Loft Ladder

helen21_2

Hi All

I need to get myself a loft ladder that i can just pull down, i have been quoted £400 :eek: and have looked on E-bay and they are selling the complete units for £115ish this sort of thing

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wooden-loft-ladder-with-integral-hatch_W0QQitemZ6029843543QQcategoryZ20594QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

does anybody know how much i would be charged to fit this sort of thing by a chippy?

Thanks in advance

covbaldy

Hi,
Depends what you need? That one on ebay comes with the loft hatch & surround. Do you need this. Does it have to be wood? Aluminium is cheaper. I went to my local Travis Perkins and picked up a 3m aluminium one for £60. There are good deals online but with P&P might make it as expensive as your local building suppliers.

Check out: https://www.ladderstore.com

HTH

helen21_2

Hi thanks, yes i do need loft door thingy as mine has to push up and turn, i want something i can just pull down and walk up if you know what i mean.

Rhino666

The type of ladder you are after always needs a new hatch made if you have the push up type now. You can get an aluminium 3 section ladder for around £50-60 at somewhere like wickes and a new hatch can just be a piece of 18mm MDF cut to size. The loft hatch only has to be hinged on one side and the ladder is fixed to it with screw on brackets. There is usually a spring mechanism on one side that is fixed to the loft floor or a loft joist.
These ladders should come with comprehensive instructions and a competent DIYer will have no problem fitting.

helen21_2

Thanks rhino, i know this is gonna sound sad but i dont know anyone that could fit it, hence why i was wonderig how much a chippy would charge me

Rhino666

Not sure how much carpenters charge per hour but fitting a new loft hatch shouldn't cost more than an hours labour, including materials. Fitting the spring bit in the loft may involve putting a piece of chipboard down if there is no existing boarding. The whole process excluding decorating the hatch shouldn't take more that 1.5 hrs IMO and if anyone was looking to charge more that £75 - 80 for the job, I would be surprised.
Having said that tradesmen expect to be paid big bucks these days which is why I do my best to avoid them :-)

cattie

If it's any help to you I paid £165 for a loft ladder & fitting a couple of years ago. But this was from someone who supplies & fits loft ladders. I chose a medium range aluminium one as I wanted something quite sturdy & with decent width steps. Initially I had wanted a wooden one, but the guy warned me that it may prove a tad too weighty for me to push up & pull down, so I took his advice & went for aluminium. At the time I also had a new loft hatch fitted as like you I had the push up type & the cost of the insulated hatch was £25.

The fitter/supplier I used promised to come & change the ladder if I decided within 2 weeks that I'd prefer a different one, so I found that quite reassuring. I'm more than happy with the ladder & as I have arthritis in my hands & fingers I realise now how right he was to advise me against the wooden type. I know I wouldn't be able to manage one of those.

helen21_2

Hi cattie, the only one i have found in my area wants £400 to supple and fit the exact one they are selling on ebay for £115, if anyone knows any local for the shropshire area please give me a shout.

Thanks