The Garage Attic Retracting Stairway

Vintage Veloce · Nov 13, 2016

We just finished building our garage. Probably the most interesting feature is the attic stairway.
Most people with attics have used those weak and narrow pull down folding or telescoping stairways. They are narrow and steep and not very strong. I wanted to be able to easily use the attic storage area so I wanted a really good stairway.

It is important to understand that attics need to be designed properly to support the weight. From the beginning of the garage design this stairway has been planned for. I discussed it with the truss engineer and we made sure to design for the truss spacing, the weight and the point loads. Additionally, the whole system has been designed to account for the various loads and weights on all of the components.

I did lots of drawing to design and build the stairway and components but this one sketch illustrates the basic function:

And here is a video of the stairway in action!

Details
The counterweight:

The pivot:

The cane bolt and my stick to extend my reach:

The pulley system:

The stair to cable attachment:

PeterT · Nov 13, 2016

Looks like a nice stairway, but no rails? Nonetheless, nice project.

IPACA9 · Nov 13, 2016

PeterT said:
Looks like a nice stairway, but no rails? Nonetheless, nice project.

The fall won't hurt. It's the impact

Vintage Veloce · Nov 13, 2016

PeterT said:
Looks like a nice stairway, but no rails? Nonetheless, nice project.

Actually, after going up just a couple of the steps you are in the ceiling opening, which makes an effective rail for the upper steps. I was also concerned a regular rail might impede my handling of larger items near the bottom of the stairs. All that said, if it feels "iffy", I'll add them.
Frankly, the bigger concern is the big hole in the floor of the attic. I'm likely to add a barrier around that!

mygarageone · Nov 13, 2016

How cool , I have been thinking of this same thing for our new garage . I had the trusses set for a 3 ft wide set of stairs just like what you have done.

Onewolf · Nov 13, 2016

How wide are the stairs?

Vintage Veloce · Nov 13, 2016

Onewolf said:
How wide are the stairs?

The treads are 25-1/2" wide. The stairs to the outside of the stringers are 28-1/2" wide. The trusses the stairway hangs from are 32" on center.

IPACA9 · Nov 13, 2016

Very nice. Just finished my stairs to my mezzanine last night. I really thought about making retractable steps but I figured they would just be left down most the time anyways. I will say that making stairs *****...lol

Rockcam · Nov 13, 2016

OK - this stairway is super cool.

Very well done - especially love the unistrut track and counterweight.

Car and garage also look great.

ms fowler · Nov 13, 2016

I have very nearly the same setup. The guy who built my garage had a wall, 10' from one end for a "man cave". He attached some pretty heavy stairs to that wall for attic access. I need space more than a man cave ( garage is 30X40 overall) so I took out his wall, and used his stairs. I have a Harbor Freight 2500# winch hooked up to pull them up, and then I have 1/2" diameter steel pins as "safeties" to prevent the stairs from falling in the event of winch or cable failure/ When I get everything drywalled and painted, I will also paint a safety zone on the floor as a reminder of where the stairs will come down.

matt_i · Nov 13, 2016

This is a really great design, I would like to "adapt" parts of it to my build! :thumbup:

Nice clean garage also.

Firebrick43 · Nov 13, 2016

Very nice!

KDXSR5 · Nov 14, 2016

Nice and clean stair install! Do you have a part # for the pulleys you used in the build?

mcdye · Nov 14, 2016

Very cool, Thanks for sharing.

Vintage Veloce · Nov 14, 2016

Here are the pulleys I used:
Stanley National Hardware 3219BC 2" Zinc Plated Wall/Ceiling Mount Single Pulley
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VZRODK/?tag=atomicindus08-20
I also used rated structural screws to install these. Note you have to be very careful about the height of the screw heads and the cable routing.

Note, with a small pulley diameter you need to use very flexible cable. The typical stuff from the hardware store or home depot is unlikely to work well. More flexible usually means smaller gauge with more strands. You also want to use properly rated and tested crimps, and the crimping sleeves have to be the correct material to prevent galvanic corrosion. It took me quite a while to figure this stuff out. All my stuff was from Loos Cableware http://loosnaples.com/

tfalk · Nov 14, 2016

Very nicely done! For the pull down stairs, I have to ask, is the garage attached to the house? My only concern if so would be I believe code would say the ceiling has to be fire rated and I'm not sure that would qualify?

VintageVeloce · Nov 14, 2016

The garage is a separate building.

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Vintage Veloce · Nov 14, 2016

Here is a picture of the stairway during construction:
View media item 65171The thing weighs about 170 pounds.

steel 35 · Nov 14, 2016

Thanks for sharing! It's Nice

jako · Nov 14, 2016

A very clean build and a nice car as well.

I wonder if you couldn't bring that stair down by lifting the counterweight?
Maybe a lever on a foot pedal?

Vintage Veloce · Nov 14, 2016

jako said:
I wonder if you couldn't bring that stair down by lifting the counterweight?
Maybe a lever on a foot pedal?

You definitely can lift or pull on the counterweight or cables to move the stairway. I was originally considering putting a handle on the counterweight itself. But when pulling on the counterweight, it often twists and then doesn't move well in the unistrut track. I also can't reach the counterweight well when it is up by the ceiling.
I also realized I wanted the cane bolt at the foot of the stair, so I needed to reach up around that area anyway, and thus I went with the stick with a hook on it and the screw eye.

