Attic storage... is it worth it?

[panerd]

So I've been bouncing around the idea of laying some plywood down in the attic and putting in stairs to create some more storage space. Just got up in there today and the maximum height is only about 3 1/2 ft. I guess knew it wasn't going to be my parent's house where you can walk around but that's going to be like 2 storage crates high max with one on the fringes. Would you even bother with this project or look in other places?

Cost really isn't an issue. Figure the flooring will cost $100 or so and a ladder maybe $150-200. I am a teacher so I have plenty of time. (though it has been unseasonably cool so I need to move on this before the attic reaches 120+ degrees) It just seems a lot smaller than I thought. (maybe 500 cubic feet which would be the equivalent of an 8x8 room)

We have a shed out back that is not being utilized at all for maximum storage. Lawnmower, power washer, chop saw all basically take up half the shed. Just has a lot of bugs and more rodent potential than upstairs. Thoughts?

[JonInMiddleGA]

I've done it more than once, it's mostly okay I think.

Best used for seriously longterm (as in "maybe we should just toss this?") kind of storage in my experience. Good for the Christmas/seasonal decorations too, if you don't have a better spot.

[kcchief19]

In the house I grew up in we had a similar attic with one of the pull-down ladders. We generally only used the area immediately reachable around the ladder ... we didn't crawl into the attic to store items, so we probably only used 24-36 inches of storage on all four sides of the ladder. It was just too much of a pain to store more items and crawl into the attic to get stuff.

Also have to be terribly careful with what you store up there. 120 degrees in St. Louis is on the cool side if that space isn't air conditioned. It's anecdotal, but it always seemed our attic was hotter than out outdoor storage shed. I think it was a combination of the warm air from the house rising and the dark shingle roof absorbing all the heat. Our storage shed was white and remained relatively cool.

My mom put a box of Christmas decorations in the attic one year and forgot she had candles in it. They melted all over the place.

[Butter]

Best used for seriously longterm (as in "maybe we should just toss this?") kind of storage in my experience. Good for the Christmas/seasonal decorations too, if you don't have a better spot.

Yes, this.

[flere-imsaho]

We did this with our house in Illinois, and I'd say our headroom up there was similar to yours. Access via a pull-down ladder.

It was quite useful, though I'd agree with Jon that it tended to be stuff that might as well be thrown away, or seasonal. It was also very helpful to store childrens' clothes and toys we got in advance of the time they'd need them (like get clothes from a friend for a 5-year-old boy, wait 2 years until our boy was 5-years-old).

I'd do it. Low cost, good return.

[corbes]

Our home contractor was adamant (in Northern New England) that the energy efficiency costs of having access to the attic was profoundly not worth it. It was much more cost efficient to seal the attic completely and have storage elsewhere (e.g., barn). YMMV.

[Desnudo]

You could always rent a storage unit as well. I find having an attic is actually a pain in the ass because you need get everything up and down that flimsy ladder. Usually when it's 100 degrees out.

[panerd]

Jon/Butter/Flere: Yes that is 99% of what this is. My wife moved in with me when we were first getting serious and none of it has any value she is just borderline packrat and won't throw it away. VHS collections, a cup from Cancun 1994, an old piece of luggage when her parents gave us a real nice set for Christmas... :(

KC: I think I may have missed my chance this week. It's been rainy and very cool for June. It was like 65 today. I think next week is back up into the 90's which means 120 up in the attic!

Corbes: I live in a smaller house and the heating/electric bills rarely cross the $100 point. Going back to my parents I could see a 10% heating loss being a shitty deal with a $400 bill but for us we are talking $5-10 maybe.

Desnudo: If I weren't somewhat handy and had the next two months off since I am a teacher I would agree with you. But it's hard to justify that monthly cost when the project would pay for itself in like 3-4 months.

Thanks for the replies. I am knocking out the shed first but I think the attic is going to be needed so we can rewatch Friends season 4. Anyone have a VCR? :)