roofer madness

[Warren Lake]

today on the way to the post office saw this bloke up on a roof bit of light snow and ice but not much and he was on the other side of this roof on the edge facing down cleaning the eves. I had to turn around and did and saw no rope. The photos dont show how tall the home is or how steep the roof was. Went home to get the camera and he had started on the other side. Ive rebuilt one roof before a reshingle and six sections of this one because the addition was put on by Elmer Fudd. Im not meant to be in the air and last sections here I had a fall rope to the special roof thing on a belt and just worked with no slack. Once i tested it a few times I could sit on an edge and sort of be okay but still I was on a bungalow the last one 5/12 pitch the previous one i rebuilt bungalow and 4/12. Could not tolerate more with my height allergy. This guy unless he had a parachute I didn't see was taking big chances. Even the ladder for him to get up there on the other side was as long as an oceanliner.

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[Dave Zellers]

Been there.

I get the willies when I think about some of the things I did in my 20's and early 30's.

OTOH, I never doubted myself, and chose not to do things I knew were iffy for me.

[Peter Mich]

At first glance, I thought the title of this thread was “Reefer Madness”. But then again, maybe that should be the title.

[Tom M King]

The foam rubber pad won’t slip.

[Tom M King]

I use all sorts of safeties though. I don't even go up an extension ladder without one.

[Warren Lake]

thats no big deal they are roped, and roped with the slack out. There is no snow or ice on the shingles either. Though that was on the other side of the roof, not a ton but some there,

I used the same foam but it was more for protection from shingles as I burned out jeans in two days. I did switch to the Blaakladders and they are bullit proof compared. The foam wont slip? hes backwards on the edge of a steep pitch likely same as the tied off guys. It was minus -3C today and some wind same time

[Cameron Wood]

Looks like 8/12- ugh, everything wants to slide. The foam rubber pad helps a lot. I've had guys hang gutters from up top on ply sheathing, three + stories up. They put a few 16s in to brace their toes against at the hip, as they leaned out to fasten the gutter to the fascia.

[Mark Hennebury]

Not a steep pitch on my roof. I did my roof 16 years ago, a lot of the work was done at night in the winter, snow and cold. under the shingles I put two layers of ice and water shield over the whole roof. and heated it with a large propane torch and tap danced on it to make sure that it stuck down, must have looked strange to the neighbors to see someone tap dancing on a roof with a huge propane torch at midnight. Never had a harness, jut a rope tied around my waist. Nighttime is the best time to do high roofs, set up some floodlights, you only see the roof, you don't see the ground, everything else is black, takes away the fear.

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[Kevin Jenness]

Couple of years ago a gypsy roof painter saw the rusty ag metal roof on my shop and stopped by to offer his services around noon. While his 8 y/o kid played with Legos he got up on the 8/12 pitch 15 square roof, drove screws in the loose spots and sprayed a coat of aluminum paint with an airless wand, no mask and no anchor, just the sticky soles on his silver boots to keep him upright. Did a decent job, even coverage and no visible overspray. Washed off with gasoline and drove off by 5 pm. Took the rest of the evening for the fumes to dissipate. I'm pretty sure he was too high to fall off.

[Warren Lake]

thats funny Kevin. Years ago i was going to hire a roofer recommended by my insurance guy. One of my friends said not to hire him. So I asked if I could go work for half a day for free and did. I saw a thing I questioned but didn't say anything. Im a cabinetmaker and zero carpenter experience but have learned on my own stuff. So later I talk to one of his crew, little skinny guy wirey as hell works fast as hell then to the bar same each day. I said he did this that's not right is it?. That guy his own crew guy said hes brutal. I had hoped to hire that guy but it worked out better.

I called the major roofing supplier in the city and asked for their three top companies. They gave me that and variety so I had a small crew a large crew and another. I had the master shinglers manual from Certainteed I studied and learned it talked to the three guys. One wanted to meet me so I did and he was blown away I had the master shingles manual and bookmarks and all. I hired him and I worked with him and one other guy. he had the machine to run the shingles up the ladder., He would only hand nail.

