getting them to actually turn up on the day they’re due, co-ordinating with the clients, and the variations when they change their mind, organising suppliers, e.g. stair manufacturers, getting the clients to choose their fittings, then ordering and getting the fittings, and then making sure the job’s safe, getting the waste picked up etc. etc. Then you find out that behind the wall that we need to demolish is actually a steel beam supporting a structural beam in the roof…
How long will it take? The quick answer is- as fast and as reliably/safely as we can, but in EVERY stage listed above, there are delays, unexpected events (The sparky dropped a hammer which fell on the scaffolders helmet, who dropped a bag of cement on a plank, at the other end of the plank was a brick, it flew into the air… and that’s why we had to take your dog to the vet…
There; so now you know…
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Dodgy Bros – Buyer Beware!
‘No worries, and I’ll do a great job if you pay cash’…
Caveat Emptor- Buyer Beware!
Every industry has its leaders, they base their business on integrity, professionalism and they ‘stick to the rules’ the rules being professional qualifications, building registrations, structural engineers, council approvals and licenses etc.
Unfortunately, every industry also has the ‘Fred and his Ute’ type fellows who tell you, nah, you don’t need to tell the council and if you make it cash I can do you a great/cheap roof conversion. Quite often you’ll see these guys featured on A Current Affair or Today Tonight for ripping people off, taking their money and doing a ‘dodgy’ job.
Let me fill you in on something that you need to know- you cannot get a cheap/ripper job when doing a roof conversion. It’s mutually exclusive; you can get a great job, OR a cheap job, but it won’t be a great/cheap job because it’s impossible.
The plan may look ok scribbled on a bit of paper, but what happens after a couple of years when all your ceilings start to sag because the weight of the room in your roof is too great for the ceiling joists? AND the dodgy renovator has gone out of business? Yep, you’ll have to rip it all out and replace all of your ceiling joists and a new ceiling- Doh!
Or worse, what happens when the whole ceiling collapses when fat aunty Margaret and her two delightful chubby kids come over for a week and stay ‘upstairs’?
Here’s the truth: You DO need to have a structural engineer inspect and draw up plans for your new roof space addition or conversion. You DO need to get local Council planning and building permission for any habitable area within your roof, YES you do need building licenses, you DO need to use a company that has been licensed by the Builders Registration Board of WA and you DO need a licensed builder to supervise the project and you absolutely NEED Home Owners Indemnity Insurance for the project.
If you don’t have ALL of these vitally important things you will have paid good money for something called an ‘Illegal Build’. This means that when you come to sell your home, and you don’t have all the necessary documentation, in all probability you will be A) Prosecuted and B) be given Orders to replace the space to what it was before you started the project. C) Maybe, they’ll give you retrospective approval…Maybe.
And believe me, you don’t want any of those scenarios to take place- it will be damned expensive and time consuming.
You get what you pay for, and if you get a quote from a reputable, professional roof-space conversion company and a quote for half the amount from Fred and his van, why do you think the amounts will differ? You don’t need a degree in rocket-science to work that one out. Cheap materials and dodgy workmanship!
There are a lot of ways you can get the in-roof conversion you’ve always wanted and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of up-front cash to do it. We offer finance options. We send out a professional finance broker, they do the numbers and it may be that by refinancing your home, you’ll get a better deal AND have the cost of your in-roof conversion for a very small additional amount.
So if you’re thinking about converting wasted space in your roof into a new bedroom, studio, games room, home theatre – whatever, make sure you get a quote from a WA company that is registered with the Builders Registration Board of WA, it does have a licensed builder on staff and they follow all the rules and regulations and you’ll end up with something that you love, it’s legal and it adds a lot of value to your home.
Pip-Pip!
Tony Walton
General Manager -Attix
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Roof Ventilation for Your Storage Area
Ok, so if you live in Southern Tasmania where the climate is really mild (read brass monkey weather) you probably don’t need a ventilation system for your roof storage, but if you live anywhere in Western Australia, you will need it because it gets hotter than… well it gets damned hot in Summer. When temperatures get over 30° C it can get up to 45° C in your roof space.
