I hate roofs

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supton

supton

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Am scraping and painting the house. I don't like heights, dislike ladders more and abhor being on roofs. My hat is off to those who can fearlessly stand on them. Me thinks I'm I'm going to hire some one to do the trim and a few spots that are out of my comfort zone. (For the record I'm having a hard time climbing onto a 45 degree roof. It might be only one story, but I've read that it takes six weeks for broken bones to heal.)
 
Same here. I just hate ladders. Heights don't bother me, it's the getting there that's a problem.. Certain things I'll do myself, other's i'd rather pay someone else to do. Roofing is one of them. Being in the south where roof temperatures can easily reach into the triple digits, I'll gladly pay.
 
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I hate roofs
Try going a winter without one and see how that works out.... About 3 weeks ago i was cleaning up a roof (ranch) after I trimmed a tree and some small stuff needed clearing. Misjudged coming down off the roof (was using what was left of the tree) and landed flat o.m.a. My friends son said it sounded like a sack of potatoes. Hobbled around for a few days with one bruised heel and a probably sprained toe. A wise choice for you to know what to avoid IMHO
 
I was helping roofing projects by age 6. No kidding. Dad required it. BTW, hauling bundles of shingles up an extension ladder an infinite number of times builds up some incredible quadriceps. I was a monster on the line during the high school football days...just sayin'.
 
Dad made me go a few times too. Didn't help at all. Maybe he waited until I was too old.
 
Growing up, I was so scared of heights my knees would knock on a step ladder. Then I got married. We didn't have two nickels to rub together. I got a job mopping floors for 3 dollars an hour. We starved. Then I met a fellow who was looking for help to put a roof on a two story house with a 12/12 pitch. He told me he would pay me 7 dollars an hour. First day on the job, I crawled around on the roof like a crab. During lunch, I was telling one of the fellows how scared I was to go back up again. He laughed and said, "I'm scared too, but everyone that sees us working says, "look at those brave guys up on that steep roof." For whatever reason, that worked for me, knowing that someone else was scared but still able to do the job. Since then, I haven't had a problem with high places.
 
Yah last year was a wakeup call for me too. I can no longer climb as fast and agile as I once did. Slow and painful is more like it. A 12 pitch is a 45' angle. You need staging at about a 7 or 8 pitch. A 12 pitch is good for strength and easiest to fix because the framing can be lighter. also less prone to leak . In the days of thatch and hand split shingles and so on. I had a young guy do the north side of my 12' pitch. 300$ bucks and he gunned my shingles on in a day onto a stripped roof. It was worth 300 bucks just to see the guy working with strength and agility that I had 40 yrs ago. I used to walk across the 14' 2x4 on edge top rail of the chicken yard fence. when I was 5 yrs old. I used to climb some pretty tall trees before I went car crazy. Most nights at the shipyard I got high pay for working over 40 ' above the basin floors or the water. It was a great job for an ex-house framer. grin2
 
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Originally Posted By: supton
Am scraping and painting the house. I don't like heights, dislike ladders more and abhor being on roofs. My hat is off to those who can fearlessly stand on them. Me thinks I'm I'm going to hire some one to do the trim and a few spots that are out of my comfort zone. (For the record I'm having a hard time climbing onto a 45 degree roof. It might be only one story, but I've read that it takes six weeks for broken bones to heal.)
45 degrees is a 12/12. Without roof jacks you aren't crawling around on that. In my youth I could walk an 11/12 sheeting them. Now a 10/12 is as far as my ankles will bend and any steeper than that I need to run chicken sticks to sheet. I've been afraid of heights since I was a kid. To get over it I walked around a 4 storey walk up apartment on the 2x4 walls with my cowboy boots on. Roughly 1400 lineal feet. Yeah I still get that whoosh of fear right off the bat but once I settle in and get my wall legs I'm over it. Just don't look down.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
(For the record I'm having a hard time climbing onto a 45 degree roof. It might be only one story, but I've read that it takes six weeks for broken bones to heal.)
We use these, http://www.fastoolnow.com/11082.html?productid=11082&channelid=FROOG it takes some getting used too, and set of balls if you don't like heights but they work very well. Care must be used to setting it up. Keep a very small amount of paint in the pot.
 
That doesn't look too bad. My grandparents have the scariest roof I've seen, not sure of the pitch, but it's really steep and high because it's a huge home with a walk up attic that has a really high peak. But it's prudent to be careful. Regardless of height or slope. Being too fearless can get you hurt, but sometimes being fearful can impede you and get you hurt too.
 
i was talking to guy that has a roofing co. since OSHA came out and had them put ropes on workers so they will not fall off the roof. the deaths have all must doubled cause they trip on the ropes. why am i NOT surprised?
 
I'm sure an aircraft is harder. But for a guy who spends his days in front of a computer a roof is enough excitement for me!
 
Originally Posted By: GreeCguy
I gotta admit - just watching this one makes my palms sweat - http://youtu.be/tgO4Gd4RhvM
The video made me seasick I thought I was going to hurl lol. Couldnt finish watching it. I made it to the "last 60ft his climbing partner is holding his bag"
 
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I'm with you! I hate heights and ladders. Here was my contraption from a few years ago. Neighbor said I was nuts: It is a 2-story, and this section of roof is very steep. I had to stand to reach the top of the chimney (also added some trim boards). My legs were shaking. I have 16', 24', and 32' extension ladders, and 5', 6', 8' step ladders.
 
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