Architectural Designs

plan to get on the roof of my house?

I am a single mom who wants to hang xmas lights. I live in a two story...bungalow home, with a steep roof. Any advice on how to do this. I plan to use the hooks and hook the lights to the gutters...are there any "tricks to the trade", to prevent falling off the roof? I know this sounds silly, but I would like to know. Thank you, in advance for your serious responses...

Public Comments

1. You do NOT want to get on the roof, do this from a ladder to the roof...you cannot bend over and work on the facia from the roof...you will fall off!
2. Don't get on the roof unless you absolutely have to is my advice. Think: if you want to hang stuff from gutters and you're on the roof, you have to be facing downwards to reach the gutters, either crouching, kneeling, or lying flat on the roof, and you have to reach over the edge. Working while lying on the roof is hard because you have to reach around, you're either lying with your head downwards or lying parallel to the edge. Put your elbow in the wrong spot once and you're gone. Hard to kneel or crouch without losing your balance, falling forward, and 2 storeys is a long way down. If it's winter where you are, roofs can be treacherous when wet or frosty, and the frost happens easier than you'd think. Put a piece of plywood on some stairs to simulate your roof pitch and then pretend to do what you propose and you'll see what I mean. Much easier to reach up to the gutters from a ladder. Not so easy to position a 2 storey ladder unless it's a very light one or you're a lot stronger than I am. I can't handle the average contractor size ladder. I know how but I'm not strong enough. There are some things to know about placing a ladder, so if you change your mind about getting on the roof, check out ladder stuff. Frankly, if you're not already somewhat familiar with using ladders, I wouldn't use this as a starter project.
3. Don't risk it mom , you have kids who need you. Get a roofer to do this for you. Once you start your slide, there is nothing to stop you. If you try the rope trick, it will severely injure you when the rope tightens. Give up this idea.