Innovative woodworker Jeremy Broun undertakes repairs to his roof keeping costs down high up. Please note - always use a safety harness/barrier. Jeremy Broun Woodworking Books, DVDs, E-books, Plans etc: woodomain.com
Great video. Those of us who live out in the boonies, and work on our own homes are very grateful for someone with experience presenting ideas for solutions that a person can do himself. Thanks.
Fantastic! I was born into a roofing family founded in 1915.Our stock and trade was flat roofing Bituminous Pitch, and Slag on flat roofs. But on occasions we had tin or Slate roofs to work on. My Great Uncle Gustav made virtually the same ladder design as you (carriage bolts, as opposed to screws) ours differs in that there is more surface on the opposite of the work side, so that the weight of the user is distributed over 3 courses of slate or tile, down the roof as well as the 3 tile wide you have. I recall as a younger man hearing my Great Uncle say how his first few prototypes were almost life end fails. On a 8 story church he was roped off to a neighbor's chimney. His 2ND prototype failed, and he went for a 3 story swing, then the chimney broke free from the building. As the brick chimney slid across the roof he was lowered another 2 stories. While the entire work crew held on to the chimney the fire company got him down with a hook and ladder, then promptly fined him for causing a disturbance. $4,00 dollars or a weeks pay. He warned me inventing thing can be fulfilling, but also costly. We used his finale inception to the day we went out of business in 1986. We could no longer find men who could pass a simple drug screen, and perform the duties of a roofing mechanic. God speed dear friend. Still hear in Philadelphia, PA. U.S.A., but retired.
i used clamber on roof quite happily when i was in trade and younger and cat ladder in the early days only were made of wood and hooked onto ridge , now retired i cling like grim death just to go up to first floor window. thanks for been honest about your fears, make me feel a little happier
Very clever. Using a tie off rope and harness is also a good idea despite how annoying they are to work with but it beats falling to your death or worse, not dying and being a drooling vegetable for the rest of your days. Nice video.
A big Thank you from here in the US. I have a difficult roofing job that is only accessible from one side. Your method modified allows me to gain access to the whole job.
Thanks for your appreciation of my unconventional solution. I can only stress to anyone watching the video and reading the comments to consider health and safety first. If the ladder is made properly and sufficient ropes are anchored and harnessed it can only be as safe as the user. Sussexpaleo is right to question the soundness of the ridge tiles. Mine are rock solid and even if loose I don't think the ladder would go anywhere but perhaps a hook would be safer as a general recommendation.
It worked like a charm. I used 2 aluminum ladders in a lash up like you shown. I was putting down asphalt shingles, so it did the trick. I had rope and a harness ready, but they weren't needed for the job. It was 10-12 pitch roof. I don't have a clue on how they'll perform on a tile roof as shown. I had one thing going for me, a built in gutter system at the base of the roof. Thanks again .
I ought to emphasis that this wooden ladder was made for two reasons: for easy disassembly (for storage) and to protect some brittle edged old Roman Tiles (an aluminium ladder would break some of the protruding tiles). Safety harness was used and is also recommended as well as sound woodworking ability in the description for anyone wishing to attempt this project. The ladder is obviously stored indoors and not left on the roof for prolonged periods.
It might interest viewers that the two cordless drills featured in this video were given to me by Hitachi Power Tools UK in 1989 for the writing of my woodworking books and have only had one set of replacement batteries since! See my video on Screwfixing:
Please don't take this well constructed and narrated video down! Just because nowadays people need to wear protective equipment just to watch a video. The strength of wood is underestimated these days once upon a time it propped mineshafts up, today people seem to think anything that is not made of metal and has a CE mark is unsafe:(
Thanks Lariwoo for your voice of reason! As you probably know the majority of scaffolding globally is made from wood and that is bamboo. I can only repeat (to anyone watching my video) that a securely anchored harness together with selecting sound wood and constructing it to a good standard should be okay and then not leaving the ladder on the roof for more than a few days before the elements kick in. .
Lariwoo's first comment asking me not to take my video down is a key feature to my channel - the interactivity of the viewing audience. I am not aiming to appeal to or connect with every single woodworker out there. Many will dislike me (because I have a "posh" voice!) and my content. That is democracy of the internet and RU-vid offers incredible choice. to serve everybodys needs. Whilst safety of course is paramount in woodworking and in particular on a roof, there is no reason (and I believe no law) to state you cannot use wood. In fact entire houses are made of wood and are growing in popularity in the UK. I will be posting another video soon that focus on risk because it is a key feature when designing and innovating.
Well it may look silly and a small point to you but I assure you the ladder is solidly anchored on the ridge tiles. It hooks over three of them and they can't go anywhere and do not just rely on mortar but gravity! In the light of my earlier shared earlier experience I wasn't going to take any risks and I was securely harnessed, despite it being 'non approved'. As I previously replaced all roof timbers the ridge beam is sound. If the towrope can support a car two of them can support me.
