FAKRO LST 66875 Insulated Steel Scissor Attic Ladder for 22-Inch x 31-Inch Rough Openings

I've wanted to get a attic ladder for my garage for a while now, since it has tons of space available but accessing it is a pain. I had been checking out what was available at local home improvement places, but to be honest they looked like junk - then combine that with people on the net who complained that sometimes they fail, and it really didn't seem like the route I wanted to go. Searching around I found Fakro and this ladder which seemed to be everything I was after - albeit at a price. It's not cheap, but everything about this ladder oozes quality - except maybe their documentation. ;) They make it seem like it's a pretty easy install, and that you could potentially do it yourself - I decided to get a handyman I know to help me, and I am *VERY* glad I did. It was *HARD*, and I've done my fair share of home improvement fun - it probably took us a good 6 hours to install it, with fitting, drilling, screwing things in, etc. BUT, once that was done, you can't argue that it's built like a tank and really well engineered. My ceiling was a bit beyond their default maximum height, so I also purchased an additional step - I believe you can safely add up to 2 of these according to them. It is SUPER easy to get in and out of the attic now - you just use their little pole to pull the opening to a 90 degree angle, then I think you're supposed to use the pole to pull down the stairs, but I can easily reach them, and just unlock them, pull them down to the floor, and climb up into the attic. When the stairs are lowered, it probably takes up twice the length of the space, so that's about all that's needed. The stairs are VERY sturdy, and the expandable parts on the side act as a hand rail for climbing up. Very slick. The only downside of this ladder vs others I've seen is that the opening is a fair bit smaller, probably 1/2 the size (because the size of the ladder is much smaller). I didn't subtract any stars for this because I don't care personally, and I could easily see this being a plus for some people (with less space for the actual ladder). Overall, I don't think you can find a better attic ladder if you try, but it's also 3x the cost of a normal one. Since I'd rather not have it break and come crashing down on my cement garage floor, it's worth it for me. :)

Warning: I have heard from my husband and our numerous friends who assisted him that this was very difficult to install. I think it was the weight of the unit that gave them the most trouble. Now that the installation warning is out of the way, I just want to say that I love, love, love this attic ladder. We have a very limited clearance for an attic ladder. Conventional wooden ladders would not fit. We also needed a ladder that could support up to 300 lbs. so that we wouldn't have to worry about my husband or a hefty workman damaging the structural integrity of the ladder and endangering themselves and all future users. Lastly, I wanted to be able to pull out and put away the ladder all by myself without any assistance. This attic ladder from Fakro meets ALL of my many needs. Bonuses: I love how stable the ladder feels underfoot compared to the old sectioned wooden ladders I have always had to use in the past. I love that I didn't have to go out and find a local dealer for this Fakro ladder. I love that it does NOT have a skinny rope pull dangling down from it and whapping me in the face when I walk through my hallway. I love that it was delivered very quickly, right to the front door of my residential address, and that was with free shipping.

I received the ladder in relatively good order despite the UPS driver tumble-rolling the heavy box almost to the door before I could help him carry it. It is difficult to inspect the ladder before installation (you can't extend it without bracing it), but if the ladder looks square and clean on the board it ships on, and there is no damage to any of the corners, you should be fine. One worry I had when I first inspected the ladder was that the rubber weather stripping around the rim of the door was crushed inside one side of the frame, due to the frame being off square by just a few millimeters.This corrected itself after squaring it during installation into the attic - but if during inspection the frame seems badly out of square this may indicate shipping has compromise the ladders integrity. The installation was straightforward and not complex. I recommend reviewing the installation video and product design specs that Fakro provides online. The online instructions might seem a bit confusing before you get the product, but it all makes sense as you work through the installation process. Prior to this I have never done any significant framing but I had no problems building the frame because the ladder fit nicely between joists right were we wanted it to go. Given Fakro's instructions, I would have been comfortable cutting into a joist if I had had to. Two people can install this ladder by themselves like we did but it will not be easy, and you will be significantly unhappy if the ladder has to be uninstalled (see below on that). NOTE A POTENTIAL PROBLEM: the instructions (both online and those coming with the product) show that the height of the frame you need to build can be anywhere from 4" to approx. 9". The minimum frame size of 4" is absolutely incorrect, and the Fakro picture showing the adjusting nut sitting underneath the metal bar where the ladder hangs onto the frame during installation is nonsense. I verified this by calling Fakro USA and you may wish to do the same if you intend to build a frame on the shorter side. I would say approx 5 1/2" might be a better minimum. I ended up extending the frame with another set of 2x4s which worked out well in the end, but that necessitated temporarily taking down the half-installed ladder. Overall I am happy with the ladder and would purchase it again, and would consider other Fakro products in the future.

Great ladder, but the corner of the door came chipped:(