We enlarged the entry to the kitchen and made a header to frame out a doorway here.
Framing out attic.
Shim under the bottom plate to level it if necessary then nail it into the floor joists with 16d nails.
Our ceiling joists are 2 x 6 s.
Hire an engineer to inspect your house s foundation and framing to ensure they can carry the extra load.
Standard joist spacing for the installation of attic flooring materials is 16 inches on center oc meaning the distance from the center of one joist to the center of the next joist is 16 inches.
Install the lower header with joist hangers figure a and assemble the front wall on the attic floor.
If the ceiling joist does not provide one side of the frame cut a second stringer the same length as the first one.
If the framing in the attic shows evidence of physical damage further evaluation is needed.
A finished attic weighs a lot more than boxes of off season duds.
Have a pro check the structure.
Run the plywood down to the top of the knee wall.
Nail the lumber to the edge going across the length of the timber so that the wood is held securely in place.
If the roof structure consists of trusses rather than rafters particular attention should be paid to.
So let s break this down.
They are usually twice the size of the surrounding framing materials.
Collar ties are horizontal members that like rafter ties extend from rafter to rafter but.
At a minimum you may need to strengthen the attic s floor joists which are often too shallow or spaced too far apart for the job.
Stand the front wall and align it with the marks on the floor.
Use screws to attach sheets of birch plywood to the angled ceiling over the insulation making sure to drive the screws into the ceiling joists.
Plumb the corners with a level and brace them with 2x4s.
Place 1 piece of timber along the edge of the hole and using the nails fix it into position.
The plywood will create a smooth strong ceiling without having to apply drywall tape and mud to the ceiling.
Framing the opening can be easy if you can locate the ladder so that it is parallel with the existing ceiling joists.
Cut a stringer to this length.
Most attic ladders are made to fit between joists set at 24 inches on center.
I needed to cut one of those 2 x 6 s out to make our attic access larger.