Welcome to Ahead Loft Ladders

For standard loft windows they are not required to be a fire escape, since the loft will not be used as a habitable room.

If you intend on getting a loft conversion in the future, the choice of Velux should be ‘top hung’ or ‘side hung’, rather than the usual centre-pivot models.

For most loft board installation jobs, we can be finished in 1-2 days.

Some boarding projects may take longer, if we have to carry out additional tasks such as:

• Removing old boards
• Relocation of wiring
• Widenening loft hatch
• Adding insulation
• Installing loft windows
• Clearing obstacles

Most ladders open to an angle of between 60 and 80 degrees, relative to the floor.

For the best level of comfort, strength and safety, most of our ladders open to an angle between 70 and 75 degrees.

Yes, if your ladder is long enough then you can certainly use it to get into your loft space. However there a number of downsides:

• The ladder will need to be stored somewhere and retrieved every time you access the loft
• Ladders can be heavy and cumbersome to handle, risking scraping your walls and ceilings
• Regular ladders don’t always open to a suitable angle to allow comfortable use
• A ladder that isn’t long enough to fully reach the hatch could fall, leaving you trapped

For the best safety, convenience and comfort, a professionally installed loft ladder is worth the small investment.

Older style loft ladders would often be a single solid ladder that slid up horizontally in-between the rafters. However those are rarely used these days, due to the space required and how cumbersome they are to handle.

Modern loft ladders use a folding, sectional or concertina construction, meaning they often don’t use much more footprint than the loft hatch itself.

Telescopic ladders are made of aluminium for the main tubes and steps, with a combination nylon, ABS plastic and rubber for the fittings and feet.

Concertina-style ladders are usually aluminium construction, however some heavy duty or commercial models use steel to allow for extra capacity.

For all types of high quality loft ladder, fixings and bolts should be steel.