We don’t usually devote a blog post to a customer testimonial. However we were so delighted to receive this letter from Gary Carlson of Massachusetts that we felt it worth sharing the whole letter. On our Testimonials page we’ve included some snippets of what he writes below. Thank you Gary for the very kind words. And thank you to his wife Donna who purchased the lift for him. Here’s their SpaceLift attic lift success story . . .
Gary’s Customer Testimonial
We are extremely happy with our SpaceLift. From start to finish it has been a great experience.
Ordering the unit was extremely easy. We couldn’t believe how fast it came. We completed our order on a Wednesday evening and we received it on Friday the same week…awesome!!!! All our communications with the staff were quickly responded to, with knowledgeable and very courteous answers.
We installed the SpaceLift ourselves. We completed the installation of the SpaceLift in one weekend. The unit came in two well-packed and organized heavy-duty cartons. All parts were well marked. The pre-site documentation was invaluable in selecting an optimum site to install the unit. (Site Guide) The Installation documentation was very clear and concise, leaving no guesswork. (Installation Page)The hardest part of the installation was framing in the opening for the SpaceLift as our garage has 12-foot-high ceilings with 2×12 joists. After that was done, it was a breeze to install and setup the unit. After installing the hardware, the setup of the straps to the platform was easy as well. There were detailed directions about how to first start up the SpaceLift and how to calibrate the upper and lower limits, with key points highlighted to help avoid any issues.
If you look at the top of this photo you can see the 12-foot high garage ceiling. Fortunately, the SpaceLift attic lift has 15 feet of travel.
The SpaceLift has made our life so much easier with getting heavy awkward crates, furniture and other difficult items up to the upper level of our garage. We would otherwise have to carry these items up a set of long steep stairs that have been difficult and even somewhat dangerous at times. We have been using the lift at least three to four times a week, with multiple lifts during each use. The quality of the SpaceLift is exceptional, constructed of heavy gauge steel, quality bearings and pulleys and all other components. We really liked the convenience of the wall mount control unit. Using a CAT-5 cable was ingenuous and simple to install.
We are looking forward to many happy years of use of the SpaceLift!!!
Regards, Gary Carlson Massachusetts
(Thank you Gary for the wonderful customer testimonial.)
SpaceLift installed with furniture aboard ready to move into the attic. A lot easier (and safer) than carrying up a stairs.
Carlson SpaceLift attic lift with containers ready for their trip to the attic.
What are some safety concerns for attic storage? What safe attic storage systems can you install yourself? Attics are wonderful for storage but there are important safety considerations. Properly prepared attics make great storage spaces. Attic storage is great for seasonal items like Halloween and Christmas decorations. It’s perfect for things you use only rarely like a miter saw. It’s a great place to hold things for years you’ll eventually want like baby clothes. Moving items into attic storage lets you claim more living space and reduce clutter. However there are some considerations to ensure your safety and preservation of your stored items.
Here are some key areas to consider for safe attic storage:
Attic access
For people
For storage items
Attic flooring systems
Attic roof framing
Attic climate
Attic Access Safety
Getting into your attic has two important considerations: access for people and access for storage items. Most attics are built with a hatch of some sort in their floor, that is, the ceiling of the living space below the attic. Many also come with an extendable, pull down ladder or stairs. These are a potential hazard on two levels. First, if they are improperly installed or maintained, they can fail, resulting in a nasty fall. Second, ladders are an okay attic access system for people, but not much good for cargo. Carrying items up and down the attic ladder or stairs is a significant concern.
Good ladder practice dictates keeping three points of contact with the ladder at all times: two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand. Giving up both hands to carry a storage bin or box of stuff up into the attic, balancing only on your feet, is risky. Risk is even greater if the storage item is bulky, odd shaped or very heavy.
For those lucky few in older homes that have a dedicated attic stairway, these are the safest for conveying people, but still of concern for carrying storage items. You still have to let go of the handrail, if there is one, to go up and down when carrying something.
Unfortunately, few attics come with a dedicated system to move storage items in and out of the attic. SpaceLift Products offers an attic lift you can install. It’s like a dumbwaiter for your attic. Now you can use the attic ladder or stairs only for you. You load up to 200 pounds of attic storage items on one floor, push a button and meet your items on the other floor. Two people can even set up an fast and efficient chain system, one in the attic, the other in your garage or home living space, loading and unloading the lift. A SpaceLift attic lift is an integral part of safe attic storage systems.
