• What can be cooked from squid: quick and tasty

    If you are determined to actively use the attic space, most likely you will have to tinker with a hatch to the attic. In the villages in the past, this task was handled very simply - it was enough to use a ladder, but for modern man such a dubious method can hardly be called appropriate. Definitely, you will need a convenient access hole from the inside of the house, and not from the outside, as was previously practiced. There are ready-made solutions on sale, but you still have to deal with their installation yourself, and the dimensions of the structure may not go well. This article will discuss how to make the roof of a house habitable.

    Buy or craft?

    Extending stairs

    Those who plan to buy a finished product can use the instructions for installing it, which will also be given in this article, and those who want to make a convenient hatch to the attic with their own hands will be interested in the complete information about the process that we offer for reading. So, here are a few important nuances that will come in handy in your work:

    • choose a place for the opening so as not to bump your head against rafter elements or the roof at the time of going up;
    • under the floor beams, the entrance to the roof of the house is not built;
    • if the upper floor is still not insulated, you will have to make thermal insulation;
    • the opening must be strengthened. Suitable for wooden structures wooden beams, and in concrete houses, reinforcement is carried out with metal corners;
    • it is necessary to provide free space under the hatch for the retractable ladder.

    In the event that you do the hatch along with the ladder yourself, do not be too lazy to carefully study all the stages of the process, then you will not encounter difficulties in work, and it will not seem difficult to you.

    Manufacturing steps

    Before making a hatch to the attic, you need to draw up drawings on which all the necessary measurements and parameters are noted: the thickness of the ceiling, the dimensions of the cover and the opening that you will cut out. Please note that insulated rooms can be supplied with a conventional cover, while cold rooms require additional thermal insulation. It doesn't matter how you draw up the diagram - by hand on paper or in a special computer program, the main thing is to take into account all the necessary dimensions. When the diagram is drawn up, you can proceed to the practical side of the issue, as well as prepare the tools for work.

    Cutting the opening


    Cutting the opening for the attic

    If at the stage of building the house a roof access was not provided, you will have to cut it out yourself. Of course, if there is already such a hole for installing the door, this stage of work is skipped.

    To begin with, a marking is carried out with the expectation that the hole should be 5 - 6 cm larger than the dimensions of the hatch frame. In the future, the gap will help compensate for the thickness of the boards from which the frame will be made. The material from the cut-off piece of the ceiling slab can be used for lining the lid, of course, if it has a normal aesthetic appearance.

    Assembly of the opening frame


    Assembling the opening frame for the attic

    Here we need boards with a thickness of 2 - 3 cm, it is this caliber that will make the base strong. The frame can be round or square. The second option provides for the mandatory straightness of all angles. The dimensions of the frame 60X120 cm can be considered standard, and such dimensions are suitable for the vast majority of homeowners. You should be guided by personal preferences and dimensions of the opening, you may want to increase the opening on the roof of the house, but we do not recommend making it smaller. After assembly, the frame is mounted on its seat in the ceiling opening.

    Making a cover


    Hatch with lid to the attic

    As mentioned earlier, the most common cover can be assembled from the cut-out remnants of the overlap, which were formed as a result of sawing out the opening. The assembled door must be reinforced on the back with a cross bar. Then it must be fixed in the chosen place with hinges located on the long or short side of the lid. Take a closer look at which side it will be more convenient for you to open the door, and only then proceed with fixing it to the frame. Also consider how the hatch to the roof of the house should open, inward or outward.

    We are engaged in insulation and decoration


    Attic insulation scheme

    The issue of insulation, as we said earlier, will completely depend on the degree of thermal insulation of the upper floor. An insulated floor can be dispensed with with an elementary layer of insulation, but we advise you to pay attention to sound insulation. Naturally, a cold room needs a high-quality large-scale insulation coating. To do this, you will have to lay a layer of a vapor barrier membrane and a layer of insulation material according to a standard scheme for such a process. At the last stage, you need to make an external finish.

    As you already understood, this is how the simplest hatch is mounted, leading to the roof of the house. More complex solutions include a retractable ladder design. The installation process here is carried out in a similar way, with only a few differences.

