How to lift packages of shingles up to roof???

[Ron M.]

I have an average-size 3 bedroom, 2 bath house that needs a new roof. The old one's fine, it's just getting a little thin in places where it was hit by hailstones, and the gritty stuff on the shingles seems to be coming off more than it used to. The roof is 9 years old. We're in central Texas, near Austin. It's just a standard, asphalt composite shingle roof.

I can replace this roof myself - I've done this before - but one question. Is there some method or device I can use to get those packages of shingles up onto the roof? These things are HEAVY. I picked up one at Home Depot, and one package must weigh 80+ pounds. I can't imagine hauling a roof-full of them up a ladder, one at a time.

Thanks, R.M.

[G Henslee]

Ron,

A few suggestions, ask them what they charge for rooftop delivery. Hire a neighbor kid. Hire your own kid. Make you SO do it.

[Andy Hill]

Two words: Rooftop Delivery

[Doug Miller]

That's how I did it when I re-roofed my house.

A few years later my barn needed re-roofed. Much steeper roof, so I hired pros. That's how they did it, too.

Pick it up, put it on your shoulder, climb the ladder one-handed. Not that tough. For 200# shingles, one bundle weighs 67 pounds.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

[jackjohansson]

When I did my own roof, I ended up with rooftop delivery: BEST MOVE EVER!!!!!!

I was supposed to be on the roof "catching" as 2 guys down below threw bundles on a truck mounted conveyer belt extender arm on the truck. I am big and pretty strong and thought it would be no problem, but it quickly became obvious that I couldn't keep up. The young guy on the truck jumped on the conveyer belt thing, squatted down and rode it up to the roof (single gutsy-est/stupidest thing I have seen in the last few years, as the tip of my roof, where they were delivering is about

27 feet up, and he squatted on the 12" wide conveyer belt!) Anyway he helped "catch", easily doubling my work output.

I can't remember specifics, I think rooftop delivery was included in price, I did slip guy on top a $20 when guy on bottom was not looking. Later with both worker present, I tipped another $20. Thought being, old guy on bottom was clearly crew boss and other guy was doing almost all the work, and I expected the whole crew to spilt the "open"$20, but I wanted other guy to get the other $20 to himself, as he really put himself out to cheerfully help me, and I didn't want to force him to share his $20. He may have shared with older guy later, or he may have kept it, I don't know, I left it up to him.

bottom line, order rooftop delivery, and have a couple of 20's. I am not usually a "tipper" kind of guy, but that was the best $40 I ever spent, I would have been in the weeds without their help.

If you order from non-Home Depot roof supply company they will pretty much assume rooftop delivery, as that is how the pro's operate. I think I nievely planned on hauling up to roof myself, and only changed plans when it was clear rooftop delivery was S.O.P. and would not cost me extra. obviosly ask to be sure... I was just lucky, had I had them delivered to the driveway I suspect I would have killed myself getting

14 squares of architectural shingles up the ladder, I was insane to have thought I could do it.

[Jim Rusling]

The last time I did that we had two people. I put wafer board in between the rails of an extension ladder. We then tied a rope around a bundle and the guy on bottom would shove the bundle up the ladder while the guy on top would pull it up with the rope. This sure beat climbing up the ladder with each bundle.

[John/Charleston]

Rooftop delivery is usually the way to go but I re-roofed my house last year and was able to get a great shingle price from Lowes along with a rebate of the price of a 24' extension ladder only they didn't offer rooftop delivery. This was my solution:

We got 32 square architectural shingles up on the roof pretty quick and without killing my two young helpers and I got the free ladder in the deal. Plus, it was fun!

Of course I had the 2x6's, plywood and mover's dolly already around.

[G Henslee]

Man this a great newsgroup.

[Don Young]

[Ron M.]

It sure is. I didn't know there was such a thing as "rooftop delivery." Problem solved!

Ron M.

