Attic Lift

I put this in after bringing down the Christmas decorations for 2010. The pull down ladder to the attic is not the sturdiest contraption, plus the hinges angle inwards a little narrowing the access and snagging the boxes as you pass through. We have several boxes and bins for the various holidays - I am amazed that I have not tumbled down the ladder trying to take an awkward box up or down over the last 14 years. As an incentive to finish this I refused to drag the Christmas decorations back up the ladder.

I forget where I borrowed the idea from - but a quick search on the web will provide lots of examples. This project was completed for $125, give or take a few $$ depending on how much of the hardware (bolts, angle iron, wood, etc) you have laying around. I took about 8 hours to complete, taking my time and staying out of the attic once it reached 100 degrees.

Start by cutting an access hole, I alligned mine (on right) with our attic pull down ladder (on left). The sheetrock should be cut right between the rafters, and 3' 8" max longways (so that the base plywood completely covers the hole in the up position).

Bill of Material:

Winch - 120V

Plywood - 2' x 4'

Aluminum angle - 18'

3/16" Threaded rod - 4 x 3'

3/16" Bolts, Washers, Nuts

1" Aluminum/Steel pipe - 4'

Scrap 2' x 4's,

Optional 4 conductor wire if you want the remote at ground level,

Foam or insulation to create seal between attic and lift frame.

The cage is really simple, make 2 rectangles out of the aluminum angle, make it wide enough for a good sized storage bin but an inch less than the width of your rafters. Connect the 2 rectangles with the threaded rod - I made mine around 36" tall.

The top rectangle is an inch shorter in both directions to allow it to fit up through the access hole easily. Plastic edging (clear wall corner protectors work well) are tie wrapped on the outside of each corner. As the cage goes up if it is swinging a little the plastic guides it up squarely.

The base is 2' x 4' plywood. Center the "box" onto the plywood and bolt 1" pan head bolts up through the bottom so they look flush from below. I put 1 in the middle of the short side and 2 spaced evenly on the longer sides. The rod should extend 1 inch lower than the bottom rectangle so that it extends through the plywood.

The foam around the perimeter of the plywood creates a nice seal when the lift is in the up position.

The bottom of the plywood. The ends of the threaded rods have a large washer and a lock nut.

Hanging the winch in the attic will be different for each house, but essentially a length of 1" steel pipe is suspended centered over the access hole. I drilled and screwed 2"x6" between the rafters at both ends. At 1 end the 2"x6" is vertical so I drilled a 1" hole and ran the pipe through it. At the other end the 2"x6" is horizontal so I suspended a 1" metal pipe clamp, I also extend through a 1" hole in an existing cross 2"x4" (on the right in the image).

The winch came with brackets on top to secure it to the pipe, you can slide the winch along the pipe after you attach the cage to it so that it is centered, then tighten it down.

I am super paranoid, so I looped chain around the winch and through rafters in case any end of the pipe comes loose (not likely, but I had extra chain).

I went with a Chicago model from Harbor Freight. It is rated for 440lb - but I would be surprised if I ever approach 100lbs. Listed for $129 but they had on sale for $79. It is 120V, not too heavy, fast (33 ft / minute), has mounting brackets and a remote.

The winch is 120v, I cut off the plug and ran the cable into a close by junction box, it would have been just as easy to run an extension cord through the roof and had the option to leave it unplugged until needed.

The remote came with a 6' cable, I cut that and spliced in enough cable so that I could keep the remote at ground level. The winch stops when the orange plate in the previous image contacts the shut off lever. With a little adjustment the foam on the base will compress about half way on the way up before the lift stops on its own.