What would YOU hide in your attic?

I'm currently in the middle of nailing OSB boards over the horizontal wooden beams of a house which was constructed in 1959. The previous owner (deceased) never did anything to the attic. I've found a baton, several metal pans and some dusty wicker baskets.

I've considered storing TP and paper towels and shampoos.

What would YOU store in your attic? All suggestions will be considered and possibly implemented.

:)

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), February 26, 1999

Answers

Not much. My attic is accessible from the garage. And that makes it a security risk. I think the basement is a better option.

-- kay (y2kay@good.question), February 26, 1999.

dinosaur: I would like to store a lot of things in my attic, but the heat in the attic during the summer gets extremely hot - too hot for me to store anything safely. But those wicker baskets of yours could be worth some $$$$. Some wicker baskets (indian or nantucket are valued at several hundred dollars, may want to check it out with a basket expert).

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), February 26, 1999.

bardou:

I have no wicker baskets. I DO have mucho attic space. I think I can store TP, paper towels, napkins, shampoos, soaps and other valuables which will not melt during the Summer heat. My food storage remains on the ground floor. I have NO basement, only a crawl space, which is NOT good for anything except secret storage of coins. :)

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), February 26, 1999.

I have to obtain some more OSB boards from my local supplier tomorrow. After I nail down the planks, then I'll place the TP and other dry materials into the boxes which I've collected. This whole Y2K storage plan is a MAJOR PAIN. I've told my mother, and she is growing very tired of my numerous explanations.

I ignore her assumptions and act upon my inclinations.

I've ordered various hybrid and open-pollinated seeds and will order potato seed sets from Gurneys to obtain necessary starts should the supply for Y2K become critical.

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), February 26, 1999.

dinosaur; Looks like you have an area for a few water bed tanks for hot water to me. Up in the attic,great place to store water for at least hot showers. I'd put them as close to a load bearing wall as possible and possibly close to a window for added heat from the sun. But that's what I'd do. Furie...

-- Furie (furieart@dnet.net), February 26, 1999.

Well, let's see, I might use the attic to store sugar and salt. Heat doesn't bother them. And, yes, I have TP stored up there now -- have had every since we ran out following a 48" snowstorm a few years back. That taught a good lesson.

-- De (dealton@concentric.net), February 26, 1999.

Wow. Definitely I'd put that water next to a load bearing. Water is so incredibly heavy.... Can see it now, drip, drip, drip... (Recently had leak in dining room ceiling. Toilet nearly came through the ceiling!) Maybe water could go in your basement crawl space... How 'bout putting extra things like buckets, extra tools, or blankets and cold weather clothing up there? Good luck with your attic organizing!!!! peace, libby

-- Libby Alexander (libbyalex@aol.com), February 26, 1999.

Most people put junk up there. So one thing to consider would be to put as much stuff as possible in the attic that you want to keep, but don't think you will need for everyday like or Y2K. Take a look around your rooms and see what can be moved up there to make some room for what you will want for Y2K and don't need to hide. I think the TP and other paper products would be ok though, depending on how hot it gets I guess. Do you have an attic fan? That will definitely help cut down on the temp up there. Just some thoughts. Good Luck.

-- Rob Michaels (sonofdust@net.com), February 26, 1999.

Hi Dino. Yes TP. salt, sugar, paper towels,candles the bucket kind), extra mantles and wicks, etc. all store well in an attic. Couple precautions though. First, wrap everything you put up there in some type of protective wrap. If the roof leaks, you don't want to lose it all. Second (and most important) make sure your attic is squirrel proof. Little buggers can get in thru a hole about the size of a silver dollar and do they ever wreck the place. Good luck.

Speaking from experience. Lobo

-- Lobo (hiding@woods.com), February 26, 1999.

If you think you need to store extra plywood. Why not lay an extra layer on top of existing floor, if you have one. Same for storage sheds or garage.

bb

-- BB (peace2u@bellatlantic.net), February 26, 1999.

dinosaur: I thought you said you found some dusty wicker baskets in the attic. Did I read that wrong? Anyway, was trying to tell you that old baskets can be valuable in price.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), February 27, 1999.

There is a very simple solution to the extreme heat problem in the attic during the summer. I have installed 3 turbines on my roof. They are about $25 each and very easy to install. Available from Home Depot. They turn automatically, even in winter and our home is about 10 degrees cooler in the summer. You will need these turbines in the summer to keep your home cooler in case the power is still off! Attic storage is a very good idea!

-- Freddie the Freeloader (freddie@aol.com), February 27, 1999.

Dinosaur, here are some things that should be fine:

TP, paper towels, kleenex, cotton balls, q-tips, aluminum foil, styrofoam cups, paper plates, trash bags, tampons, pads, band-aids, gauze, rope, clothes pins. Anything that the heat won't affect.