Hilltopmasonry · Nov 14, 2016

Very ingenious! Nice work

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jako · Nov 14, 2016

Vintage Veloce said:
I also realized I wanted the cane bolt at the foot of the stair, so I needed to reach up around that area anyway, and thus I went with the stick with a hook on it and the screw eye.

Indeed, the weight of one curious cat could bring it down on the hood of that Alfa.

Smoker · Nov 14, 2016

I did an L shaped staircase built in the back corner of my new shop - I considered a few options including a fold down or pull down setup like this but ended up going the route I did for three reasons -
The truss manufacturer gave me a girder truss option so I could go up to 48" wide on the entryway.
The built out second floor was going to see alot of traffic when storing and retrieving items. Raising and lowering would be a chore.
I wanted decent handrails as I have a 12' ceiling.

This solution looks great for this case though, very nice.

forAK · Nov 14, 2016

Awesome execution! Looks fantastic!

Vintage Veloce · Nov 14, 2016

jako said:
Indeed, the weight of one curious cat could bring it down on the hood of that Alfa.

And THAT would be a disaster! ;-)
Actually a fat cat might start it coming down, but it would be a slow descent at least. But you are correct, that is exactly what the cane bolt/latch is for.

shortykorte · Nov 14, 2016

Very nice solution. Looks finely made. Job well done! If it meets your needs then it is perfect.

Since it isn't the stairway to heaven, where does it go?

LS6 Tommy · Nov 14, 2016

Vwry nicely executed! I'm a crappy carpenter and I had to have acces that used a very small ceiling and floor footprint, so I opted for a +/- $80.00 premade solution. I got a Werner telscoping space saver ladder...

Tommy

Vintage Veloce · Nov 14, 2016

shortykorte said:
Since it isn't the stairway to heaven, where does it go?

Strangely, heaven is at the bottom of the stairs ;-).
I'm motorcycle guy, so I don't need high ceilings and a big lift. So I put in attic storage for all my spare parts.

Kaizen · Nov 15, 2016

Vintage Veloce said:
Strangely, heaven is at the bottom of the stairs ;-).
I'm motorcycle guy, so I don't need high ceilings and a big lift. So I put in attic storage for all my spare parts.

Ok thanks for the teaser.....if you put that much effort and detail into stairs please show us the rest of the garage. The space itself with lighting/sunlight looks awesome. Love to see exterior too

Jackfre · Nov 15, 2016

That is nicely done. What were the differences the engineer came up with in your truss design? My trusses are designed for the standard 40# load and I am not putting a lot up there as a result. I went with the 350# pull down AL ladder, which is as you note, steep and narrow. I did cut a hatch (22.5x48") that has a winch above to raise/lower bulky material. Even with the hatch I have found myself half way up the ladder asking myself, "why the hell am I doing this?" Again,. well done!

Vintage Veloce · Nov 15, 2016

The truss engineer made a bunch of changes like using 2x6 instead of 2x4, and a special triangular piece in the peak. He also put in an extra diagonal web. We designed the load for the wider spacing for the stairway, 32". In addition to the full floor loading for the attic we added a large point load where the pivot for the stairway was going.

Here's a few pics of the outside for Kaisen... Craftsman style to match the house. Note the beam ends supporting the fascia and the gable vent details.
View media item 65206 View media item 65207Incidentally, in the picture, above note how the rafter tails look evenly spaced. The uneven ones that are at 32" for the stairway were cut off and we put "false tails" at the proper locations, every 24". Because of the math the ones at the end of the roof have a bigger space.

And the sliding gate:
View media item 65208

C_F · Nov 15, 2016

I really like your stairway! It was obviously well thought out & executed, very nice. I'm kicking myself for not thinking of something similar when we built our house in '98. Because I didn't plan ahead, I currently get to use a 10' ladder. Oh well, I only need to go into the attic 3-4 times a year.

I also like your sliding gate, it looks stout. :thumbup:

Vintage Veloce · Nov 15, 2016

C_F said:
I also like your sliding gate, it looks stout.

Thanks! The gate was a story for another thread, but it did work out ok.

KDXSR5 · Nov 15, 2016

Vintage Veloce said:
Thanks! The gate was a story for another thread, but it did work out ok.

I am looking forward to the gate thread! :beer:

it looks very nice.

eastbaysubaru · Nov 15, 2016

Fantastic staircase! Very inspirational. I'm not sure my garage ceiling would accomodate this style of staircase (I just cut and framed an opening and use my extension ladder in the meantime).

-Brian

Dinky26 · Nov 17, 2016

Test

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Kaizen · Nov 17, 2016

I knew it had some exterior flair. very nice. next to big Victorians I love the craftsman houses esp out your way. The ones back here feel like a log cabin in a city.

MeanGreenZ71 · Nov 18, 2016

Subscribed. This was the same idea I had for my attic access. Any more info/drawings/dimensions/etc on the pivots and brackets?

Hephaestus29 · Nov 18, 2016

Thats cool as hell.
I want to know about your gate too.

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