Roof Brackets and House Wrapped

After fiddling around a bit on the roof, I now realize I need a change in tactic in tackling those dormers, which for the record are the bane of my existence. I originally had planned on using a ladder to access the dormers to replace fascia, wrap, install siding, etc. However, after implementing this plan, I realized it was sadly deficient. First off, my darn ladder isn't long enough. If I hook it to the roof, I can't reach it from below, and when I extend it from the ground, it won't reach high enough. More importantly, when I did extend it from the ground and tried to do some work, I found it way too stressful working up at 20 feet with just inches to spare in foot space. Not a good working situation.

I resolved to build a platform and then work from there, except this brought up a few problems of its own. First off, finding the brackets. I thought they were called roof jacks, and called around to find some and nobody had them. I called reliable sources and they told me to try lumber yards or mills. Finally, I learned they are called roof brackets, not jacks. People thought I was looking to build a scaffolding on the roof, when in fact all I wanted were brackets that would hold up a piece of wood. It turns out that they can easily be found, but Home Depot seemed the easiest and most accessible.

I also decided that I wanted to get a body harness to hold me up if I fell. When you're on the ground, the rood doesn't seem so high, but when you're up there, it sure as heck looks high. I get nervous up there. It's one thing to just stand still at a high place, but another to be yanking boards and ripping nails out. Too precarious for me. If I at least had a rope attached to a tree or something on the other side, I'd feel a little better. Just a little bit.

Again, finding a harness is not easy. No hardware store I contacted had one, and again, trusty old Home Depot came through. For the record, the harness was even harder to find. HD had one that came with a complete safety kit, rope and all. It came in a handy bucket, how can you beat that?

So now I'm ready to go. One bright note, this past Thu JH came over and we tackled one of the things that's been really bugging me - finishing the wrap on the house. The gable sides are not easy, and when GS came over, we had a bear of a time doing one end, which inspired me to try and ignore the other end. I figured with JH's help, we could tackle the beast, and we pulled it off. I should say that JH did most of the work, he went up on the ladder and stapled while I stood on the ground and unrolled the Tyvek. He said he enjoyed it.

Now the wrapping is done (note the before and after) for the most part. I still have to deal with those dormers, but let me enjoy my small victories while I can.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.