roofer madness

[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 30^o 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.