Q: We want to use our attic for additional storage space and were planning to install a folding ladder in the garage ceiling to provide access. This seemed like a good idea until a home inspector ...

QDEAR BARRY: Our garage has a drop-down ladder in the ceiling that provides access to a storage area in the attic. When we bought the house, our home inspector told us that this was a violation of ...

This is required in order to slow the spread of a garage fire into the dwelling. If the garage attic and house attic are not also divided by a firewall, then the garage ceiling becomes part of the ...

The access cover on a folding ladder is usually a mere piece of ¼-inch plywood. When installed in a garage ceiling, this thin wooden membrane replaces a portion of the fire-resistant drywall, thereby ...