Access door to crawlspace INSIDE.

[ndwatch]

I debated if this should have been in the off topic section. I have lurked here for a while, bit my tongue on several occasions, and finally need some input. I have a 1997 Fleetwood Modular that is on a crawlspace. We own the land, it's set on a block foundation. If I had known that a little bit of money would have made a difference, I would have paid the extra $2000.00 for the basement. The crawlspace is closed, has vapor barrier, has drains, etc etc etc. Excellent for storage except that it’s about 70 feet to the side where we want to store stuff. The outside door is not in the best of spots and its hard to move stuff inside around the pipes, ac, phone wires, cable, etc.

I am in the middle of a floor replacement (bathroom, preventative only since I am changing to a porcelain tub and might as well put down new plywood) and thought maybe I could add an access door in the hallway to the crawlspace. Has anyone did this before, is it acceptable, and any ideas about how to keep it sealed back up since I will be removing some of the insulation in the process.

I do not fear that I will have any problem framing in and making the door, I just hope I have not overlooked anything in my planning. I have read numerous posts but have not really seen anything on this.

Your input is greatly appreciated.

Allyn

[Yanita]

Hi,

Welcome to the site.

Well I must say that I have never seen this asked either, but must admit that it is one that Hubby and I have entertained. not for the same reasons as you though.

About the only suggestion I can give at this time is...for the insulation we thought that maybe we could use spray adhesive and glue it to the door itself..don't know if it would work??? But then I wonder about the belly material?

Hubby and I have entertained this idea as we wanted to put an in ground tornado shelter under the home, access being as you mentioned a trap door of sorts in the hall floor. I will be watching this post to see what others have to offer.

I don't know what you are storing under your home, but it is not something we recommend. Hopefully nothing that has gas in it.

Yanita

[ndwatch]

Thanks for replying so quickly. I thought about gluing it to the door (trap door) also, or making a ledge inside that it could sit on, then when you open the door you could pull out the insulation and replace before closing.

I really have tried to pay attention but maybe I missed why we should not store stuff under the house? My foundation is almost like a basement, it is bone dry, rodent free, and we want space to put the Christmas tree, the 30 boxes of decorations, the 15 other seasons of decorations, just stuff that came out of our storage. We used one of the bedrooms for all of this and now my mother-in-law lives with us so it’s all sitting in my living room. We have a restriction on how many sheds we can have where I live, and I would have to build a garage to add anything else to our acre property.

Thanks again!

[JD]

I could see something like that being built. Storing stuff under the home may not be a great idea, but sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do. Of course you would want everything protected in plastic containers and such, but for the building of it, it would have to be built to close tolerances to be able to seal it up as good as possible for hvac and bug reasons. Unless you are planning on a 16" wide opening, you would have to cut into a floor joist. This may be a code issue but if it were allowed, You could block across the cut joist with double 2x6s to support the cut joist. Also placement of this access should be strategic. A hallway may not work as there is probably one of the steel I-beams right in that area. Also there would be heavy traffic there, taxing the framing of the opening and the carpet or other floor covering over the hole. Inside a bedroom closet may be a good spot, since there would be very little traffic right there and you could cut your floor covering inside the closet. This would work best with a closet door that hangs from a rail rather than one that has the rail on the floor. Closet doors could be changed pretty easy if you do have a floor rail. You could frame in the double 2x6s and the rest of the opening so that one 2x is supporting the existing floor and the second 2x6 would be like the stop for the door. this second 2x6 workign as a stop could be staggered just a bit lower to allow for heavy duty weather stripping to seal the opening. Again, with very close tolerances, you could also use heavy duty rubber piping type weather stripping on the sides of the door to be a second seal. the underside of the door could have layers of polyiso foam board glued together and maybe some ties like they use for concrete forms. One 4x8 sheet of foam board could easily be cut and layered to equal more than the rest of the floor insulation. One other thing to consider is security. I would want some type of secure locks on this door. They sell good ones at Rockler.com that would sit flush with the floor and door. Most closets are 24" deep, which could make for a somewhat small hole for getting boxes to fit. But it could be like a 2'x3' door shich should be enough room to slide down those clear plastic boxes that you see at all the home stores. Should be big enough for an artificial Christmas tree too.

I am not saying that this "should " be done. This is just some ideas of how I would do it. In my work, I have seen a home with these floor hatches. But I am sure they were put in for protection/escape from loud knocks at the front door. It was a seedy home in a seedy park and just butchered in there.

JMO
JD

[ndwatch]

Thank you for your advice. I never thought about the lock, but nobody can get into the crawlspace from the outside. Now I may reconsider that lock so that it may be opened from the inside as well, and then lock the "trap door". I am lucky and still have the modular plans, trying to pick the best place for the entry. I like the closet idea, but my closet choices are limited and very close to beams or block. The hallway gives me some offset but it is highly traveled as it leads to three bedrooms and the bathroom at that end of the house. It would have been so much easier if we had flippled the house around, or set our septic in the back yard. You have definately given me something to think about. Thanks.

[Greg]

If I remember the floor plans I looked at when I bought our's, there was an optional plan that called for a staircase by the back door where many washer/drier hook ups are on a few manufacturer's models. Greg

[Harry]

Hi

As JD pointed out you'd have to work around the I-beams. In my area some of the modulars have the I-beams and some not. Some of the modular manufacturers have "removable" I-beams. Sometimes they are removed...sometimes not.

If you do it I'd like some photos. Sounds neat.

Harry

[ndwatch]

Thanks again for the replies. My plans call for the stairs in the laundry room, about 50 feet from where I want to put the stuff. I think that I am between the big beams but will be inspecting when I get home from work today. We have gutted the bathroom right next to it and will have that floor and the hallway floor up today. I will try to remember and snap some pictures before we tear up the floor, but definately will of the beam placement. As for posting them, good luck. I can't even get my avatar to stay put!

Allyn