Attic Truss Garage | Ladder v/s Staircase

Attic Truss Garage Roof

I'm often asked if Western Garage Builders ever builds an attic truss garage without a staircase?

The answer is yes. Sometimes we build an attic truss garage exactly the same as the staircase garage but we use a folding drop down ladder instead.

Garage Ladder vs Garage Staircase

The pros of a garage ladder vs a garage staircase is, it takes up less main floor garage space. The con is the size of stuff that can be brought up to the second floor. A garage ladder typically fits between two trusses which are 24" on center. A garage staircase needs to be at least 36" wide not including the framing and has to follow code with regards to the rise and run of the steps and treads. This means you cant go straight up like you would with a ladder. You will take three steps to a landing  then turn at the landing to go up the rest of the way.

When designing your custom garage please take into consideration how your garage will be used and for what.

The pictured garage is located in St Paul, MN. Its a 24x24 with a 10/12 attic truss roof. The siding is Alside vinyl, aluminum soffit and fascia, GAF/Elk roofing shingles and a 16x7 raised panel steel overhead garage door.