So I currently have an attic opening that's just a 2' x 2' or so square with a push up panel that acts as the door. We want to enlarge the opening and put in some pull down stairs to make getting into the attic easier. This will involve cutting 2 of the joists (or whatever they're called). If you see the attached image, the dotted lines are where the enlarged opening will be. I plan to put Joist Hangers at all the circled areas. Is there anything else I would need to take into consideration for doing this so that we don't affect the stability of the house? This opening is in a hallway which runs the same direction as the enlarged opening so there's support on either side of the opening as well. House is from 1981 and does not have trusses if that makes any difference. The main load bearing wall is just to the right of the attic opening. Thanks!

These are pictures of the foundation in the crawlspace of the 1909 house my wife and I are buying. I haven't come across anything that looks like this online, with stones that large and wide, and apparently not mortared. I wanted to get in there to look at the foundation, but changed my mind when I actually got there. I will need some coveralls, dust mask, gloves and goggles before going in there. [ATTACH]52654[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]52653[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]52655[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]52656[/ATTACH] I'm having a P.E. home inspector look at this house next week but the waiting is killing me. Assuming the stones are perfectly stable and structurally sound, can I close up the crevices in the foundation with mortar to keep the critters and bugs out? The basement is laid out like this (without the changes suggested in the picture): [ATTACH=CONFIG]52657[/ATTACH] The walls in the deeper part of the space look fine.