Well, the rains never came last night as promised, I had covered the last hole just in case.
A late start today, but was eager to crack on with the last fifty slates. I started in earnest and it soon become apparent I had too much material on the roof to move at all. I needed a system of clearing space but keeping sufficient slates handy so I wasn’t taking fifteen minutes a slate. I had spoken with my roofer, who is still not working and understands the verge situation. He advised if I was careful, I could put a padded ladder on the finished side. He did quantify this with ‘if you break a slate it’ll be a pig of a job to replace it’
I had removed a bedroom carpet the same week as doing the foundation and the recycle centre was shut from that weekend. I still had the roll of carpet, so cut two twenty inch strips three metres long. These I cable tied to each half of my extension ladder and put the roof hooks on one half. I borrowed another ladder to have access at the front stub wall. Having tied the access ladder to Two 4x2’s specially mounted under the fascia to throw the ladder clear of the slate line, I took my first padded ladder up on the roof. I locked this to the access ladder. This was bum twitching time, as not only did I have the ladder there it had to then be converted to a storage platform for the slates. I used spare wall ties placed under the ladder with the short L sticking up between the rungs. I then placed the second ladder with roof hooks up along side it. This meant I could now unload the roof on to my platform, take down any excess and give me a clear working space.
This worked fine for the next three rows, I then found I was running up to the ridge behind me. As the first four slates had met ridge line, I put the ridge vent roll on the slates and fitted the first of the ridge tiles. As each third tile reached the ridge, I added another ridge tile. Agin this was fine for the first three ridge tiles, then I came to an empasse. I had completely run out of space with three rows of 6.5,6 and 5.5 tile to lay. Time to reorganise the loading. The hooked ladder became the storage and the storage ladder became a crawl ladder, with me face down leaning over the ridge to lay the final three rows. This of course would have been easy had this been verge side, and I had verge access. To lay the tile and a half slates is not as straightforward as a standard slate. There is a need to drill six holes in the correct places, and pass a copper rivet through one from underneath, hold it with extended arms hanging over a ladder And align the slate on to the rivet fixed in the previous row. Cue loads of swear words as the rivet bounces down the roof three times.
I place my knee in the wrong place and snapped one of the top tiles on the front ridge. No great problem simple to remove that one as it was the very top tile, but I had no spares on the roof, so that was a climb down and back just for not watching where I was moving to.
Some shuffling around of the ladder positions and I was able to fit the remaining two ridge tiles. Hurray!!!!!!!!
one roof finished, all I had to do was clear the tools and ladders away without breaking anything on the way down.
The last fifty tiles were a logistical nightmare, I nearly gave in till I figured out I needed to dump a load of material out the way and then work out where to and how. Reminded me of the fox, chicken and grain, trying to juggle everything having it segregated, but to hand.
If you are thinking of a wide, tall roof, with no access to the verge, and using tiles of any description, get yourself a large drink, sit down and have a good talk to yourself. Then, choose a nice sheet material to use like Coroline.
The hire company were too busy to collect the scaffold, so whilst it’s off hire, I stored it where it was, and as it was in the way, I used it to add the guttering to the garden side. :wink:
A weekend to clear the site again, before the next phase, the cladding.
