HO Attic Plan

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railman537

New Member
Oct 22, 2006
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Hey folks, I'm a new member who happened to stumble upon this great site while researching for my attic layout. I just started replacing some insulation over the back bedrooms on my new house and got to thinking about building my layout up there. It will probably be a couple more weeks until I can get started with the benchwork so no better time to make a trackplan.

I have a sketch of what I'm up against here http://www.kerensky.net/~ratta/atticplan.jpg

1' dot grid so with the table at 2' high I can go max of 10' wide. There is a duct in there for the central air which I could easily include in the plan.
Today I picked up a copy of Midsized & Managable Track Plans by Iain Rice and have too many ideas.
Things i would like to include-
-2 or 3 different elevations..perhaps 2 curving around a mountain using the A/C duct
-Passenger line using the Acela
-Freight line with some heavy industry
-Turntable/Freight yard probably behind the door since it's kinda tight for a U-turn

As I'm just getting started, I'd appreciate any constructive input :)
 
How tall is the room? If it is a 1 foot dot grid it doesnt even look like you could stand up. Can you post a picture of the room so I could get a better idea of the room. I have an attic layout also but the roof seems to be at a much higher pich.
 
Hey Collyn you are correct, the room isn't that tall. I am 6' and have to walk around haunched. The wife approved a 4x8 section in the other finished attic (normal finished ceiling) but said I could use whatever I wanted in this smaller one once the insulation job was done.
I realize heights will be a major factor. Also, the angle of the roof must be accounted for but I felt the size of the room might be worth the extra hassles. Perhaps a set of low rollaround chairs for when oprating it?
 
One factor against attics is that the floor joists may not have been intended for anything more than holding up the ceiling.
Are you insulating the roof or the bedroom ceilings? Space above the insulation can be pretty awful in summer and winter.
 
I was also tinkering with the idea of converting our loft or attic space into a train and storage room. A few months back, I started a thread on this. I had almost given up on this idea until a friend rekindled my interest in this -- he seemed to think that it could work. And you've got me thinking about it again as well. Basically, I need to get an architect or contractor to have a thorough look at our attic and to see if the structure is up to handling the extra weight -- especially the joists. I'd imagine that you'd have to do the same. I'm still not very optimistic, though.

At any rate, I also need to add extra insulation & I'm not looking forward to that. These small postwar bungalows (that are common in our neighbourhood) aren't that well insulated. I'm interested in following your progress and hope it goes well.

Rob
 
I'm not too worried about the floor holding the load. The joists are real 2x4 and there is a wall running under the center of the joists which seperates the 2 bedrooms below it. It will still be a while until I can think about benchwork since I will be re-doing the insulation and putting up plywood over the rafters as well.
I figure if it gets too hot in the summer I can put a closable vent from the A/c duct into the space. If its only slightly uncomfortable the open window and a fan should help.
This is as far as I've gotten with my plan. http://www.kerensky.net/~ratta/trackplan.jpg
As you can see I still have alot to do. I will probably leave the center section open and have a liftout somewhere between the A/C duct and bottom wall. So anybody with suggestions or ideas, PLEASE DO!
 
railman537 said:
I'm not too worried about the floor holding the load. The joists are real 2x4 and there is a wall running under the center of the joists which seperates the 2 bedrooms below it. It will still be a while until I can think about benchwork since I will be re-doing the insulation and putting up plywood over the rafters as well.
I figure if it gets too hot in the summer I can put a closable vent from the A/c duct into the space. If its only slightly uncomfortable the open window and a fan should help.
This is as far as I've gotten with my plan. http://www.kerensky.net/~ratta/trackplan.jpg
As you can see I still have alot to do. I will probably leave the center section open and have a liftout somewhere between the A/C duct and bottom wall. So anybody with suggestions or ideas, PLEASE DO!
Click to expand...

2x4 joists are rarely considered sufficient for a load bearing floor, unless the span between supports is small. The only time I've ever seen such light construction is when prefab trusses are used for the attic. I would think - do not know - building codes would require a minimum of 2x6, and quite likely 2x8. Extrapolating from the tables in Westcott's benchwork book, an end-supported 2x4 would only accept a 500lb load for a maximum span between supports of less than 8ft.

my thoughts, your choices
 
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