Strength of attic joists
#1
07-21-02, 04:01 PM
Strength of attic joists
My attic is unfinished and has mostly blown in cellulose insulation. The home inspector said there was insulation on top of the soffit and it needed to be pulled back so there could be better ventilation. That sounded like an easy job to me, so opted to do it myself. But when I went up into the crawl space and actually looked, the floor joists (?) I could see looked like 2x4's and I suddenly didn't feel very safe dragging my rather heavy self across the ceiling. 
The house was built in 1979. As long as I use plywood to span joists, am I safe to crawl out to within 4-6 feet of the soffitt and rake the insulation back, or should I get someone lighter to do it. (What kind of tradesman would I get??)
Thanks.
P.S. Is there any reason I shouldn't screw the
plywood down rather than just laying it on
top?
The house was built in 1979. As long as I use plywood to span joists, am I safe to crawl out to within 4-6 feet of the soffitt and rake the insulation back, or should I get someone lighter to do it. (What kind of tradesman would I get??)
Thanks.
P.S. Is there any reason I shouldn't screw the
plywood down rather than just laying it on
top?
#2
07-21-02, 04:09 PM
Member
http://www.tipking.com/handyman/Han0041.htm
Use sections of plywood laid perpendicular to joists for support and prevention of damage to ceiling below. Always step on joists, not between them. You can always hire a featherweight insulation contractor.
Use sections of plywood laid perpendicular to joists for support and prevention of damage to ceiling below. Always step on joists, not between them. You can always hire a featherweight insulation contractor.
#3
08-01-02, 05:44 PM
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Go down to the race track. I'm sure that you can find a jockey who moonlights in insulation :-).
