Loft Ladder Conundrum

[Chucklehead]

The picture best summarises my issues. Poor choice of placement for the loft hatch with the hatch going the correct way Vs the beams, but no way to access it properly with a loft ladder.

The hall is L shaped and I like the fact the hatch is tucked round the corner and away from the stairs, otherwise I'd move it.

I don't have anywhere handy to store a suitably sized standalone ladder.

Is anyone aware of a hatch or internal loft ladder that'd work for this issue?

[Defcon5]

Rope ladder

[essayer]

[Drogo]

Would a concertina loft ladder work?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2V8fI06Idw

[Regbuser]

https://www.bpsdepot.co.uk/loft-ladders/concertina...

[J6542]

Could you not use a telescopic ladder? Keep it in a cupboard when you are not using it

[The Gauge]

The hatch in my last house was like the OP’s, I cut a new hole a few feet away, made a new timber frame for the new hatch, and plaster boarded over the old hatch. Though I note that the OP might not be keen on moving his.

[Chucklehead]

The concertina option seems like it could work. I'd need to see stored and extended dimensions, but it might work.

I'm not keen moving it to the long side of the L because it'll be running parallel to the stairs and also the main source of light is at the other end, so it'll stick out.

I may still change my mind, as it'd be useful to enter into the full head height area of the loft

[The Gauge]

The hatch in my last house was like the OP’s, I cut a new hole a few feet away, made a new timber frame for the new hatch, and plaster boarded over the old hatch. Though I note that the OP might not be keen on moving his.

[k99]

The Gauge said:

The hatch in my last house was like the OP’s, I cut a new hole a few feet away, made a new timber frame for the new hatch, and plaster boarded over the old hatch. Though I note that the OP might not be keen on moving his.

You can say that again

[Pheo]

You can easily rehang the access hatch though which should make it easier… but also agree it may be easier to get a telescopic ladder…

[Chucklehead]

The access hatch is perfectly between the joists, and even then, the problem is the roof trusses you can see in the pic

[Chucklehead]

J6542 said:

Could you not use a telescopic ladder? Keep it in a cupboard when you are not using it

Coming back to this, because although i thought they looked sketchy and an accident waiting to happen, i can see trusted brands have telescopic offerings. Are they reliable to work with?

I have a proper substantial ladder, so this is literally just going to work as a loft ladder solution. On paper it looks ideal..

[J6542]

Chucklehead said:

J6542 said:

Could you not use a telescopic ladder? Keep it in a cupboard when you are not using it

Coming back to this, because although i thought they looked sketchy and an accident waiting to happen, i can see trusted brands have telescopic offerings. Are they reliable to work with?

I have a proper substantial ladder, so this is literally just going to work as a loft ladder solution. On paper it looks ideal..

It’s what surveyors use for checking lofts.
Werner are decent quality you should be able to get one from Screwfix or Wickes for about £150. Take it home and try it out. If you think it’s unsafe just return it for a refund

[Mr Pointy]

Chucklehead said:

Coming back to this, because although i thought they looked sketchy and an accident waiting to happen, i can see trusted brands have telescopic offerings. Are they reliable to work with?

I have a proper substantial ladder, so this is literally just going to work as a loft ladder solution. On paper it looks ideal..

They are adequate for very occasional access to a loft but dodgy for anything much more than that. There's always the risk of not latching a section properly leading to you falling off. I had one & got rid of it. Decent brands are Telesteps & Xtend & Climb:

https://telestepsladders.com/
https://xtendandclimb.com/

There's a lot of Chinese stuff on Amazon but I wouldn't risk it.

[MesoForm]

Mr Pointy said:

They are adequate for very occasional access to a loft but dodgy for anything much more than that. There's always the risk of not latching a section properly leading to you falling off. I had one & got rid of it. Decent brands are Telesteps & Xtend & Climb:

https://telestepsladders.com/
https://xtendandclimb.com/

There's a lot of Chinese stuff on Amazon but I wouldn't risk it.

We've got one of the telescopic ones that's only used for the loft, re: the bit in bold - it has little windows that go red, green/red, green and only when a rung is fully latched in goes green. There's warning labels everywhere saying this.
I'll edit this post saying the make when I go to the garage next.

[cookie1600]

Could you incorporate something like this fixed/telescopic loft ladder on the side where the loft hatch is hinged:



Available, but not exclusively, from places such as:
https://www.ladderstore.com/collections/telescopic...

[Chucklehead]

Probably, but I don't think the additional outlay is worth it vs one I can just stick in the cupboard