FAKRO LST 66875 Insulated Steel Scissor Attic Ladder for 22-Inch x 31-Inch Rough Openings

I've wanted to get a attic ladder for my garage for a while now, since it has tons of space available but accessing it is a pain. I had been checking out what was available at local home improvement places, but to be honest they looked like junk - then combine that with people on the net who complained that sometimes they fail, and it really didn't seem like the route I wanted to go. Searching around I found Fakro and this ladder which seemed to be everything I was after - albeit at a price. It's not cheap, but everything about this ladder oozes quality - except maybe their documentation. ;)They make it seem like it's a pretty easy install, and that you could potentially do it yourself - I decided to get a handyman I know to help me, and I am *VERY* glad I did. It was *HARD*, and I've done my fair share of home improvement fun - it probably took us a good 6 hours to install it, with fitting, drilling, screwing things in, etc. BUT, once that was done, you can't argue that it's built like a tank and really well engineered.My ceiling was a bit beyond their default maximum height, so I also purchased an additional step - I believe you can safely add up to 2 of these according to them. It is SUPER easy to get in and out of the attic now - you just use their little pole to pull the opening to a 90 degree angle, then I think you're supposed to use the pole to pull down the stairs, but I can easily reach them, and just unlock them, pull them down to the floor, and climb up into the attic. When the stairs are lowered, it probably takes up twice the length of the space, so that's about all that's needed. The stairs are VERY sturdy, and the expandable parts on the side act as a hand rail for climbing up. Very slick.The only downside of this ladder vs others I've seen is that the opening is a fair bit smaller, probably 1/2 the size (because the size of the ladder is much smaller). I didn't subtract any stars for this because I don't care personally, and I could easily see this being a plus for some people (with less space for the actual ladder).Overall, I don't think you can find a better attic ladder if you try, but it's also 3x the cost of a normal one. Since I'd rather not have it break and come crashing down on my cement garage floor, it's worth it for me. :)

Warning: I have heard from my husband and our numerous friends who assisted him that this was very difficult to install. I think it was the weight of the unit that gave them the most trouble.Now that the installation warning is out of the way, I just want to say that I love, love, love this attic ladder. We have a very limited clearance for an attic ladder. Conventional wooden ladders would not fit. We also needed a ladder that could support up to 300 lbs. so that we wouldn't have to worry about my husband or a hefty workman damaging the structural integrity of the ladder and endangering themselves and all future users. Lastly, I wanted to be able to pull out and put away the ladder all by myself without any assistance. This attic ladder from Fakro meets ALL of my many needs.Bonuses: I love how stable the ladder feels underfoot compared to the old sectioned wooden ladders I have always had to use in the past. I love that I didn't have to go out and find a local dealer for this Fakro ladder. I love that it does NOT have a skinny rope pull dangling down from it and whapping me in the face when I walk through my hallway. I love that it was delivered very quickly, right to the front door of my residential address, and that was with free shipping.

At first I was extremely happy with my ladder. Installation was easy enough, opened and closed smoothly, sturdy construction. BUT now just one year after installation, the wooden ladder box has begun to warp, causing the long metal hinges/brackets on either side of scissor ladder to bow out resulting in a small hitch and loud CLANG every time the ladder is hatch is fully opened. The ladder itself deploys and performs perfectly. The hitch and clang happen when the access hatch is fully opened. This ladder was a huge investment, and I'm very disappointed that its already developed a problem. Is there a was to fix or replace? Please help.