Knee Wall Access Doors
I’ve been searching online unsuccessfully for how to build an airtight and insulated access door for a knee wall between a conditioned room and unconditioned side attics for a cape cod style home. Do a search for this and you’ll likely find a ton pictures on how to seal and insulate a pull down or horizontal door. I’m dealing with vertical access doors for a knee wall. I’ve contemplated constructing something from plywood with rigid foam insulation behind it, but that doesn’t really take care of the air sealing problem. I also contemplated taking a an old solid wood door and cutting it into small doors, which would allow me to seal it more like a traditional door, add a handle, etc. But that doesn’t lend to insulating it very well given the extreme temperatures of these spaces. Any help you can provide, particularly if you have pictures, will be very much appreciated.
Thanks for your help!
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Replies
Jeff,
If you are an experienced carpenter, this is a piece of cake. The core of the door should be made of rigid foam; the facings can be made of almost any material, depending on your interior decorating goals and standards; and the door needs to close against a frame that is equipped with weatherstripping. A good latch completes the installation.
If you don't feel confident enough to make your own door, you can order a foam-cored steel entry door, complete with weatherstripping, in any custom size, including a miniature door to access the attic behind a kneewall. Visit any old-fashioned full-service lumber yard to order such a door.
By the way, the best way to insulate the attic behind a kneewall is to extend the insulation along the sloped roof assembly, all the way down to the exterior wall, so that the triangular area is within the home's conditioned space. If you do this, the kneewall access door won't need insulation or weatherstripping. For more information, see this article: “Two Ways to Insulate Attic Kneewalls.”
-- Martin Holladay
I am in the same spot. I spotted this door in a Matt Risinger video, contacted them, but no one has been able to identify them for me. They are exactly what I am looking for, including the way they open w/ no handles...
2:04 to 2:30 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl9QINETX4I
Might be helpful ... FHB basement door build ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hKIWflRxz8