Attic access ?

[Elite]

Hey, So I have a basically new Mobile home. And there is no access into the attic from inside the house? I could hear what sounded like a mouse in the roof last night. So I would like to gain access some how to set a trap. It does have metal soffit on the outside. Can I gain access from there ?


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[4rcgoat]

Probably not enough room to see much through the soffits,depending on the roof framing. If it has trusses that span full width you should be able to cut an access panel out somewhere in between them,you'll have to do some additional work to create a usable access. If the roof is pitched at the center you'll definitely have more space near the center of the home. Dont know if that helped any.

 

[Pn8hall]

Nothing to it man. PIck a spot on the inside that you think will allow enough headroom to get up there. A closet can be a good spot to hide the access. Get yourself a studfinder and try to figure out which way the ceiling joists are running and how far apart they are spaced. Typically gonna be 24" apart for roof trussess but might be 16". If they are 24" all you need to do is draw out an opening say 22 1/2" x maybe 30" or so with a framing square or something and then grab a drywall saw and start cutting out the hole. On 2 of the sides you will be cutting right down the edge of the roof joist (Thats where the 22 1/2" comes from. Try to keep the cut out piece in 1 solid piece because you can re-use that piece as your new access. To finish it back off you just need to miter some trim so that the inside edge of the trim overhangs your cutout on the inside by 1/2"-3/4" so that when you put the piece of drywall back in place it will rest on the lip of the trim that is now overhanging the opening. Just make sure your trim is wide enough to be able to nail it into the roof joist. It might seem a little overwhelming but it really is not that difficult to do. PM me if you have any questions I would be happy to help answer them.

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

Get a cat for free, put it up there until you only hear quiet. Might have done something similar in college with a free beagle a buddy of mine had. We helped some girls out who had a raccoon in their A/C ducts. A .410 was involved, dog was fine.

 

[goodgrouper]

before you get to crazy cutting into things make sure there is enough room for access in the first place. I would shoot an email to the manufacturer first and see if they would give you something like a section drawing that would tell you if you can even fit inside the space. is the ceiling vaulted? does it match the roof pitch outside? access through the soffit is unlikely because the heel height, the distance from the top off the wall to the top off the truss vertically, is likely less than a foot and most of that distance will be full of insulation. you could straighten out a coat hanger and poke it through the drywall perpendicular to the roof and see how far you have from the bottom of your trusses to the roof sheeting. I could be way off here and maybe you have a huge attic but my experience with modulars and the lack of an access leads me to believe you wouldn't be able to fit in there.

 

[TJ]

before you get to crazy cutting into things make sure there is enough room for access in the first place. I would shoot an email to the manufacturer first and see if they would give you something like a section drawing that would tell you if you can even fit inside the space. is the ceiling vaulted? does it match the roof pitch outside? access through the soffit is unlikely because the heel height, the distance from the top off the wall to the top off the truss vertically, is likely less than a foot and most of that distance will be full of insulation. you could straighten out a coat hanger and poke it through the drywall perpendicular to the roof and see how far you have from the bottom of your trusses to the roof sheeting. I could be way off here and maybe you have a huge attic but my experience with modulars and the lack of an access leads me to believe you wouldn't be able to fit in there.

^^this.

Most manufactured homes have very little space in the attic to begin with, by the time it's insulated there almost none.

 

[TREE ‘EM]

Their is no need to cut holes.
Put bait boxes around the perimeter of the skirting. Mice need to go outside for food. They are simply using the walls/ceiling space as a place of refuge.

 

[huntsman22]

Refuge for a place to die peacefully......