    Complex constructions


    Installation of stairs for the attic

    The hatch to the attic can be equipped with a fixed staircase. Here, too, work begins with cutting an opening. The further course of the process depends on which design you have chosen, and in what order you will craft it. Let's make a reservation right away that the work on assembling and installing a hatch with a ladder in this case will be somewhat more difficult than in the above option. Be sure to make sure that all sizes of the interacting elements match:

    • retractable ladder;
    • doors;
    • opening;
    • ceiling thickness.

    You can measure all these parameters yourself or remove from a purchased product, if you will not make it yourself. In this case, the cover must have a space to accommodate the longest part of the ladder in the assembled position.

    Also remember that the weight of the ladder must be supported with a margin by the cover, otherwise breakage, and in the worst case, injury, cannot be avoided. We must not forget about a reliable latch that will firmly hold the structure in the frame of the ceiling opening.

    All the processes that we mentioned are provided schematically, but if you decide to build a hatch to the attic yourself, you do not need more detailed information, because you most likely have certain skills, but general recommendations will not interfere with the illustration. Anyone who buys a ready-made hatch to access the roof of a house can use the instructions for installing it, which must be attached to the product.

    Delivery in Moscow within the Moscow Ring Road *

    Delivery outside the Moscow Ring Road (within Moscow and the Moscow region) *

    • Delivery cost - 30 rubles per 1 km from MKAD
    • From 15 to 30 km from the Moscow Ring Road, we deliver only orders for the amount of 15,000 rubles or more
    • For distances over 30 km from the Moscow Ring Road in Moscow, the order is delivered by transport companies **, the cost of delivery is calculated according to the tariffs of the selected company, delivery of cargo of any size to the terminal of the transport company is FREE.

    Delivery within St. Petersburg within the ring road *

    • FREE shipping for orders over RUB 5,000
    • When ordering for an amount of up to 5000 rubles, delivery cost is 1000 rubles
    • Delivery is NOT carried out for orders up to 1000 rubles. Only self-pickup and delivery to the transport company is possible

    Delivery outside the ring road (across the Leningrad region) *

    • Delivery cost - 30 rubles per 1 km from the ring road
    • From 15 to 30 km from the ring road, we deliver only orders for an amount of 15,000 rubles or more
    • For distances over 30 km from the ring road in St. Petersburg, it is delivered by transport companies **, the calculation of the cost of delivery is carried out according to the tariffs of the selected company, delivery of cargo of any size to the terminal of the transport company is FREE.
    • Delivery is NOT carried out when ordering up to 1000 rubles. Only self-pickup and delivery to the transport company is possible

    Each owner of his house should have access to the roof. In this case, it should be carried out not only from the outside with the help of a ladder, but also from the inside. To do this, you need a sunroof. It can be of various configurations and be made of several types of materials. Which one is better to choose and is it possible to carry out the installation by hand? This will be discussed in the article.

    Do I need a hatch

    If the roof is left unattended, it will leak over time and will require major repairs. It is not always possible to get to certain areas using the stairs. The sunroof is much more effective in this respect. The presence of a hatch on the roof is not an invention of installers who want to make money on their sale and installation. The design is regulated in SNIP 21/01/97, where standards are discussed fire safety... The installation of hatches is not mandatory, but recommended for buildings that have only one floor or an area of ​​no more than 100 m 2.

    The hatch can perform several functions at once:

    • provide access to the roof;
    • serve as an emergency exit;
    • provide natural light.

    At the request of the owner, several hatches can be installed on the roof. If we talk about his direct functional purpose, then it allows you to quickly service the flue ducts. Without a hatch, it can be problematic to lift some equipment to the roof. Some owners have lighting devices mounted on the roof. Their service from a ladder can be very inconvenient, and through a hatch can be carried out in a short time. The ventilation outlets can also be located on the roof, their maintenance is mandatory for the normal functioning of the system. Renovation work it is almost impossible to replace individual sections of the roof from inside the room, therefore, an exit to the surface is required.

    A roof hatch can be an emergency fire exit. In some cases, tenants manage to get to the roof in a short time, from where it is easier to evacuate them. Such a device can also facilitate smoke extraction, which is also a fire prevention measure. The hatch is easy to turn into practical element decor. If the under-roof space is used as a living space, then the product is made in the form of an inclined window, which promotes ventilation, and also lets natural light into the room.

