Which bit?

It's half boarded and the hatch frame is in. Should get it pretty much finished tomorrow. Then I'll design some ridiculous way to open the hatch door.

What about having a piece of hanging 'art' on the wall beside where the hatch is?

Use it as a counterweight, if you want to open the hatch then just give it a gentle tug downwards and marvel at your secret entrance skills :D

My dad has suggested a counter-weight method too, with the weight in the attic.

It would still require the door to be pushed (at least initially), but it would make it much easier.

We've also realised that with a top opening door it may need some space for the loft ladders, unless the door actually goes within the frame rather than on top. Anyway, I've got enough MDF left over to sort that.

Spring(s)?

Have you got any pictures of what you've done so far?

Whenever anyone's telling me about their DIY projects my mind automatically imagines an Ikea-like paradise where everything fits neatly, walls are perfectly straight, you've got all the right screws to hand and there's never a dead battery, all in a room lit by white light coming through diaphanous curtains. I don't know why, 'cos my own DIY projects are usually messy affairs covered in filler, caulk, paint, blood and much swearing.

My DIY project sounds very similar to yours. I've taken a few photos of the hatch progress, I'll put them up later. I'll take a photo of the finished flooring once it's done. I was going to put a camera up there and timelapse it, but it's so so filthy.

My dust mask from yesterday

Filth. :C

But I would like to see how it's going - always interested in DIY stuffs.

Glad to see you have the keys to the windows, in their rightful place, on the window sill.

And the getaway car parked nearby.

The other place is in the lock, but that's risky business when there's a chance the key will fall out when you open it!

Not totally finished but so far... (click for bigger)

Original hatch



Day 1 - widen hatch and put supporting beams across existing beams. Filthy work. Didn't realise that the developer I bought it off had put a suspended ceiling in the landing area, that made things a bit more complicated.

 

Day 2 - Give the hatch a box/carcass



Day 3 - Architrave

 

It will soon be painted white.

Day 2 - Started the boarding

 

Day 3 - Most of the rest of boarding done

 
 

You may notice I've not laid the tongue & groove as it should be. I've gone tongue-tongue, groove-groove. My original reason was because I wanted it to be easy to lift any boards in future, and as I've been laying the boards it became an even better idea because the beams I'm screwing into aren't level/even in the slightest so getting them to align nicely would have been impossible. The house is about 150 years old so that's not a surprise.

The best way would have been to build a frame across the area to lay the boards on to ensure it was totally flat. That wasn't going to happen.

Day 4 will be laying any extra boards and bits of boards that need doing.

I'll need to make a change to the door when the ladders arrive. Once that's done I'll crack open the paint.

:D looks like it's going well, but a pretty big job. Are you taking time off work to do this? How did you tidy up the top of the uprights (the bits that cover the gap in the suspended ceiling) from the hatch where it meets the boards above? It looks nice n' neat.

Are you boarding over the insulation stuff or removing that as you go?  That's reminded me, I had a look in our loft space the other week. Like yours it's got a suspended ceiling from when the attic was converted from a room and a corridor into one big room. They made some attempt at insulation - there's a bag of polystyrene pellets up there covering about a square meter's worth of floor space. It's just above my dart board, so at least that'll be nice and warm come the winter. :/

I like the light well. :)

 

I can't open attachments on my Kindle. I'm avoiding any new threads with attachments til I get home. Looks like you have a nice bit of attic space. Mine is pretty big but there are s many bits of wood supporting the roof (I don't know the tevhnical term for them) that it makes it very awkars to move around the attic.

On the windscreen wiper motor.

Is it generally a simple case of polarity changing to switch direction? Or is it a little more complicated?

Depends on the motor (generally: permanent magnets, no. electromagnets, yes), but probably easier just to use a linkage to reverse direction. That way for half the time the door is opening and half the time it's closing, but the motor runs constantly in the same direction.

The motor will fail, and you will be trapped up there, your muffled shouts drowned out by the tv and traffic.

After a week of missing posters on shop windows and telephone poles, and cops scouring the neighborhood, it will be assumed you ran off, or just got offed.

Years later, your dried husk will be found with broken fingernails and deep scratches in the hatch, after your family moves away.

Or, you can stop right now.

I still don't understand :((

So let's say I was to apply a voltage to the relevant wires it wouldn't turn 360 deg continuously? It would go, say, 180 deg and back again?

I just want a simple motor I can turn 360 for a set amount of time, then -360 deg.

Also, my hall effect sensors arrived, but I forgot to order magnets. I've had so much stuff from China arrive in less than 2 weeks recently. One item in 7 days too.

I think I'll fit an emergency axe in the attic.

https://youtu.be/D_KIOr_TpcM

Thank you :$