Attic Access

Ceiling access

To provide a simple and effective attic entry point, just use this technique.

Pick a location in a closet or hallway if possible. Be sure that there will be enough room to place a step ladder under the opening. Nail two blocks of the same dimension lumber as the ceiling joists so that they run between two of the joists. Place them so that you will have a square 22-1/2" framed opening. When the plasterboard is installed on the ceiling, run a 1-1/2" to 2" strip around the bottom of the square space. Use the edge of a sheet of plasterboard with the papered edge up. Cut a 22-3/8" square of plasterboard (this time without a tapered edge). This will sit on top of the narrow strips to fill in the access hole.

Once the bottom edge to ceiling joint is taped and finished, the access opening is done. Whether the ceiling insulation is blown in or batts, just glue or staple a piece of batt insulation onto the back of the plasterboard square to insulate that area. Run some insulating foam tape around the top edge of the plasterboard strips that hold up the square and the job is complete.

When you need to get into the attic, just set up your ladder, climb up and push the square up into the attic. Be gentle so that you don't mar the surface of the access cover. Watch out for dust or bits of insulation that may be blown into your face when you push the cover open. I recommend wearing a dust mask whenever you go into the attic.

Wall access

Providing access into an attic through a wall requires a bit more work than through the ceiling, especially if you want it to look nice. Hopefully, you can locate the access entry in a closet, but even if you can't it doesn't have to look bad.

Wall studs are normally spaced 16" o.c. (on center). This only leaves 14-1/2" to squeeze through if you don't change the framing...possible for most of us, but not very easy. I prefer to remove the lower part of a stud, install a header, and have a nice wide hole to work with. If you don't want the full 31-1/2" wide space, just add a short stud on one side to reduce the opening width. You will have to work with the space your situation allows, but I would recommend at least 22-1/2" wide by 36" high.

When you frame the opening, you may want to double up the studs on each side (and the head if you are just using a flat stud for the header). Make sure you know if the wall is load bearing before you remove studs. If it is, you will need to install an appropriately sized header. The goal is to wind up with an access hole that can be covered with a piece of plasterboard or plywood. The plasterboard on the wall will cover half of the width of the framing all around, leaving the remaining half for mounting the cover.

Now you can screw a piece of 1/2" plywood over the opening to mark your turf. Install plasterboard up to the plywood, leaving a slight gap of 1/8" to 1/4" so that the plywood can be removed without damaging the wall. Once the wall is finished, remove the plywood. Add a "picture frame" to the plywood by attaching some trim (1-1/2" wide or whatever you are using for the rest of the house). Let the trim hang about 3/4" beyond the edge of the plywood on the sides and top.

To finish up, staple a fiberglass insulation batt on the back of the plywood panel and then screw the panel back in place. The trim will neatly cover the transition from plasterboard to plywood, and your base trim can be run up to the picture framed trim. If this is a panel that you expect to remove frequently, you can place it with the use of two or four heavy duty magnetic cabinet door latches. You may want to add one or two cabinet handles as well.