Attic Storage in Florida: What It Costs You

Storing things in a Florida attic damages the things and frequently the insulation underneath them.

Almost every Florida house uses the attic for storage and almost every one of them does it in a way that costs something.

The heat problem

A Central Florida attic routinely exceeds 130°F and can go considerably higher. That destroys a specific list of things people routinely store up there: photographs, documents, candles, electronics, vinyl records, anything with adhesive, and anything in a cardboard box that will absorb the humidity.

If it matters and it is not heat-tolerant, the attic is the wrong place for it.

The insulation problem

This is the one nobody considers. Insulation works by trapping air. Compressing it — by laying decking directly on it, or by stacking boxes on it — reduces its effective value substantially in that area.

An attic where storage sits directly on the insulation has a compromised thermal envelope over exactly the area being used, and that shows up on the electricity bill every month.

Doing it properly

• Raised decking on framing above the insulation level, so the insulation stays uncompressed underneath. This is the correct approach and it is straightforward carpentry.
• Confine storage to a defined area rather than spreading it across the attic.
• Keep loads reasonable. Ceiling joists in a residential attic are sized for the ceiling, not for a storage floor. Heavy items belong near bearing walls, not mid-span.
• Sealed plastic containers rather than cardboard, which absorbs humidity and attracts pests.

Access

A pull-down ladder is the usual answer and the usual weak point. Check the fasteners — they work loose over years and a ladder coming down under load is a serious matter. Check the ladder itself for cracked rungs, and check its weight rating against what you actually carry up it.

An insulated, weatherstripped attic hatch is also worth having. An uninsulated hatch is a hole in the thermal envelope, and in Florida that is a meaningful loss.

Getting it done

Call (863) 633-5499 or request a free estimate and we will look at it properly.

Frequently asked questions

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