Swiss attic ladder

[David C. Macy]

First time I have seen this ingenious modification.

Attic ladder had holes drilled for I would figure venting the attic. Roof was only 5-10 with ridge and gable. Recently installed blown in insulation.

No soffits vents

Now I made the mistake a few years back and stated there were no soffit vents and there were as they had cut grooves in the soffit covering but they could not be seen from the ground. This covering did not appear the have any openings.

My recommendation is: Replace swiss cheese attic ladder cover, Insulate opening as it was common to house and the only access and have soffit vents and baffles installed.

The more I look at the pic it actually looks more like a big domino.

[Linda J. Foster]

David, was the attic ladder located in a garage? If you did that in Texas, the a/c would never turn off in the summer !

If the soffit was aluminum or vinyl, some of that stuff has small holes made into it. Have to look close.

[David C. Macy]

Originally Posted by lfoster

David, was the attic ladder located in a garage? If you did that in Texas, the a/c would never turn off in the summer !

If the soffit was aluminum or vinyl, some of that stuff has small holes made into it. Have to look close.

Yes the ladder was in the garage.

I try to look closely at the soffits so I do not miss the small holes/grooves.

[Richard A. Hetzel]

If the ladder is in the garage and there is living space above, then the ladder cover must have the same fire-resistance rating as the garage ceiling. I don't know of any fire-rated holes on the market, but hey, I don't know everything! =)

[Marcel R. Cyr]

A profile of that vented material can be seen here David.
I have it on my own house.
It is very easy to miss.
It is called the 3-1/3" vented ivisivent.
http://www.certainteed.com/resources/cts150.pdf

[David C. Macy]

Originally Posted by mcyr

A profile of that vented material can be seen here David.
I have it on my own house.
It is very easy to miss.
It is called the 3-1/3" vented ivisivent.
http://www.certainteed.com/resources/cts150.pdf

About 2 years ago I was doing an inspection on a sale by owner and I was walking the exterior stating there are no soffit vents. The sellers stated I paid a lot of money for this siding are you sure. I climbed my ladder and looked closer and sure enough they were there. You can not see from the ground. I was embarrased and apologized.

[Rick Maday]

Originally Posted by dmacy

About 2 years ago I was doing an inspection on a sale by owner and I was walking the exterior stating there are no soffit vents. The sellers stated I paid a lot of money for this siding are you sure. I climbed my ladder and looked closer and sure enough they were there. You can not see from the ground. I was embarrased and apologized.

I like to turn off the lights in the attic and see daylight around the eaves.

[Rick Maday]

Originally Posted by mcyr

A profile of that vented material can be seen here David.
I have it on my own house.
It is very easy to miss.
It is called the 3-1/3" vented ivisivent.
http://www.certainteed.com/resources/cts150.pdf

Pretty cool product, Marcel.

Someone at Certainteed had their thinking cap on!

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

Originally Posted by rmaday

I like to turn off the lights in the attic and see daylight around the eaves.

Works as long as the insulation is installed properly.

[Rick Maday]

Originally Posted by jjonas

Works as long as the insulation is installed properly.

Exactly!

[Chuck Evans]

Originally Posted by Richard A. Hetzel

If the ladder is in the garage and there is living space above, then the ladder cover must have the same fire-resistance rating as the garage ceiling. I don't know of any fire-rated holes on the market, but hey, I don't know everything! =)

Also required if there is a common attic space (which would be the whole purpose of putting the access in the garage). Either way it's a fire safety hazard.