    Design nuances

    With the word hatch, you can imagine a metal cover that tightly closes the technological hole, but in reality this is not the case. Today, a large number of different modifications have appeared, which the user is free to choose. It is easy to buy the product that will best match the interior as well as the roof decking. The above mentioned hatches have a pleasant appearance. Color solutions such hatches can be very diverse. The base of such an exit can be made of wood, aluminum, polyurethane and PVC profile... Frames made of wood can be the most expensive, since high demands are placed on their processing.

    It is better to choose an aluminum profile for those cases when the area where the building is located has a mild climate. This is due to the high thermal conductivity of the material, although various attempts have been made to minimize them. Polyurethane is an excellent insulator. But the cost of such hatches also leaves much to be desired. An insulating glass unit for such hatches can consist of several separate glasses, between which there is air or an inert gas designed to increase efficiency. Hatches of this type are mounted quite simply, since they are an already assembled structure. The downside is the need for constant use of a ladder.

    Note! It is better to entrust the installation of such a hatch to professionals if there is no experience in such work. This is due to the need for a sealed installation to prevent leaks.

    Another type of hatch that is used on roofs is an operational one. Unlike the previous one, its lid does not have a double-glazed unit and tightly closes the hole. The advantage of this solution is the presence of a built-in ladder, which does not have to be carried around. Technological hatches are used in buildings that have several floors, as well as flat roof... These hatches are also supplied pre-assembled for easy installation on the roof. A hatch of any required size and shape can be made to order. Such hatches provide for the need for insulation, as well as the presence of an anti-corrosion layer, which prevents destruction from the effects of weather factors. On private houses, such a hatch does not look aesthetically pleasing, this can be considered a disadvantage of this design.

    In private homes, it is common practice to use wooden hatches. They are installed with a folding ladder, which, when folded, takes up almost no space. The ladder folds out automatically as soon as the hatch begins to open. Sometimes it is necessary to open the latch for this. Some models come with handrails, which make lifting as easy as possible. From the inside, the hatch looks like a regular wooden cover. The advantages of such a hatch are aesthetics, simplicity of color and texture selection for a specific interior, as well as the mechanism itself. The disadvantages include the need for wood maintenance. Periodically, you will need to replace the paintwork.

    Note! These types of roof windows are available on the market, which unfold together with a small handrail that forms a balcony. It is easy to use such windows as a hatch to the roof, because in some cases there is no need for a ladder, or it can be permanently mounted on the roof itself.

    DIY installation

    If you wish, you can try to install the hatch on the roof with your own hands. To do this, the first step is to determine exactly where the hatch will be located. The work is best done in the spring and summer. It was at this time that there is the least amount of precipitation, which could spoil the entire process of installing the hatch, as well as the ceilings in the rooms. You should start marking the hatch with your own hands from the inside of the attic. Using a tape measure, notes are made of the size of the hatch with the necessary reserves. Nails are driven in at the four corners of a rectangle or square. The plumb line markings under the hatch are transferred to the rafters, which undergo a certain modification. The space that will be used for the installation of the hatch must be reinforced with horizontal lintels that are fixed to the rafters.

    Note! In some cases, it is necessary to mount a flat roof hatch, the basis of which is a slab. The hatch in the slab is somewhat more difficult to make, since you will have to use additional equipment to prepare the hole. In this case, the marking is made from the inside, and through holes are drilled in the corners of the future hatch, which will serve as a guide.

    In order not to be mistaken with where to make a cut in the roof under the hatch from the outside, it is necessary to clearly outline the dimensions under the hatch from the inside, piercing the sheathing with nails through and through. If you try to re-mark the hatch from the outside, then you can simply not get into the space of the prepared frame and you will have to redo the work. In some cases, the rafter legs have to be trimmed. In this situation, they will need to be additionally strengthened with jibs. The work of installing the hatch can take more than one day, so care must be taken in advance to close the prepared hole. For these purposes, a tarp or thick oilcloth folded in several layers is perfect.

    If mounted will be roof window as a hatch, then it is pre-prepared. The sash is removed, as well as the skirt that covers the frame. The frame is installed in the opening prepared for the hatch. At the edges of the hatch, waterproofing is mounted, which overlaps with the one already on the roof. With a stapler, she is nailed to the rafters. The next step is to mount the skirt, which should provide waterproofing. Along the perimeter, it is covered with a sealant or bitumen mastic. After that, you can install the hatch sash in its place. The process of installing a roof hatch is much like installing a cellar or basement hatch in a house. For more information on how to install such a hatch, see the video.