Depending on what you have planned to store in your roof space, it’s probably a good idea to think about ventilating the area to reduce the temperature inside your room.
We stock the Edmonds clear, Perspex turbo ventilator and we stock it for a few very good reasons:-
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Storage Space Innovations for Your Attic
Let’s talk about storage ba-by… mmm sexy little song and absolutely nothing to do with you constantly pulling out your hair cause you have way too much ‘stuff’ and nowhere to put it.
It’s a disease of the 21st century, called the ‘fartoomuchcrap’ syndrome… Yes all the stuff that’s too good to chuck out, but where the hell do you put it?
Did you know that up to 30% of the volume within your building structure is in the roof-space… and this is a fantastic (and doh! – obvious) storage space to put it.
Now, just for a moment don’t think about the spiders and other creepy crawleys up there; we’ll get to that later.
First things first – you are going to need some storage space up there, preferably enough space to climb into and be able to put down some flooring for the storage area.
So the best thing is to grab the ladder and a torch and go have a look, I’ll wait for you to come back… go on. Read the rest of this entry »
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Storage Solutions and the Human Race – Part 1
A True-ish story.
OK, let’s face it. In the entire history of mankind we have never had so much ‘stuff’ and nowhere to put it! It’s become a 21st century disease called ‘waytoomuchcrapos’.
Take my teenage daughters (I wish someone would) they have between them more shoes than an established emporium, more handbags, clothes, books and magazines, hats and not to mention large fluffy stuffed ‘things’ than they know what to do with.
I remember one Sunday morning I was inspired to take all of the ‘stuff’ out of our spare room which had sadly, somehow, become the general storage girl junk and shoe room. I had an inspiration that I could create a ‘Dad only’ reading and music room.
I remember grabbing armfuls of fluffy pink, green and yellow things ready for the local charity shop (I think they had been breeding in there) when daughters 1 and 2 were away one weekend. Just when I was about to Read the rest of this entry »
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Roof Ladders – Access Your Roof Space
Let’s talk about ladders!
So you want to access your roof space to create some attic storage? The first thing to ascertain is the measurement between your floor to ceiling. This will determine the model and size of the roof ladder you will need for your attic storage project.
There are a number of things to take into account before you decide on the right roof ladder for your roof access storage system. The first questions are, how often will you be using the ladder, and what will you be taking up and down the ladder?
Some people may be using their roof ladder only occasionally, and storing things like empty luggage, or the Christmas tree. For this kind of usage, a roof ladder with a weight-bearing load of 120 kilograms would be fine. Of course you have to remember to take into account your own body weight!
If you are going to be using the roof ladder on a regular basis, and will be utilising your attic space for the storing of heavier items, or even if you’re undertaking a loft conversion, you will want a heavier weight-bearing capacity ladder. A ladder with a full-length handrail is desirable for safety reasons.
Another major factor in choosing an attic access ladder is the incline angle (or how steep the ladder is to climb). It is harder to climb a straight and vertical ladder than to climb a roof ladder with a gentle incline, particularly when carrying something. The best angle for incline is between 55 and 60 degrees. Cheaper varieties of roof ladders are often set at a 45degree angle and very few have safe handrails, making it difficult to climb the ladder whilst carrying things meant for storage. At Attix we carry a full range of attic stairs and roof access systems.
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Loft Conversions
You can create anything, as long as you have the space and budget...
Ok, so you’ve got some room between your ceiling and your roof, as most people do – so what can you do with it?
There are two simple strategies, one is to convert this space into a storage area, and the other is to convert the space into a usable, habitable room such as an additional bedroom, studio, office, home theatre, or maybe even a teenager, or parent retreat.
This article is about the basic steps you need to take to convert usable space within your roof to a habitable, additional room. At Attix, we have a checklist, which we have developed for performing successful loft conversions. Read the rest of this entry »
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