I have a gutter span 2 stories up that needs repair. My extension ladder reaches but leaning it on the gutter prevents me from fixing the gutter itself.
Using the ladder brace accessory doesnt work because the roof isnt that sharp of a pitch so the feet of the brace dont rest on the roof. Cant rest it against the side of the house either because the soffit protrudes too far out overhead.
Anyone know of a different kind of brace, perhaps one that is angled to accomodate this? I know the obvious answer is to work on the roof but getting that close to the edge doesnt give me a great feeling of security.
Replies
Could you make a triangular shaped brace (2 of 'em) to attach to the top of the ladder facing the house. One Leg attached to the ladder, One leg pointing towards the house and long enough to rest against the house and the hypotenuse to tie the two legs together. Then run a board between the two brackets. Clear as mud on my end. It would be super top heavy, but when you got to get up there....
I suppose I could but as you say hoisting it 2 stories up now without anything like that attached is problematic already.
Is there enough facia board below the gutter to scab on a stack 2 or 3 short pieces of 2x4 to support the ladder away from the gutter ?
What about leaning two ladders against the house and then using ladder jacks?
I think you can get some safety gear to attach to the plank, or you could rope off.
The nuclear option would be to use scaffolding, of course.
Rent a man lift? We use the hell out of ours,and when not using some usually rents it from us,,,painters etc.
"you are dead a lot longer than you are alive"
Noah Aaron MacKenzie, 1990.
Two stories up? Don't do it! Hire somebody with experience and insurance -- it's much cheaper than an ER visit and wearing that other kind of brace for six months.
Instead of a ladder, consider renting a bucket lift. Much easier to work from.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
tg,
I just finished installing th Azec trim on the two story part of my house. The $200 I spent for the tow behind manlift for a day was worth every penny. Shoot ... for that price it would almost be worth it to wash the windows once a year.
Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md
maybe i'll look into the lift, otherwise, i'll hire out. Dont feel like falling off my ladder/roof. Would make for a bad day.Thanks guys
Had the same problem at one of our projects - fixing gutters while leaning a ladder on them. Fabricated a Thingie of 1x6 and such that would rim on edge of the roof and push the ladder off enough that I could actually put up the gutter.
It had a recess for the roof edge to fit into. I would bring it up behind the ladder, get it started, then roll it up onto plane, pushing the ladder off.
You can put something together from scrap that will hold your ladder off.
Manlift would be fine. Except that all the back patios were enclosed.
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.