    Advice! Usually companies that manufacture hatches carry out their installation. To speed up the process, according to their instructions, the customer can prepare the opening, and the installers will fix the hatch.

    Summary

    As you can see, the hatch is not only a nice addition, but also a necessity, especially if it comes O attic floor... Before installation, it is better to consult with those who have already installed such hatches in order to find out about the nuances of the installation.

    It's hard to imagine roof maintenance, gutter cleaning, antenna repair, maintenance solar collectors or work of a chimney sweep without access to the roof. The choice of the way to enter it depends on the angle of inclination of its slopes and the purpose of the space under it. Access to the roof can be provided by a vertical ladder or ladder installed outside, an internal folding ladder with a hinged cover, as well as a variety of hatches - insulated and not insulated. Steps and ladders installed on the roof help to move around the roof comfortably. The path to the roof must be reliable. Therefore, it is not so important how it is carried out, the main thing is that it guarantees a quick and safe ascent to the roof.

    Stepladder on the wall

    (Option for flat roofs)

    The most simple solution is vertical, reinforced on outside wall... The lower edge of the ladder should be at a height of about 1 m from the ground, this will prevent children from climbing to the roof, and adults can use a regular ladder in this case. A similar solution is the sectional step-ladder, which consists of two parts. Its lower, attached section has a height of about 1.5 m, it is used when necessary.

    It is important that the surface of the ladder steps is not slippery. To do this, they are made of corrugated steel or reinforcement of a periodic profile (with sickle-shaped protrusions).

    A more secure step is a step-ladder installed on the wall of the upper floor, leading to the roof from a balcony or terrace. Its only inconvenience is that to go to the roof, you need to go through the interior of the house. Metal constructions stepladders should have an anti-corrosion coating with paint and varnish or polymer powder compositions.

    Outdoor staircase

    (For flat roofs)

    More comfortable and attractive outwardly, in comparison with the vertical step-ladder, is the steep external staircase leading from the lower floor to the terrace (or landing) located at the roof level. The construction of such a staircase is made of steel pipe with brackets welded to it - for installing steps. Their treads are made of corrugated sheet steel or impregnated wood (oak, beech, ash). And the railing can be made of pipes, rods, cables, etc. Usually, the surfaces of all steel elements of the stairs are protected from corrosion by paint and varnish coatings. But such a ladder can be made from polished or brushed stainless steel.

    Elements of the metal staircase to the roof can be coated with polymer powder compounds or made of stainless steel

    Sunroof

    Typically, roof hatches are placed above the upper landing of the stairwell. The installation location of hatches in pitched roofs depends on the pitch of the rafters. The distance between the hatch box and the adjacent rafters to which it is attached should not exceed 7 cm.If this gap is larger, you have to install two transverse beams and one vertical (one of the sides of the hatch box is attached to it). When the hatch is wider than the distance between the rafters, you will have to cut out a fragment of one rafter leg, and strengthen its cut edges to the transverse frontal beams, which transmit the load to the adjacent rafters. If such a solution is not provided for by the project, it is necessary to obtain an opinion from the designer, architect about the possibility of performing this work. On a pitched roof large area with several chimneys, it is better to install two hatches. Then there will be no need for walking ladders for the chimney sweep. Hatches should be located next to the chimney. The market offers hatches of several sizes: the smallest - 45 x 55 cm, the largest - 120 x 120 cm. You can also order a hatch of non-standard size. But the price of such a hatch will be 20-30% higher than the cost of a serial production hatch with the same dimensions. The hatch cover is finished with galvanized steel roofing, its surface is primed and coated with paint and varnish compositions or powder varnish.

    So that the hatch cover on the roof surface is not conspicuous, it is revetted with the material used in the roof covering. It is easier to finish the roof hatch cover made of bituminous shingle or sheet steel. But it is better to entrust it to a professional roofer who will do the job better. The lid can also be transparent, filled with glass or polycarbonate. The hatch opens up or to the side. In the open position, the cover can be fixed by two servomotors (gas springs). Serially manufactured hatches are equipped with devices that prevent uncontrolled closing of the lid. If the hatch is installed over a heated room (staircase, cloakroom, utility room), great importance have its thermal insulation properties. Some manufacturers offer insulated hatches, the design of which may have a heat transfer resistance of R = 1.5 m2 * K / W (a polycarbonate cover has R = 0.45 m2 * K / W). The cuffs with which the hatches are completed allow them to be installed in roofs covered with different materials, both flat and wavy, with waves of both regular and high profile.

