We installed a Screwfix loft hatch + ladder

...And apart from an escaped spider, we had no major issues at all! We put in the 3-Sections Insulated Timber Loft Ladder Kit from Screwfix. Mostly a straightforward job, but we have a few tips if you're planning to do this yourself...

#loft #hatch #ladder

Welcome to Making a Home, the show about two Average Joes trying to improve their home. Slowly. With many mistakes. But that's what it's all about, right? Please subscribe so we can show you more of our adventures!

00:00 - Intro
00:34 - What we bought
00:47 - Removing the old hatch
01:23 - Preparing the area
02:25 - Attaching the hinges and ladder
02:52 - Placing the hatch in the ceiling
02:13 - Screwing into place
03:26 - Installing spacers
03:34 - Ladder catching on banister
03:47 - Cutting the ladder to size
04:56 - Results

[andreesonce]

1:06 - 1:10 If you look at the grey floor at the bottom, you can see what looks like the very large spider scuttling away! Very helpful video, thanks!

[FamousJames]

I installed a keylite one from amazon but I took the ladder off the door to make solo installation easier. ours is a 10ft / 3.05m ladder hatch. I like how you told people what you did & why, where as in my video I said what I was going to do, did it & then showed what I did & why. I feel like us doing these is great because its shows people you don't need an expensive trade all the time

[johnpawlowski]

Great video, which amateurs will gain confidence from, I fitted mine on my own, then boarded the attic after adding extra thickness to the ceiling joists. Its floored and carpeted, and adds much needed storage space..

[Petrolhead]

Thanks for taking the time to do this. Some info regarding the width of the ladder and joists would be good.

[tony.mccall]

I fitted one of these, It's easier to take the ladder off the hatch before fitting it in the ceiling, the re-attach it once the hatch is in place.

[andrewdowniephd]

We had some workmen in our loft in the last week or two and yanked down the door catch and now it won't hold closed. So now I'm going to have to try and rig something to allow it to catch and hold or track down a replacement lock, hopefully at Screwfix. Not a fault of the loft ladder, just fools you pay to do a job and create even more work for oneself. The door hatch and ladder are brilliant and we've had ours for about 16 years without issues until now.

[anyanuri]

We gonna buy this loft hatch and ladder for our house as well

[squaresausage]

Great video guys! I am in the process of doing the loft so this was a great help 👍

[klashnacovak]

Great video and diagrams is a big plus when explaining.

[Causinghoodlumhavoc]

Very good video, clear instructions and showed the issues that can come up when doing DIY!

[AtomicRobot-dmnp]

Loved your “Play” album - didn’t know you were into DIY too

[krisjenkins]

Great video. I just bought the same one today

[dinmorejunctionmodelrailway]

Congratulations on a well produced video. Showing the issues installing in a normal home.

[radharcanna]

A very nice job. It might be an idea to attach a rail to the rafters just to hold on to when going up or down.

[thetruthreal]

I put the ladder on, got all the brackets in the right place and then took it off, put the hatch up and then put the ladders back on, the springs are very hard to stretch, I used mole grips to pull them into place.

[robt]

Well done. You made that look easy. I'm still worried about that spider ❤

[charlieburden]

Great video!

Would you be open to making a video installing a keylite loft ladder?

[JHS]

When I installed my loft ladder the springs correctly installed would have been under way too much tension... I used a couple of strips of perforated steel to make spring extenders... no chance now of fittings pulling free due to over tensioned springs. On the opposite side of the opening up in the loft I also installed an upright panel so that someone moving around cannot step back and fall through the open hatch.

[ColinRichardson]

So, just to confirm, the cheaper modal doesn't come with the metal pole and lock, and doesn't come with the bottom feet paddings, and doesn't come with the metal handrail?
I feel better for getting the more expensive version, though it was from Costco, so it ended up being about £2 more expensive than the cheap one from screwfix.

[Andyuk]

Great video. Would have loved to hear more about how to made the hole bigger!