I did something similar to be able to access the crawl space (and store wine). I doubled up the joists either side of the one I cut and then added a frame to tie it all together again. The hatch was then made to the same strength as the surrounding floor and hung via some industrial hinges on one side and a 45 degree lip on the other.
I did something similar to be able to access the crawl space (and store wine). I doubled up the joists either side of the one I cut and then added a frame to tie it all together again. The hatch was then made to the same strength as the surrounding floor and hung via some industrial hinges on one side and a 45 degree lip on the other.