    Sometimes hatches are equipped with burglary protection, their blind cover is additionally reinforced from the inside, and the hinge axes will not allow them to be removed when the cover is closed. The hatch can be completed with a lattice with a lock located in the lower part of the hatch box. It is possible to order a hatch with a lock with a three-bolt latch, or with a lock equipped with a certified lock insert.

    Folding ladder with cover

    (both for flat and for pitched roofs)

    Usually a folding ladder is installed for access to the attic or to a flat roof.

    In the second case, the staircase hatch has two covers: external and internal (covering the folded staircase).

    The inner cover is a sandwich: a wooden frame is glued on both sides with fiberboards, between which a sheet of expanded polystyrene with a thickness of 3-6 cm is placed.

    The thickness of the inner covers is 3.6-6.6 cm. It is recommended to install inner covers with a thicker layer of thermal insulation in flat roofs and ceilings between rooms with a large temperature difference (between residential and non-residential premises).
    The heat transfer resistance of such a cover R is 1.54 m * K / W (with expanded polystyrene 3 cm thick, in which R = 0.91m * K / Bt).

    The tightness of the abutment of the inner cover is ensured by a gasket round section located in the milled groove of the box.

    There are two types of stairs - sectional and scissor. More popular are sectional ladders consisting of three or four folding or sliding sections. Ladders have different lengths, they are chosen depending on the height of the room. Steel mounting corners of the flights of stairs allow you to clearly fix the sections in the unfolded state and adjust the angle of inclination of the stairs. The stability of the ladder is provided by the mechanism for opening the lid, it fixes it in the open position.

    Sectional stairs are made of steel or wood. The ladder can be equipped with handrails or handles on both sides to ensure safe and convenient ascent or descent.

    Scissor ladders are made of steel, they are folded like an "accordion". It is more difficult to decompose them than sectional ones. The surface of the steps, regardless of the type of stairs, should not be slippery - for this it is enough to make grooves on the surface of the wooden treads of the steps.

    Attention! Thermal insulation of the hatch of the exit from the residential non-residential premises can be increased by additionally placing a 10 cm thick polystyrene sheet on the inner cover.

    Foldable sectional ladder withstands loads up to 160 kg

    The steel scissor ladder is very convenient, but it is more difficult to unfold and fold.

    Roof steps and ladders

    (Suitable for pitched roofs)

    Free movement of people on the surface pitched roof provide steps and ladders installed on the roof. On roofs with a slope of less than 30 °, the steps must be installed with a distance of 70 cm between them (in every second row of tiles). If the slope of the roof slope is more than 30 °, the steps are installed every 35-40 cm (in each row of tiles). Walkways are usually 25 cm wide and 40 to 300 cm long.

    The base of the step is made of strip steel (40 x 4 mm) and the handle is made of 2 mm sheet steel. On the steps located in every second row of tiles, they move, as if on a stepladder. A long ladder along the ridge serves as a horizontal path leading from the hatch to the chimneys. The treads of the steps and the platform of the walking ladders are made of galvanized steel sheet, the surface of which is varnished or painted with a powder composition to match the color of the roofing material.

    Steel ladders are not always visually combined with the roof covering, for example with bituminous shingles. An alternative to a typical metal ladder would be a ladder with a platform made of wooden blocks with a cross section of 40 mm, impregnated under pressure. These bars are fixed above the ladder base brackets. The base of ladders and steps can be supported by bars attached to the rafters with screws. The base brackets are chosen depending on the type of roofing material: ceramic and cement tiles, metal tiles, flat or profile roofing steel, roofing material or bitumen shingles.

    The distance between the ladder brackets should not exceed 80 cm. If the chimney is high, brackets are installed on it to rise to its mouth.

    Steps and walkways must have a grooved or perforated surface that prevents slipping

    To install steps on the roof, special tile elements with an aluminum or concrete lining are used. These elements are chosen depending on the type of shingles used in the roof. A tile element with a step is attached to the bar with two bolts (for example, 4.5 x 45 mm), and the bar is attached to the rafters with nails

    Walkways, platforms and roof steps provide easy movement over the roof during maintenance work

    Skylight

    And for pitched and flat roofs

    It can be installed anywhere in the attic. Until recently, there were only windows for pitched roofs, but now manufacturers of these products offer windows for flat roofs... Both types of windows can function as an emergency exit to the roof (if their size meets the requirements of standards). By installing a window-exit in a flat roof, they are mounted on its supporting structures wooden case windows, the upper part of which has a slope of 19 °. The window itself is installed on this case.