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), February 27, 1999.

Consider putting some important things UNDER the flooring incase big brother comes a calling!

-- Scotty (BLehman202@aol.com), February 27, 1999.

Time for some humor....How bout my mother in law?

-- consumer (private@aol.com), February 27, 1999.

Consumer, ROTFL! Time to build a "shack out back?"

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), February 27, 1999.

i wouldn't put anything in the attic unless it was in plastic or metal containers. i have had squirrels bite thru my screens and run around my attic, also found a shrew up there which had climbed up.

-- jocelyne slough (jonslough@tln.net), February 27, 1999.

*timelapse*

Hello, all, and thanks for the feedback. I typed my question LATE last night, and this morning at work I wondered what I had posted. (Don't you just hate it when you can't remember your own words?) :)

I logged on after work today and read everything posted. I forgot to mention that this attic is VERY inaccessible. In the entrance room from the garage is a small opening measuring 29" X 17". That's why I had the local building center cut my OSB 4' X 8' boards into 2' X 8' lengths. I've just finished positioning them and will nail them down tomorrow afternoon. There is also a similar opening in the garage, but it is inaccessible by my 6.5' ladder. When I have this project completed, I'll place the ladder back in the garage. Any thief who breaks in will certainly root through the house, a single story unit, but I sincerely doubt any thief would bother with the attic. It's a bother simply to climb up and squeeze through the opening.

kay:

Although the basement is a superior option, I don't have one.

bardou:

I guess the two baskets are wicker; I'm no basket expert. They're small and in good shape, but seem to be ordinary. Sorry I typed confusing words late last night.

Furie:

There's NO WAY I can move water bed tanks through the small opening. The attic has no windows, only three top vents.

Libby:

I like your suggestion of placing buckets in the attic. I have numerous black plastic containers left over from planting trees and bushes since I've moved here in JUN96. I would like to nurture these plants, but I fear if Y2K gets dangerous, then my neighbors will sever them for kindling. :(

Rob:

I don't have an attic fan, only three top vents. They have wire screens over them.

Lobo:

I wonder about storing candles in the attic. I assumed they would melt. Maybe not. During a heat wave they might become soft. I'd like to address this squirrel issue. There is absolutely NO evidence of any squirrel entry. All I've discovered are ancient, dust-encrusted spider webs. The wasps have built their nests on the outside of the screened vents. No birds, either.

BB:

Extra plywood is a good idea, but I could store only small pieces since the access openings are 29" X 17".

Freddie:

The top vents seem to lessen the heat. I was up there this summer checking on some wiring, and it wasn't too uncomfortable. I don't have air conditioning, so I simply open the windows during temperate weather.

Gayla:

I don't need tampons or pads since I'm not a female or kinky. :)

Scotty:

Yes, storing stuff BELOW the house is an excellent idea which I've considered but not yet implemented. The construction of this house is such that the crawl space is accessed through removal of a two step wooden platform from the garage. I've not yet explored this crawl space because I didn't want to resemble Schultz's Pig Pen character. :) When the weather gets warmer, I'll investigate.

jocelyne:

Good idea regarding storing items in plastic or metal containers. I'm looking for cheap storage units and will buy some when I find irresistible bargains.

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), February 27, 1999.

This is what Mama hid in her attic:

" She was still living in the apartment where Little Brother and I had lived. Her collection filled every room. One day while C. and I were in her cocoon, we heard a knock at the entrance. Ma clambered through her dark vestibule to answer the door and I heard her talk to someone in a low voice. She returned without mentioning this visitor and I inquired as to who had been there.

"Oh, nobody," she replied with downcast eyes.

When we ended our visit, we bid her farewell on the stair landing outside her apartment. A door led to the stairs up to the attic. I received Ma's brain waves and asked her casually if I could open that door.

She squealed: "No, please don't open that door. Please Not Again!, don't!"

Now that I was enlightened, I made it a point to disobey her. She was not wearing her waist ornament anymore and I suffered a bout of delayed teenage rebellion. Very slowly, to create and stretch tension, to rattle the skeletons in the attic, I opened its door. On the steps stood a gentleman dressed in a black power suit holding a black briefcase. Brazenly he tipped his black bowler hat with a smile. This must have been the only such hat in Germany. He greeted us with a graceful bow, Guten Tag, and exhibited no embarrassment whatsoever.

Whats the name of Mas business? Katies Nest? Lawyers Heaven? Special Today: Time-Share Condom. Have to look for a red light downstairs. "

Was it one of you?

-- Not Again! (seenit@ww2.com), February 27, 1999.