Umm...I've always used an extension ladder "walk-up" for my own projects, usually finishing work related. I secure one extension ladder--onto fascia, say--with hook-eye and rope at roof's edge. Then, carry up a section of extension ladder--as can be attached to the against the...house, secured, ladder! If size...permits--possibly using ladder hold-outs over the roof ridge--I can use two sections of extension ladder on the roof itself. (This, desirably, weight-wise, would be an 18' versus 24' extension ladder and hold-outs.) In addition, I use a safety rope, well-attached to say the opposite side's fascia with multiple eye hooks, again, likely? I'm not "selling" this idea to anyone--especially, under more hazardous conditions-possible. But, it is a quite easy solution--unlike Jeremy's situation requiring...greater attention--towards less-hazardous, but, relatively safe conditions? At your own...risk, everything--YEAH? Happy...days!!! Oh, yeah--ala Jeremy's...joke, but, seriously--those SAFETY ROPES can prove...dangerous for trips, etc. So...go SLOW: enjoy "the view", probably? God...bless!
Sorry Olly- I am in the process of completing the platform and hope to put up a video of it within a week or so. It will be on this channel so please keep tuned in! I think our friend Nick Gibbs will be doing a feature on my roof antics in a forthcoming issue of "British Woodworking" magazine.
Hi again Elder Dragon - I am contemplating taking this video down as it is obviously perceived as unsafe practice by some and I'm not absolutely certain of the law as it will vary in different countries and depending whether it is DIY or in a trade/employee situation, but thanks for getting the whole point of the video which is to encourage creative low cost solutions to expensive problems - but please if on a roof use some kind of harness even though we live in a world of over over-protection!
Good point and I think I have already acknowledged that although safe on my own roof ridge tiles, the practice I have shown for the hook needs modifying for general application. See comment below.
Okay, other than taking this video down, may I say Sussexpaleo would be on the right side of extreme caution to conventionally anchor the ladder on the opposite tiles but I wouldn't recommend doing that using my batten method of just adding sections. Spreading the load has to lower the risk. Whereas I know my roof cos I built it, for public consumption perhaps build a plywood hook as demonstrated in my other video about the window roof platform - unless thats silly too! Careful when you sneeze.
Living in the high. I like to me also to repair the roof, but I have to start taking security measures. The bad thing is that my roof has a Mediterranean style roof tiles which means that break easily when stepped on. I like your video and your construction.
"...I was always afraid of having a wife...", LOL, I hear that bro ~ all I gotta do is talk to my divorced buddy's to get straightened out on that, no fear really, just a healthy grip on reality my man... ; ^ )
Jonathan - a can of worms space here prevents exploring . I stated my ridge tiles are okay but maybe not on another roof. The car tow rope and several stout metal wall fixings are safe but I did not state that this video is an instructional video but shared an idea as roof access is very expensive and not everybody can afford to be ripped off by an expensive tradesman. No doubt a law will come in soon to ban improvisation - another peg in the coffin for people to be resourceful.
If you were an alpinist/rock climber, you know that even small falls require a rope that gives. If that rope caught you, would it hurt you? Is there any give in your system?
Elder - thanks but please read all the comments here as they do raise genuine safety concerns and my method of hooking onto the roof ridge tiles should be modified to go over the ridge which means a stout plywood shaped extension. Safety must come first so please be use sold rope anchorage points and check the load specification of the rope used.
Yes, it was a bit daft thinking I was as strong as I was twenty years ago but it proves the point that safety should be first and if you understand my actual fear of going on the roof again you will understand I didn't take chances with this design. Make sure you don't leave it on the roof for more than a few days as obviously the ladder is not weather proof over a period of time.
TheDemondose I think you will find in the video the support of the ladder where it overlaps the ridge spans several tiles to make it secure ON MY ROOF. In fact I think I have added an annotation saying at lease three ridge tiles. Yes it could be beefed up according to the design of the tiles. My video is obviously a custom design for my particular roof and any other roof may need modification. Eg. Roman Pan tiles are quite brittle so my ladder is just the right width to make contact in the right place with the tiles. I hope this clarifies. Mine is an idea - a concept for resourceful woodworkers. It can use stouter wood, it can be glued, it can be varnished. It could even be fabricated out aluminium sections easily cut to length and bolted together. My channel serves to stimulate interest in people looking for creative solutions, to encourage resourceful rather than be at the mercy of professional roofers who charge a lot of money and are likely to come back next year.
oh sorry XD i havnt seen the video in quite awhile,when i type the msg i just see small picture and the msg, il remember to look next time ,thanks :) from the small pic it seems only one side was needed,i havnt seen the video since last year .
Its true! I adored women but feared I would have to sacrifice my creative passion if I did the conventional thing and got married and had babies and be forced into a dull job then stitched up financially when she decided one day she didn't love me any more and took the kids and the house! Sorry to be such a cynic but I live in England. Yes I did listen to my buddies at my local squash club. Last one got cleaned out for half a million. But who knows, I might marry at 90 as its a wonderful ideal!
Someone made a case there is never an argument to use non approved equipment (although Ebay is awash with non approved car safety harnesses as one example) I do believe in safety first and foremost it is in the head of the user and I have endeavoured to emphasis safety in the video and in answer to comments my approach to the problem of accessing my roof. There has never been a problem with this ladder for me (my weight and mobility) on my roof and a repeat I have used. I have been working wood for over 50 years and exploring structures in my furniture designs. The wood used here is knot free hence maximising its strength and the ladder is designed to sit on Roman Pan tiles. Approved ski lifts fail. However I am considering taking this video down. The safety harness I use would be stressed immediately if the ladder failed as it would be taut throughout so it is not a case of dropping 20 feet and then the harness equipment tested as one commenter suggests. Proprietor roof ladder equipment is limited in design and expensive. Im not saying my solution is suitable for all roofs and maybe is best for a single storey annexe.