    Typically, such windows have dimensions of 66 x 98 (or 118) cm or 78 (or 94, 114) x 140 cm and are intended for installation in heated rooms. Therefore, on their edges, adjacent to the roofing, special sealing cuffs are attached. A plastic mass applied to the underside of the cuff promotes a tight connection of the cuff with the surface of the coating material, guarantees the necessary thermal insulation and prevents water seepage. Some companies offer universal collars designed for any type of roofing, others offer two types of collars designed for installation over corrugated and flat roofing materials.

    The cuffs are usually made of aluminum and copper, but a titanium-zinc alloy can be ordered.

    Attention! In order to properly lay the thermal insulation around the perimeter of the hatch box, the dimensions of the opening for it in the roof should be 5-7 cm larger than the window box.

    The exit window for a pitched roof is chosen depending on the angle of inclination of its slope. The market offers windows designed for installation in roofs with slope angles of 15-85 °, 20-65 °, 20-85 °.

    The exit window can be hinged or folded up. Some of them are equipped with gas servomotors for easy opening. Emergency exit windows can be equipped with a device that automatically lifts the sash. Usually boxes and window frames are made of laminated glued wood (usually pine) and covered with several layers of varnish. External glazing is made of tempered glass... The insulating glass unit must guarantee low heat loss. If the heat transfer resistance of the window glass is R = 0.91 m2 * K / W, then the R window will be about 0.67 m2 * K / W.

    The window-exit to the roof must meet the requirements for an emergency exit and have dimensions of at least 60 x 80 cm

    - This is one of the essential elements of any structure. It serves for access to the roof, for inspection, maintenance of various elements and roof systems, it can have absolutely any variation, it can be made of different materials. What kind of roof hatches are in demand?

    The purpose of the hatch and its operational characteristics

    The roof of any house should be periodically maintained and inspected thoroughly. This can be done using a convenient hatch for access to the roof surface, to which a folding or stationary ladder often goes. Any house with any area should have such a hatch, for large buildings this is fixed in SNiP 21-01-97, but for buildings with an area less than 100 sq. meters, and one-story ones, the presence of such hatches is optional, but recommended.

    Such a hatch can be not only operational, it is often fireproof at the same time, sometimes it serves as a window for lighting attic space... The number of such exits to the roof is not limited by anything (but within reasonable limits).

    So why do you need a roof hatch? The fact is that it is on the roof that there are elements such as chimneys, various lights, outlets of ventilation systems that need maintenance and periodic repair. Observation is also required for roofing that could be damaged. It is not always possible to carry out such work from inside the house; often a convenient and safe exit to the roof is required.

    Another important purpose of roof hatches must be called fire safety- such hatches can carry the function of not only a safe exit from the house, but also smoke removal. And for attics, such structures have long been turned into comfortable and attractive windows. The number of such windows can be very different, it is dictated only by the external aesthetics of the house.

    Types of hatches: advantages and disadvantages

    Today, the exit to the roof can be very different, it is not always a blank cover, to which a ladder is attached, as is the case in many old country houses, such a hatch can be made very attractive and functional, in no way spoiling the surface of the roof and the interior of the house. Consider various options devices of such an output, the advantages and disadvantages of each of the options.

    1. The hatch window is practical and convenient for installation in unheated premises(attics). Such structures on the roof of the house are used in the case when it is necessary to provide a technological exit to the surface of the roof, creating along the way natural lighting of the attic. The frames are usually made of polyurethane, aluminum or wood, the sash opens outward, the double-glazed windows are reinforced. Of the advantages, it should be noted simple installation, the possibility natural light indoors, often the sashes are placed for ventilation. Of the minuses - the impossibility of fastening the ladder (you can only use the attached one), to open or close the window, you need to go up to it. Such an exit-window is used most often, it is convenient, has an attractive appearance.
    2. The service hatch is a box with a blank cover, which is often equipped with a metal lightweight ladder. This exit to the roof is used for high-rise and industrial buildings, outbuildings that have a flat roof. Most often, ordinary metal is used as a material for the manufacture of such models, their installation does not take much time, they are installed already assembled. Of the advantages, it should be noted the possibility of using non-standard sizes and shapes, the presence of galvanized and paint layers, thermal insulation. Cons: such models rarely look decorative, even if the cover is made not deaf, but with a translucent coating.
    3. Wooden structures with special folding ladders. Such a roof exit is usually used for small private houses, it is an insulated wooden hatch to which a convenient folding ladder is attached from the inside. When the exit to the roof is open, such a staircase can be used to quickly and conveniently climb up. When folded, the hatch is an ordinary wooden cover, which does not spoil the interior even of the living space.

