Access door to attic???

[Robert Adams]

We have one of the imported insulated/latching doors inside.  I don't think it looks too bad, and it doesn't leak air.  Definitely looks like it's from Europe though.  I really need to replace the one in the garage.  Probably should get a fire rated door.  I have the one from inside the house, but it's not insulated and isn't fire rated.

 Interesting. Haven't seen those. Course if you are worried about fire rating just cover it in 1/2" drywall.

[MikeBob]

 Interesting. Haven't seen those. Course if you are worried about fire rating just cover it in 1/2" drywall.

Wrong!!! It has to be taped and muded at the seams, just like on the common walls to the house if the garage is attached.

[EricU]

Home Depot has a fire rated attic stairs on their site.  Our house has had an attic door in the garage for a long time, I would replace it without worrying about code.

The attic stairs we have inside is one of the best attic stairs I have ever used.  Very stable.  That's just a side benefit though, not having a giant hole in the ceiling sucking conditioned air outside is the real benefit
 http://www.conservationtechnology.com/bu...adder.html

[MikeBob]

It boggles my mind why people want to circumvent building codes. They are there to protect you from yourself, and protect you and your family!! The odds are it never happens BUT when it does do you want to go through the lose of property and maybe life of someone in your family over a few $$?
A few years back I rented a 2 story side by side Town House, so it was a Monday Fall night, I was watching MNF, nice night out and a window open a bit in the living room. I was smelling smoke about 930pm, okay some one in the neighborhood has a pit or fire place going, then I thought a bit too warm for a fire place and a Monday night to sit out by the fire pit?? Then it got that electrical insulation acidic smell. I stepped out on the front veranda, and attached side by side front door is next to mine by about 3ft. She is in Las Vagus for a long weekend, did the Friday pm flight till Tuesday Red eye. Well the living room faces front and the kitchen on the back side. A real nice glow from the kitchen, she and I dont lock doors and she has a 13 year old kid, I go in the kitchen has a small counter fire, I yell for Danny, check the bedrooms up stairs, call 911, hit it with a 2lb fire extinguisher, knocked it down but not out, grabbed the out side garden hose, now it is too hot in there, Spraying in to just create steam to surpress, Sirens coming/FD,.
Point, kitchen was a total loss do to fire damage, rest of the first floor, smoke and water damage, basement storage also, all upstairs, a total loss from smoke. All furniture, bedding, clothes ect.
It was determined an over loaded kitchen circuit, a 20 amp line/12ga wiring and breaker WITH a 15amp outlet, and yes she left the coffee pot on Friday morning and it went dry. The outlet failed.

[daddo]

It boggles my mind why people want to circumvent building codes. They are there to protect you from yourself, and protect you and your family!! The odds are it never happens BUT when it does do you want to go through the lose of property and maybe life of someone in your family over a few $$?
A few years back I rented a 2 story side by side Town House, so it was a Monday Fall night, I was watching MNF, nice night out and a window open a bit in the living room. I was smelling smoke about 930pm, okay some one in the neighborhood has a pit or fire place going, then I thought a bit too warm for a fire place and a Monday night to sit out by the fire pit?? Then it got that electrical insulation acidic smell. I stepped out on the front veranda, and attached side by side front door is next to mine by about 3ft. She is in Las Vagus for a long weekend, did the Friday pm flight till Tuesday Red eye. Well the living room faces front and the kitchen on the back side. A real nice glow from the kitchen, she and I dont lock doors and she has a 13 year old kid, I go in the kitchen has a small counter fire, I yell for Danny, check the bedrooms up stairs, call 911, hit it with a 2lb fire extinguisher, knocked it down but not out, grabbed the out side garden hose, now it is too hot in there, Spraying in to just create steam to surpress, Sirens coming/FD,.
Point, kitchen was a total loss do to fire damage, rest of the first floor, smoke and water damage, basement storage also, all upstairs, a total loss from smoke. All furniture, bedding, clothes ect.
It was determined an over loaded kitchen circuit, a 20 amp line/12ga wiring and breaker WITH a 15amp outlet, and yes she left the coffee pot on Friday morning and it went dry. The outlet failed.

 Sounds more like a bad connection at the outlet.  Maybe a stab was used. The average coffee maker uses about 8 amps.
 With a bad connection, it had time to overheat.

[EricU]

I usually go above building codes.  Most code is written the way it is because of someone else's sad experience that I don't want to repeat. That being said, there are plenty of things in every 30 year old house that don't meet code.  I'm not going to go back and redo all of them -- might as well just tear the house down.  I know I should do something about the attic stairs in my garage, but it's somewhere down the list.

[MikeBob]

I agree, up to codes are for new and remodeling updates in that area. Not the entire house.

[Woodjets]

It boggles my mind why people want to circumvent building codes. 

I assume you haven't dealt with california.
Many codes here are political in nature and have nothing to do with safety.
Some codes are just asinine. For example: My home office has no place to put a bed, but because it is a room with a closet, it is required to have a hardwired smoke alarm. If I were to drywall over the closet I wouldn't need the alarm.

[MikeBob]

I assume you haven't dealt with california.
Many codes here are political in nature and have nothing to do with safety.
Some codes are just asinine. For example: My home office has no place to put a bed, but because it is a room with a closet, it is required to have a hardwired smoke alarm. If I were to drywall over the closet I wouldn't need the alarm.

The flip side of that in WI is, in order to classify a room as a bedroom, it needs a closet.

[Robert Adams]

Wrong!!! It has to be taped and muded at the seams, just like on the common walls to the house if the garage is attached.

Then put a seal on the door. Also most takes have exemptions for attic doors anyway. Some do require drywall or a liquid coating. It really isn't a big deal.