A new kid means more stuff. It also means more stuff you think you want to keep forever. We lived in a 1200 sq. ft. home with very limited storage. I devsed a plan to gain some more storage. Then I spend an inordinant amount of time in Sketchup drawing out my plan so that I could communicate what I wanted to do to my out of town landlord. I sent him the following email:

Here is a video showing what I was thinking of doing in the attic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU2E2XXm1Iw&hd=1

Basically I would put a row of 2x4’s on top of the existing trusses to give more room for the insulation and to add a little stiffness. On top of that I would put plywood. This would take a minimal amount of materials and I don’t think it would be very difficult to do. I had my dad (an architect) look at it and he said that since the area where I am talking about putting the decking down is basically on a short span between two walls it will be more than strong enough. If you will buy the materials I will do the labor for free.

Materials required:

4’x8’x5/8” Plywood - Qty 3 @ $23 Each - $69 8’ 2”x4” - Qty 10 @2.89 Each - 28.90 Screws - 2 Boxes @ $7 Each - $14 Glue - 2 Tubes @ $5 Each - $10 Hinges for access door - Qty 1 @ $8 - $8 Misc Item I have forgotten - $20

Total Cost $149.90

My landlords response:

The video alone is worth $150. LOL Did you create that? Go for it.

The part of the plan that did not go according to the design was that while you can plan to fit a 2’ x 8’ piece of plywood up diagonally through an 2’ x 2’ access hole it may not work if the roof is too close. Back to the saw to cut each piece into 32” sections. That and it was two months later in May before I had time to do it. Summer time in an attic is way hotter than you think it is. And when you are hot and tired you may step off a rafter and put your foot through the ceiling of the bathroom.

In the end it was a success and we gained about 70 square feet of additional storage, or a nice sized closet.

Things I Learned

• Communicating a plan completely and with very few words inspires confidence.
• Don’t do work in the attic in summer. (This was like the third time I learned this.)
• A lot of the stuff you think you can’t part with you should. (This was a delayed lesson)
• A good relationship with your landlord is worthwhile to maintain
• Be extra careful when you are hot and tired. Sheetrock will not support you.