      Of the advantages, it should be noted the ease of use and access to the roof of the house, aesthetics, simple installation, of the minuses - the need to cover the external wooden surface any materials to protect against weather conditions.

    4. Skylights are a type of hatch for access to. But they also perfectly illuminate the room, it is convenient to use it for airing. Often, windows are an excellent interior element, decorating both the attic itself and the surface of the roof of the house. Of the shortcomings, only a rather high cost and complex installation can be noted, which is best entrusted to professionals.

    How to make a sunroof in a house?

    Making a skylight or fire hatch on the roof is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance, although all recommendations must be followed exactly. Yes, this work will take some time and can raise a lot of questions, which we will try to answer in as much detail as possible.

    So, first you need to determine the place where the hatch will go from the inner room to the roof, and then decide on its design, prepare tools and materials. It is best to purchase a ready-made frame with fittings, for this you will need:

    • tarpaulin;
    • nails, hammer;
    • plumb line, building level, pencil;
    • wooden beam with a cross section of 5 * 10 cm;
    • strengthening wooden beams;
    • bars for jambs;
    • drywall;
    • waterproofing material;
    • ladder, protective equipment for work on roofs.

    The hatch installation diagram.

    We begin the installation of the roof exit by precisely determining the place where it will be located. Now we are waiting for the warm, dry weather, and it should be at least a few days, the wind can also become a hindrance, so we follow the forecasts !. From the inside of the roof, we determine the place where the exit will be located, mark it out, remove the layer of insulation, waterproofing.

    The exit device begins with the fact that, on the inner surface, it is first driven in by a nail into each corner of the future hatch, after which, using a plumb line, the projection is transferred to the rafters, the marks are connected with a bold line of karadash. In the place where the hatch will go to the roof, more precisely along the perimeter, we nail the prepared wooden beams from the inside, while the nails must pierce the roof sheathing through and through!

    Many people make a common mistake, trying to mark the inner and outer surface of the roof of the house at the same time, and as a result, then oblique and uneven cuts are obtained. Do not complicate your task, just drive the nails into the marked points from the inner surface, and you can cut out the coating already, focusing on their location.

    After roofing material cut through, it should be noted the location of the reinforcing beams and cut the rafters. Now you should nail the jambs instead of rafters from the bottom and top of the resulting opening, which will help maintain the total weight. Thus, at this stage we have an open opening on the roof, completely ready for the installation of the hatch. If there is a need to continue work the next day, then it is recommended to close this opening with a piece of prepared tarpaulin, and not leave it open overnight.

    Frame and structure installation

    Next, we proceed to the construction of a frame for the future roof hatch. Wooden beams with a section of 5x10 cm, we nail it to the place where the beams used to be located. Additionally, we nail two jambs in the ceiling from the inside to support the weight of the already sawn beams. Thus, we should get a very strong and reliable frame for the future exit to the roof. To close this frame, we first cover it with a waterproofing material. After we fix the moisture-resistant drywall.

    It is important not to forget about ventilation when installing an exit to the roof, for which delay or reflectors made of plywood are fixed near the slope of the roof, directing the air flows past the insulating layer.

    The last step is to install the hatch itself, the frame of which is attached to the frame with nails or self-tapping screws (depending on the design). The joints must be sealed with special sealants and mineral wool.

    Fire-prevention, skylight, mansard hatches - these are all designs that are distinguished by quite rich functionality. They allow not only to climb to the roof, but also to provide smoke removal if necessary, ventilation, excellent lighting for the attic. You can make such an exit to the roof with your own hands, using already ready-made structures hatches and windows that are on sale today. Many models even have convenient folding or sliding ladders that allow you to quickly raise them to the roof if necessary.