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Rich, If you plan on this as a full time job invest in ahook ladder. The company that I used to work with charged each shingle at 1/2 hr. Wealso had a hook ladder made out of 1×4 it was alot more comfortable to work from.
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Roofers, how do you calulate a square with regards to a foof?
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To my knowledge, a square has always been one hinderd squawl faat, or tin by tin. What's a foof?
*Never mind the foof. How do I calulate?Good luck,Stephen
*I have always used silicone to fix nail holes in shingles. Is this a bad idea? I was always told that tar shrinks and eventually cracks.I'll slip a putty knife under, pry up a little, stick the tip of the tube in the hole and squirt a blob under the shingle, stick it down and blob a little on the top. Worked so far, though oldest repair is only ten years old, in another town, and haven't spoke to the owners since!-Rob
*Rob,I have used silicone and the method you describe many times to repair nail holes.The silicone should outlast the rest of the roofs' life without a problem.I stopped using this method because I find it easier to profitably bill for the work if the shingle is replaced instead of patched.It doesn't take much more time and the customers are willing to pay much more.Good Luck,Stephen
*Friends bought a nice house in a 12-house development. The roof developed some leaks, which my friend says the contractor fixed by inserting a tube and spraying sort of foam in (I suspect polyurethane). Is this a recognized practice? It sounds slipshod to me.
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Rich, Steven H has some good points. I do alot of small jobs and repairs. I spent alot of time in my early years subsidizing folks I felt sorry for. Later I found some of them were making more than I was and they weren't raising eight kids! I still have to fight the temptation to lower my price; even while I'm quoting it I'm thinking "I wouldn't pay this much" but most of them don't even blink. I was always trying something new to learn myself and help someone out. I ended up with alot of odd equipment and experience that has come in handy but it isn't the most profitable way to do business. Now I have decided that if I need to learn something or purchase new equipment the customer will have to heavily subsidize MY education. Also, I am charging normal customers much more than I used to so I can do free or discounted work for those I know truly need it.
About that 12:12 roof -- water barely has time to get though a leak at that pitch. You didn't say anything about a leak, only the appearance of shingles missing. On some jobs I tell people that the work isn't necessary but if they still want it done, I make sure the price will cover me well.
*Rich, Several years ago I removed an interior chimney (12/12 pitch,2 story). Bought a clip on hook for about $20 from Ladderman or such on the web. It fits on a round or d-rung ladder and is WELL worth it. It even has a caster wheel on back side for rolling up roof prior to flipping over engaging the hook on ridge. I suppose a disassembled extension ladder with a pair of hooks could provide two points of attachment and then ladder jacks could support a plank allowing more freedom of movement. I had a roof jack pull out once when a bundle of roofing slid down unexpectedly. I was thankful I was one plank higher on the roof.
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I am contemplating a repair to a steep (looks like 12:12 to me) roof (five shingles blown off). I am assuming that I nail down some roof jacks and use some couch cushions...
But when I am done, what do I do with the nails from the roof jacks? Leave them and cover with roof cement? Pull them and fill the holes wth cement? Or something else I haven't thought of?
Thanks,
Rich Beckman
*Rich,As a professional handy-man maybe you should invest in a harness and some static line and skip the brackets. Much easier to work on a steep roof with this setup. Just remember to take the keys from the ignition of whatever vehicle that you tie off to the bumper of.
*Asphalt shingles? Lift a tab and nail the roof bracket up under the shingle.
*Rich,What I would do is use a hook ladder.The entire job should take less than 15 minutes and you don't have to mess with roof jacks.Even better, pay someone with a hook ladder to do the work.It should cost less than $100 for 5 blow-offs,and you will have no worries.Good Luck,Stephen
*Is a hook ladder basically an extension ladder section with brackets attached? Or a special thing altogether? Saw someone use one on our 12:12 roof, looked very convenient.Thonk you're supposed to pound the jack nails flush.
*Seriously, what do you tie that line to? And are you saying it's Ok to rappel around on that thing? Sounds like fun!
*Another way is if your extension ladder is long enough you can just lay it down on the 12/12 roof. if the bottom is on grass just make sure your dug in and if its on a hard surface tie it off.if you must use roof brackets you can nail through the roof without lifting a shingle ( if its an old roof they are probably too brittle to lift) then when your done definitly pull out the nails if you just tar over eventually the will work up. after you pull out the nails see if you can slip the tip of a caulking gun under the shingle and caulk the hole with roof cement and then push the shingle so the cement comes through the hole. if that won't work try slipping a piece of step flashing between the shingles
*There are always plenty of alternatives! So far I kind of like the hook ladder idea, but I haven't priced it yet. The harness and line idea is something I thought about in the past, but I never pursued it beyond asking for one at Lowe's (they didn't carry it). I need to ask at the lumber yard.If you're running that line over the ridge and then down to a vehicle (or tree), isn't this a bit hard on the ridge shingles?Stephen, yes that would be better, let someone else do it. Unfortunately, I am the bozo who is the someone else. The owner is an elderly woman who is (supposedly) on a fixed income. I am the first person she has called who has even come out. I thought she was going to start crying when I said "between fifty and one hundred".It's a two story house, with the steep pitch, the missing shingles along the rake, maybe six feet up from the eave. I can't put a ladder up directly below the missing shinges because the electric service enters the house a few feet just below the eave at that spot. So I am not too excited about doing it, but I figure I would learn something and at least it isn't a job I can lose a lot on.rich dThanks for the flashing idea. Kind of a "duh!" but I hadn't thought of it.Rich Beckman
*Rich,I am saying this with friendly intent so don't get upset if it sounds like I am scolding you.1) You can't loose a lot on this job unless you fall.Forget about the old ladies' tears and think what your wife and kids are gonna feel like if you fall.2)The old ladies financial situation has nothing to do with anything.If you had the equipment,it would take 15 minutes to do the job.Since you don't have the equipment this is a money loser,especially if we factor in the time we have already spent talking about this on the internet.3)maybe you can rent a hook ladder from a tool rental place.Maybe you can borrow a hook ladder from a buddy. 4)You can buy hooks which attach to a ladder you already own from a roofing supplier.(a real supply house,not a lumber yard)5) in all honesty,this is not a project you should even be involved in.You have already lost time and money on this and you haven't even bought anything yet!If you had the equipment already,you could give her a freebie and it would be no big deal6)The old ladies financial situation may,or may not be as she implies and you believe.As cruel as it sounds you have to look out for your own safety and financial interests first.Remember that many "seniors" are master con artists,looking for sympathy with a "fixed income" or "poor widow woman" Schtick.She is probably legit but I keep thinking about the time I went to price a repair job and a retired man tried to insist I was obligated to gice him a senior citezen discount since he and his wife were on a "fixed income"I would have been more sympathetic except I happened to notice the matched pair of New,White,Toyota's in the garage.Good Luck,Stephen
*Stephen,All excellent points. I did say "(supposedly) fixed income," but I certainly didn't see any evidence that she isn't.Yes, if I fell, that would change the calculation. But I am careful, and I am not too proud to get all set up, start out, and then stop if I am not comfortable enough with it. Not that there is a chance in hell that I still won't be scared. I just want to be comfortable enough to be able to do the work.As for the time already and still to be spent on this, education takes time. But I have started advertising and I am confident that this won't be the last roof I am called on. Eventually it will be worth while.I appreciate the input.Rich Beckman
*Rich, If you plan on this as a full time job invest in ahook ladder. The company that I used to work with charged each shingle at 1/2 hr. Wealso had a hook ladder made out of 1x4 it was alot more comfortable to work from.