I am having trouble getting a loft ladder because the spacing between the roof trusses is non -standard. The gap between the two trusses I want to place the ladder is 53cm and the nearest fit I can find is 55cm. Would it be OK to attach a 4"x2" to the outside of the horizontal member and cut away the part where I need to widen the gap leaving the 4 x 2 to bridge the gap and link the two separated parts of the horizontal member or would this imbalance the truss?

Richard

Tricky Dicky wrote:
I am having trouble getting a loft ladder because the spacing between the roof trusses is non -standard. The gap between the two trusses I want to place the ladder is 53cm and the nearest fit I can find is 55cm. Would it be OK to attach a 4"x2" to the outside of the horizontal member and cut away the part where I need to widen the gap leaving the 4 x 2 to bridge the gap and link the two separated parts of the horizontal member or would this imbalance the truss?

Richard

Should be OK. I'd suggest making the overlap at each end equal to the
length that you remove. Bolts through or screw. avoid nailing and risk
disturbing the tiling.

"Bob Minchin" wrote in message
...
Tricky Dicky wrote:
I am having trouble getting a loft ladder because the spacing between the
roof trusses is non -standard. The gap between the two trusses I want to
place the ladder is 53cm and the nearest fit I can find is 55cm. Would it
be OK to attach a 4"x2" to the outside of the horizontal member and cut
away the part where I need to widen the gap leaving the 4 x 2 to bridge
the gap and link the two separated parts of the horizontal member or
would this imbalance the truss?

Richard

Should be OK. I'd suggest making the overlap at each end equal to the
length that you remove. Bolts through or screw.
With timber connectors.

On 23/09/2013 19:16, Tricky Dicky wrote:
I am having trouble getting a loft ladder because the spacing between
the roof trusses is non -standard. The gap between the two trusses I
want to place the ladder is 53cm and the nearest fit I can find is
55cm. Would it be OK to attach a 4"x2" to the outside of the
horizontal member and cut away the part where I need to widen the gap
leaving the 4 x 2 to bridge the gap and link the two separated parts
of the horizontal member or would this imbalance the truss?

Richard


When i was thinking about fitting a wider hatch my structural engineer
friend said I would need a steel frame to pas the load around the hatch.

In the end I fitted a cheap loft ladder from amazon which only needs 45
cm clearance and I had 50 cm.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arrow-2-Sect.../dp/B004R24VC0


Stupid builders if you ask me, the trusses are all 60 cm spacing except
the one where the hatch is most convenient. If they had started at the
hatch end the 50 cm one would be at the other end.

Thanks for the replies Bob & Dennis. I should have been a little clearer about the type of ladder I am after. I am looking for the sort that comes with a hatch preferably insulated.

Richard

On 23/09/2013 20:27, Tricky Dicky wrote:
Thanks for the replies Bob & Dennis. I should have been a little
clearer about the type of ladder I am after. I am looking for the
sort that comes with a hatch preferably insulated.

Richard



Well if you buy a premade hatch from toolsatan or amazon it will fit
over a 500mm hole with a bit of timber framing and you won't even know
its not the full width of the hatch until you open it.

The ladder I linked to comes with hinges and a catch to allow you to
make a hatch out of some ply or timber.

On Monday, September 23, 2013 7:16:13 PM UTC+1, Tricky Dicky wrote:
I am having trouble getting a loft ladder because the spacing between the roof trusses is non -standard. The gap between the two trusses I want to place the ladder is 53cm and the nearest fit I can find is 55cm. Would it be OK to attach a 4"x2" to the outside of the horizontal member and cut away the part where I need to widen the gap leaving the 4 x 2 to bridge the gap and link the two separated parts of the horizontal member or would this imbalance the truss?

Richard

Isnt it easier to just make a ladder to fit?
Insulating a loft hatch is very cheap


NT