His guy said this was the best prepared roof they ever worked on. Nice to hear that but I had no experience and walked in as a cabinetmaker doing a roof. Not a good formula. My new facia boards were 16 feet long and machined straight. Homes are hack compared so setting a 16 foot straight board on an anaconda never works that well. I cut and lifted and planed and made the home crisp from end to end. really crisp lazer level and bang on. Not worth at all on a small cheap home but the difference when done it really stood out being straight and crisp.

Years later I did all six sections of this home myself. Rebuilt some of them as so wrong then ice and water and Certainteed again with a Senco funnel tip. Likely no better roofing gun ever made. It worked excellent and at that point hand nailing is nonsense no matter how fast you are. It didn't overfire it didn't jam. My only concern was if it got broken there were no more of them. It was a Senco guy Rob Stewart i think in the US who found me eccentric enough that he pulled strings and told them to take back the gun they sold me here in Canada and found me that one in the US. People who still had stock. I love it when there are old school people at companies that really know what they are doing and care. I emailed back or called a few times to thank them for him and found out he had passed and they were all very upset and I was saddened. When i use that gun its more special as there was a whole story, ive spared you some.The odd thing was shipped from the states the made in US one no longer available was likely 20 - 30 percent cheaper than the china stuff they were now selling and still not the funnel tip model. All because one old school experience knowledgeable guy cared. We have lost alot of those guys to people in a nice shirt. They have training but many will never have the knowledge in the older people.

Roofing is brutal work. My height is in my lower body bending down is harder. It takes some time to be bleeding and calluses to grow then its easier. It only worked cause I ran on my own time. It changes it all. The first one I did went on way too long and I was finishing shingling in December. For whatever reason in 2009 global warming must have helped me out. Three large tarps on the roof as I rebuilt it were a pain for sure. I invented roof sailing one day.

[Alan Rutherford]

Prepping for a hurricane a few years ago at the age of 78. Note the safety harness, eyebolts at intervals in the siding (they go into the studs in the wall), and walkboard attached to the eyebolts. My wife has trouble with me being on the roof even with all that, especially now that I'm over 80.

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[Ron Citerone]

I’m 65. I used to work as a painter and don’t mind being on a ladder if it is not crazy high. My bigger issue is not feeling great about setting up and moving ladders. Never was the strongest dude, but my shoulders and elbows aren’t what they used to be! 😉

[Tom M King]

The lower ladder in my picture in this thread was to put a stainless steel eye screw into the framing of that house. The pulley on the roof attached to a rope over the roof was anchored to a tractor on the other side of the house. The 3800 pound trailer was parked there as a belay anchor point.

[Tom M King]

I pull extension ladders up with the belay rope and fly them down similarly.

[Alan Rutherford]

My limit is the lower and flatter section of roof I'm on in the picture. Anyone working on a steeper pitch or much higher is younger than I am, braver or both.

[Tom M King]

All the multi hundred year old museum houses I redid were done as close as possible to looking original, but if you looked closely they all have strategically placed stainless steel eyes.

[Bill Howatt]

I know what you mean about moving and setting up ladders - mine all have gained weight over the past few years. I'm 79 and this summer I re-stained my cedar house. Putting he extension ladder up for the higher parts seemed a lot harder. Did about half of house and garage, silly me, thought I was under 40 and was going to do the whole thing in one summer.
I don't like heights but I'm reasonably happy on a ladder and know enough to stay between the rails. Going onto the roof from the ladder is spooky but going back onto ladder from roof is more spooky. I have a hook under the eave that I tie my ladder to when doing this.
Worst roof experience years ago when I had a 2 story house was doing the shingling. Put plastic sheeting on for the night on the area that was bare and it was folded over as it came off the roll. Laid it out and then stepped on it and it was like a being on ice as the top slid over the bottom sheet. Fortunately, was at the peak so it just scared whatever out of me!

[Steve Demuth]

Years ago, I did some construction with an Amish crew, on Amish designed post and beam buildings. A few of the crew were from a local contractor who was to take the project over and do the interior and finish carpentry and all the systems work, after the Amish build the shell. I saw a lifetime's fill of high wire carpentry with no safety equipment. They'd walk across beams 25' in the air like they were on a ground level sidewalk. When they started doing the same with the high purlins (which were 4 X 4s, tilted 30o to match the roof angle, so they were literally walking on an edge) I had to go find something else to do. Even at 30, my heart and stomach couldn't take it. They did at least use roof jacks when shingling.