How to safely access the front of a dormer window

[Steve]

Hi

I 'd liketo paint the outside woodwork around my bungalow's dormer window.

The roof in front of the window slopes away at about 40 degrees to the horizontal; it's about 5ft from the base of the window to the gutter.

I can't think of a good way to safely access the window. My only idea is long ladder at 40 degrees resting on the roof and meeting the ground a long way from the wall, which sounds a bit iffy.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Steve

[Lobster]

Scaffold tower in front of the window at gutter height, then stand on planks/boards standing on the roof?

Or use a roofing ladder immediately to each side of the dormer - depending on how wide the dormer is and how far you can reach, that might work?

Or two roofing ladders, one either side, with a conventional ladder running horizontally across the roof between the two roofing ladders, immediately below the window, and lashed firmly at either end?

David

[The Natural Philosopher]

Get one ladder up the wall and tie it firmly..then get another one up to lie along the tiles, and tie that to the first one and to the dormer window if it opens.

[TMC]

rope from this to ground

Put on safety/climbing harness

Ladder to access roof

Tie on to rope with dumar abseil device or prussik loop

Walk up roof talking in rope

Tie off when in position

reverse to get down

Tony

[Steve]

.>

Thanks for the suggestions chaps - I'll consider them all carefully.

By the way Tony, what is a "dumar abseil device" (couldn't find anything on Google)?

Cheers

Steve

[Cicero]

================================ If you've got a tower then you can add a cantilevered platform with a few lengths of scaffolding tube and a few clips. Make an arrangement such that that two lengths of tube are attached to the tower at the same angle as your roof and use a sheet of chipboard / plywood / plank etc. as a load spreader. Build the rest of the platform off this.

I use this method to paint the wall over my front porch and it's very safe.

Cic. ================================ Testing UBUNTU Linux Windows shown the door ================================

[TMC]

the abseil devece would be a figure of 8 descendeur for safe control coming down

the prussik is a friction knot (I use the french prussik) normally used in pairs for ascending a rope but can be an extra safety device when descending

I would probably use the figure of 8 to hold me whilst walking up the tiles and either tie it off whilst working or use a prussik because I have these to hand but don't own any jumars

Tony

[Steve]

Yes that sounds pretty good. Thanks.

[Steve]

[Aidan Karley]

A mis-spelling of "Jumar". Abseiling equipment is for sliding down the rope ; Jumars (TM), Prussick knots (for a Prussian violin repairman), Crolls (TM) and a number of other toothy devices are designed to slide along the rope in one direction but to grip in the other direction ; combined with security straps, footloops, and various other ropework tied to your harness you can travel under control in whichever direction you want to on the rope, and pass knots, edges, etc. If you don't know what this equipment is yourself, I'd suggest buying the mountaineering or caving guy at your local a few beers and getting some tuition. This sort of equipment can protect you perfectly from the fall, but if you've rigged the ropework inappropriately you can easily end up stuck in mid air hanging in your harness, and this is not a good situation if you've not practiced self-rescue before. Strictly, you should have a watchman anyway. Even the professional IRATA (Industrial Roped-Access Thumbsucking Association, or something similar) work in teams to provide watch cover.