Having an attic walkway can be an important part of protecting your safety, and the safety of your family, and can even save you money. Attics are often where the crucial mechanical systems that make your house run smoothly are kept.

When You Need One

However, many attics are unfinished and have raw, exposed fiberglass insulation that can make maintaining the units in your attic inconvenient at best, and damaging or dangerous at worst. If you have ever found yourself wanting to check on your furnace, your heater, your central air conditioning unit, or anything else stored in your attic, but have encountered protection on the base of your upper room rather than a strong, well-assembled floor, there is no compelling reason to live with the issue. Developing a basic upper room walkway can enable you to defeat the plan defect so you can take care of the frameworks that are at the core of your home.

Why You Need an Attic Walkway

In many houses, the attic is where the major systems like the furnace, air conditioning unit, and sometimes even the water heater is kept. These kinds of systems need regular maintenance and checkups in order to function without problems. If you can keep an eye on your furnace or A/C unit with ease, you are more likely to maintain it, which means that you can save money on costly repairs that are often a result of negligence.

An attic walkway will allow you to make your way through your attic to check on any unit installed in this area of your home. By having a secure catwalk that will let you access these kinds of units, you will make it easy for you, prospective buyers, and any professional maintenance or repair workers to make sure that your heat, A/C, and water are running smoothly, and if there is a problem an attic catwalk will let you diagnose and solve the problem with relative ease.

Your Materials

All you need in order to build a simple, functional attic walkway is a few 2x boards, some plywood, (See Different Types of Plywood) sturdy deck screws, and some heavy-duty construction adhesive. Choose 2x stock that will easily extend above your attic insulation when you set the wood on top of the bottom chords of the horizontal trusses that run across your attic.

In addition, you will need some gloves to protect your hands from the fiberglass, and enough plywood to build a few gussets and to cover your 2x foundation boards.

Prepping Your Wood And Your Attic

Your catwalk will sit on the horizontal chords, which can bear a heavy load as long as you do not cut or damage them. Start by sawing your plywood into pieces that will match and support your 2x stock, then use your plywood scraps to construct a few basic gussets.

You will need one gusset for each chord, and they should be big enough to reach from the chords bottom up to about an inch below the top edge of the boards that will make your attic walkway. Wearing your gloves, take a few moments to push the insulation surrounding the chords back so that the chord surface is clean and exposed, then move on to installation.

Installing Your Walkway

To complete your attic walkway, run glue along a side and along the top of every cord, then securely fasten your 2x stock and gussets to the chords, using both glue and screws so that you will not have any slippage. For additional footing, place your fastens a multi-directional befuddle design so no single side of the gusset will bear the full weight.

Utilizing numerous screws, join the compressed wood spread pieces to your 2x establishment structure. Presently, wearing gloves once more, cautiously supplant the protection, and make the most of your new upper room catwalk.

Landscaping: Perfect Primrose Paths This article discusses ways to improve your outdoor walkways. Including types of plants that could be planted and what materials to make the walkway of.

When one thinks of a garden, the image usually brought to mind is that of dazzling flowers and bright shrubs, elegant trees providing a cool shady canopy, and a lush lawn surrounding the area. Of course, this is understandable; bright, bold, and colorful, this is how gardens are usually designed. A garden is an elaborate stage, filled with beautiful actors and actresses who each play their own parts in making that garden a simply enchanting place. When one mentions the word ‘garden,’ it usually evokes one, if not all of the following words: bright, bold, and beautiful. But also like a stage, there are those who play key roles, yet remain hidden from sight. The quiet workhorses, they often work behind the scenes or are designed so as to be nearly invisible. Our paths, trails, and walkways are often overlooked and understated, designed for functionality; simply as a way to get from point A to point B. In fact, many fail to realize that a well-laid walkway can either make or break a garden. Instead of thinking of your walkway as an accent to your garden, you should think of it as a backbone. Taking some time to plan out your path can be the difference between an average garden and a stunning retreat that you will never want to leave. If properly done, a nice path will accent your home perfectly, increasing not only your personal aesthetic value but also increasing property value. Here are a few helpful things to take into consideration, while you go about planning out your primrose path:

Materials

There is any number of interesting materials that can be put to use in your garden paths; you are only limited by your own creativity. Colorful or textured stepping stones can create a lighthearted journey through your garden, whereas intricate laid brickwork or cobblestones can create interesting geometric patterns for your pleasure. The crunch of gravel, underfoot, can be a relaxing sound or if you like to appeal to the sense of smell, you might try an aromatic material such as a cocoa mulch.

Whatever senses you wish to stimulate, you can do so while turning your garden into a relaxing retreat. One thing to keep in mind, however, is the practicality of the different materials that you wish to use. While a mulch walk may be useful in drought-prone areas, it can prove messy in a garden that receives a lot of rain on a regular basis. Gravel is very nice and inexpensive, but you may want to take into consideration snowfall if you live in a northern state; in this case, it may prove more beneficial to lay down some tightly arranged bluestone, in order to make the snow-shoveling easier. Also keep your budget in mind, as well. Brick and bluestone may create a breathtaking walkway, but gravel and stepping stones may be more practical for your pocketbook.

Size Matters

Regardless of what they say, size does matter; at least, when you are talking garden paths, that is. Take a moment and consider the size of the path that you want to lay down and the type of plants you intend to place along with it; your path should compliment your home, so you will want to try and match it up in a way that will be flattering. Common errors are making garden paths too narrow (especially when bordered by tall and/or dense foliage), making the path seem dark, confining and claustrophobic, or making the walkways too wide, in which case, they tend to make the house look small and insignificant. Avoid the gaudy look and take a few minutes to plan and plot out your pathways; the key to a beautiful garden is taking the time to plan it all out before you ever make a move to lay it down.

Stimulate the Eye

Once you have your plan plotted out, you should take your borders into consideration next. What kind of look do you want for your garden? Something neat, clean, and orderly? Or perhaps you want your garden to be more whimsical and romantic, with soft edges of flowers spilling out onto your walkway. Whatever look you decide to go with, you will want to create an environment that stimulates the senses; try using different heights and layers to your garden, keeping the eyes moving and intriguing. Comfortable benches, cozy reading retreats, bird feeders, and fountains all add interest in your garden and can accent your beautiful paths.

With a well-planned walkway, you are setting the scene for people as they walk up to your home, as well as giving some insight as to the person you are. Remember, your home is a reflection of who you are, and a beautiful walkway leading to your front door can only make a good impression. Don those gloves and get creative!