Secure top insulation to the hatch door, so insulation doesn't fall.
An attic access door doesn't always fit into a home's hallway, which is the standard placement for the door. Building a hatch door in a bedroom is sometimes the only alternative. That can be a problem unless you plan ahead to determine furniture placement and components of the bedroom area in a way to ensure you can pull down an attic ladder or use a freestanding ladder to avoid conflict with items in the room. Does this Spark an idea?
Accessing the Hatch
The hatch door may or may not have a built-in ladder. An attic door with no hinges will simply push straight up into the attic. You will need to lift it over to rest on attic joists or flooring to make room to climb into the attic. This type of door allows you to use a freestanding ladder in the bedroom to access it. Installing a hinged hatch door with an attached ladder system that folds down into the room is another option. This option, however, allows no flexibility in ladder placement in the bedroom.
Fasten Closet Doors
Look at potential conflict with closet doors. Fasten closet doors shut, if they interfere with the hatch door. Bifold closet doors can conflict with any type of ladder under the hatch door, especially if the bifold doors tend to stand ajar. A well-designed closet latch system will keep the closet doors out of the way.
Work Around the Bed
Placement of the bed is a big issue in a small bedroom with a loft hatch door, and this may be the biggest problem with having a loft hatch in the bedroom. To access the loft through a push-up hatch door, for instance, you may have to move the mattress and box springs out of the way and use a freestanding ladder. You can place a step ladder on the floor inside the bed framing perimeter, so you can climb up to the hatch door without disassembling the bed framing.
Block Glass Areas
Consider breakable items in the room. When you access the hatch door, block mirrors and windows from impact by a ladder. Climbing up to the loft area will be safer if you make sure you will not fall directly toward any glass areas if you fell off the ladder. Turn the dresser in a different direction or block a window with a chest of drawers, for example.
Plan the Storage Boxes
Review items to be stored in the attic. While accessing the hatch door might be difficult at times, it's typically an issue that's manageable. Think ahead to envision the challenges of moving items up and down the ladder. Using several smaller storage boxes to replace big boxes might work better.
Tags: hatch door, closet doors, conflict with, freestanding ladder, bedroom access, door with, into attic
