Why Attics Need Access

An attic sometimes referred to as a loft is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building.

Why attics need access. Advani hopes to finish the attic and install a minisplit although he s not sure that will lower the humidity. The portion of the chimney that isn t exposed to the elements can also weather and deteriorate. Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old. 1 attics that are small less than 30 square feet of area or under a low slope roof that does not have a minimum of 30 inches of clear opening height between the top and bottom structural members are not required to have an attic hatch by the building code.

This is especially the case with older homes. If the attic access panel appears to be sprayed shut caulked shut nailed shut or similarly obstructed to make access difficult we will ask for permission to open it. But if the floor is covered in plywood you can t stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently not even in warm climates. An attic may also be called a sky parlor or a garret because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the top floor of a building and the slanted roof they are known for being awkwardly shaped spaces with exposed rafters and difficult to reach corners.

For example a past renovation might seal up an attic access panel in the ceiling entirely. Or the homeowner might have a bureau placed in front of an attic door. As with any other part of a home inspection attics must be accessible. They re not looking out for your best interest or they ve been misinformed the other common argument i hear about not going in the attic is that the panel will look bad after i open it.

Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents. Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. Only about 10 of the hip roof is shaded so it gets plenty of direct sunlight. Don t listen to anyone that tells you new attics don t need to be inspected or that attic access panels shouldn t be opened.

With outside temperatures ranging between 5 f and 95 f attic temperatures range between 48 f and 92 f. Stop using your attic for storage. Of course no one can inspect the interior of a chimney from the attic but an inspector can note whether the structure itself is solid within the attic space.