Attic Flooring Safety
Do you remember the scene in “Christmas Vacation” where Clark Griswold is stumbling through his attic, stepping on loose boards laid over the floor joists, with the boards flipping up to slap him in the face? Next he takes a chance standing on the ceiling instead of the joists and breaks through to the room below. It’s funny in the movies, but in real life, people have broken legs falling through attic floors. One misstep can cause hundreds of dollars in damage. A proper attic floor is a key part of safe attic storage systems.
First you should know how much load your attic floor is designed to hold. DIY guru and “This Old House” host BobVila.com offers an article “Flooring 101: All You Need to Know about Attic Flooring.” Author Glenda Taylor states, “A common misconception is that it takes little more than the installation of some decking over the attic joists.”
Most attic structures are strong enough for storage of typical items like Christmas decorations and clothes. However some are made to support only the weight of the drywall ceiling hung below and little else.
Taylor says you can get some idea of your attic’s load bearing ability by examining the floor joists. The size of the joists and the spacing between them are key indicators. Joists made of 2x6s or 2x8s should be suitable for most attic storage items. Standard joist spacing is 16 inches on center. Sometimes to save money, builders will place joists 24 inches on center, obviously a weaker configuration.
The only way to be sure is to consult a structural engineer familiar with your local building codes.
A variety of methods to strengthen joists and attic flooring to carry a heavier load are described in the article.
For light storage, usually all that’s required is an attic floor or flooring system installed over the existing joists. At the very least you should create flooring around your attic access space and your SpaceLift attic lift. You can install just catwalks or put in a full floor. Remember to consider weight of flooring materials in your load calculations.
SpaceLift™ attic lift shown installed in the attic floor, surrounded by plywood flooring.
For joists on 16-inch spacing, ½ inch plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) 4 x 8 panels can be screwed into the joists. (Don’t use nails, you may disturb the drywall or plaster ceiling below.) For 24-inch centered joists, consider using sturdier ¾ inch plywood to prevent sagging.
An alternative to plywood, Metro Products offers Attic Dek, a plastic panel system. Lightweight but strong panels can be screwed to the joists in an open or interlocking configuration. They’re lighter to handle than plywood, won’t warp or sag and are premade with holes for screwing into 16 or 24 inch spaced joists. Attic Dek even includes the screws. The product was invented after the owner of a plastics company accidentally put his foot through his kitchen ceiling.
Proper attic flooring is an important component of safe attic storage systems.
Attic Roof Framing
Now that you have the floor resolved, look up . . . carefully.
Traditional house roofs are built with rafters running from a center beam at the peak down to the walls. Sometimes the rafters meet without a center beam. Newer construction methods use truss-framed roofs. Prefabricated trusses are big triangles that typically include the roof rafters and floor joists. Often they have additional bracing triangles built into them for strength. Trusses can limit space for moving about in the attic and storage options. Some modified versions are made with open space in the center for storage. Trusses should not be cut or compromised. Remember they’re holding up your roof and ceiling.
Once you’ve determined your attic framing system, there are several cautions to consider for your safe attic storage system. Of course you don’t want to exceed the attic framing’s load ability. This includes hanging items from the rafters or trusses. It might make for handy storage, but a heavy snow could compromise the structure.
Headspace is a consideration in many attics. They are often built lower than a standard ceiling height to save expense. You’ll want to site your attic access hatch and SpaceLift attic lift where you have maximum headspace. SpaceLift offers a site guide to help you determine the best place to install one in your attic.
Attic trusses are often manufactured with flat metal plates joining the wood. These are typically not finished and can have sharp edges. In high traffic areas you can pad the plates with duct tape or even insulation foam. Also, it is not unusual for roofing nails to be sticking down through the ceiling.
Attic Climate
Often attics are spaces are outside of the home’s thermal envelope, the insulated space keeping your living space comfy. Most attics do not have climate control, heat and air conditioning. To manage the attic space climate – and protect the living space climate – there are a wide variety of attic insulation and ventilation schemes. You should know and understand yours.
If you’re using your attic for storage only, generally you simply want to make sure you do not interfere with your existing insulation and air movement system. Don’t block vents with storage containers and don’t move or add insulation. Knowing what temperature extremes to expect in your attic in your part of the country helps inform the items suitable for storage there. Safe attic storage systems consider both the people using them and the items being stored.
Conclusion
A properly configured attic storage space adds value to your home. Convenient attic access is key to reducing clutter, claiming more living space and getting more enjoyment from your home and garage. Creating safe attic storage systems ensures these benefits for years to come. Often the best, and least expensive, home storage solution is right above your head.
SpaceLift™ attic storage lift being installed. View is in the attic. Note plywood flooring. Part of a safe attic storage system, an attic lift moves cargo in and out of your home or garage attic, instead of carrying on the attic ladder or stairs.