[Porky]

There's another way. I open the bundles and pack up 1/2 bundles. OK, it's not very macho, but I've had a bad back for 15 years. I can pack

1/2 bundles for hours. I guess I live too far out of town. I had to pick my shingles up at the store or pay $ for delivery. To get rid of my old shingles, I spread old tarps on the ground. Then dragged the tarps on 2x6's right into my pickup. The old water-soaked shingles are even heavier then the new ones.

JohnK

[justice4all]

That's easy. You need 3 things.

1. A rope
2. A ladder
3. A sexy woman

*Tie one end of the rope around a bundle or two of shingles.

*Climb the ladder to the roof, and carry the other end the rope with you to the roof. *Have the woman follow you up the ladder. *Once you are settled on the roof, tie the rope around your c*ck. *Get the woman to sexually excite you.

As your c*ck hardens, it will rise. The rise of your c*ck will lift the shingles to the roof. Be sure the woman grabs the shingles before your c*ck gets soft, or you might end up with a very long and very thin soft c*ck since it will stretch out once it gets soft and will always remain that that way.

This is a secret trick used by all professionals in the roofing industry. Do not tell this secret to anyone else because the roofing industry retains a patent on this method, and it is copyrighted. However, you can purchase a license from the National Roofing Association (NRA), for $500. This license grants you permission to tell this secret to others for a six month period. Additional licenses or license extensions can be purchased for $459..

You can access their website at

[Bob G.]

======================= I am in my 60's...and to be honest I used to LUG thoise things up on the roof myself... But when I replaced my roof 3-4 years ago LOWES delivered the shinkles TO THE ROOF... ON THE ROOF... Maybe I should have shopped around for better shingles BUT once I found out they would place them on the roof... I wrote the check...

Bob Griffiths

[tomeshew]

A helper can easily hump 1/2 bundles up quicker than you can lay them. Tom

[zxcvbob]

15 years ago I reroofed my house down in Texas. 32 squares. The place I bought the shingles could have delivered them rooftop, but I couldn't schedule to be off work to meet them, so I picked them up myself in 2 loads with my pickup. Rather than haul them up the ladder, I backed the truck up to the edge of the roof, stood on the tailgate, and heaved them up to the edge of the roof. After 4 or 5 bundles, I would climb up on the roof and haul them to ridge and then climb down and toss another 4 or 5 bundles. It was not as bad as it sounds.

Best regards, Bob

[John Willis]

On Sat, 02 Apr 2005 03:58:15 GMT, MUADIB® scribbled this interesting note:

Cheapskate!:~)

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

[John Willis]

On Fri, 1 Apr 2005 18:48:42 +0100, tomeshew scribbled this interesting note:

I need this helper working for me!:~) (I've yet to find one who could do this!:~)

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

[MUADIB®]

100 bucks is not enough for "roof top delivery" I have walked them up nad dumped them on the rof edge for another to distribute............. That alone was a couple hunderd a day worth of work. Some major physical labor involved in climbing a ladder with nothing in tow. much less a bundle of shingles every time you go up.

I'd definitely tip the guys doing the work more , simply because I know what it takes to move those 67 pond bundles of joy.

I guess we all have our values though. I can certainly appreciate spending less too. Generosity is arbitrary anyways I suppose.

Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply

MUADIB®

one small step for man,..... One giant leap for attorneys.

[RicodJour]

That wouldn't happen to be an opinion, would it? You're so matter of fact about it I can't tell. Maybe you're definition of major physical exercise is different.

In any case it doesn't really matter what your opinion is in this matter. The opinion of the guy climbing the ladder is what matters.

20 years ago I'd go up a ladder with two bundles on my shoulder. I weighed about the same as the two bundles back then. Now I'm 20 years older, 10 punds heavier and I go up with one bundle. Just standing on the ladder for extended periods bothers me.

I'm not overweight, I'm not lazy and I'm in decent shape. I ride my bike a lot and go up and down ladders probably more than I'd like. Yet oddly enough, when I have to load up a roof with shingles, I most certainly know I was doing some serious exercise at the end of the day.

R

[Dan C]

Any reasonable person would not classify climbing a ladder (carrying nothing) to be "major physical exercise".

Perhaps, but the point in question was *climbing the ladder*, not *loading up a roof with shingles*.