I’m crazy but this is the last time
 

This is the hardest part of my house to stain. This will be the last time I will do it. I’m getting far to old. Just getting the ladder on the platform I built was tough. Hopefully I knocked down all the wasp nests.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1633127586.jpg

That looks like a pain. Looks like it is the perfect sort of thing to pay someone else to do.

Looks like you have level enough ground to use a lift of some sort. I know, there are a lot of 'if's' like soft ground etc. I just think they are fun to operate.

This reminds me of staining my next store neighbors house (yes, the same neighbor who's battery exploded in another thread). His wife decided she wanted the house white. I made an offer, got the contract (as a teenager), and spent the whole summer staining the house white. Lot's of wasps nest in those upper eaves.

Problem being, it takes a lot of white stain to cover over brown, so I had to do it twice.

At the end of the summer, his wife decided she liked the brown better, so he wanted it stained back.

Good memories indeed.

Braver than I am Bugs. I bought one of those aluminium mobile scaffolds that have locking wheels and are about 1.5 meters x 2 meters wide working platform. So takes away the scary factor in these jobs.

I gave up risking my life for such things long ago.

Be careful.

No thanks. Just moving long orange fiberglass ladders is young mans work. The idea of hanging off that at my age is not just no but hell no.

Be safe and careful up there.

I would get a lift if the ground was level but it’s not. I made the platform off the railroad ties so it would be level. Platform looks funky but it’s strong. I’m about 30 feet up.

After 2-3 trips up the ladder I get pretty comfortable. If I don’t post again you guys will know what happened🙏

That looks like a 32 foot extention ladder. Why the platform if I may ask? Your ladder looks like it has plenty of extention to get from ground to eves.

A few months ago I was trimming a hedge in our back yard, uneven dirt base sanding near top of my 8’ ladder. My daughter was helping. I remember falling then my wife asking if I was ok moments after my daughter ran in the house saying dad is dead. No more ladders for me

The ground is sloped and I feel more comfortable when the ladder is not extended fully. Far stiffer.

Do you own a roofing harness? Scaffolding would be my way of doing that.

I went flying off a ladder maybe 20-25 years ago. Wrenched my back and bruised a kidney. Took a while to get back to feeling comfortable up there but I have too many ladders not to use them.

I’m done with ladders like that. Sold mine a year ago.

Commercial scaffolding can be rented for next to nothing and is well-suited to work on uneven ground. FWIW…

I’ve been looking to buy used scaffolding for years now. Never pulled the trigger. Even with scaffolding I would still need a ladder as the railroad tie retaining wall is in the way. I’ll knock this out in a couple days. Power wash then spray my stain. Stand back and admire it. Then never again.

Bingo!

I had some estimates to stain my house 20 years ago. They came in at 25-30,000$. I’ve been doing it myself ever since. Every seven years. The rest of the house is pretty easy. This end is the husband killer. I still need a challenge now and then.

My good friend Robert rented a scissor lift because he thought it would be fun and less risky to hang Christmas lights on his tall two story home plus the guest house. Had driveway and concrete walks all the way around the homes. Really easy job.

Saturday morning, wife left to run some errands, kids gone being kids. Robert on lift thinking this is really the way to do it, no interruptions, going to knock this out.

About 30 minutes in Robert has to pee. Goes to lower the lift and the main electrical buss fails. Platform is 20 feet in the air with Robert standing proud . Lift is dead as dead can be, no power, no hydraulics. Cell phone is on the kitchen counter. Nearest neighbor out of yelling distance as this is an estate property surrounded by orchards.

Something like 3 hours later after broiling in the sun someone arrives home. Great right? After some fiddling with the base control panel no go , still no juice. Now a distress call is placed to Northridge Equipment rentals for assistance. Takes them another hour to get to Roberts home. They get the platform down and everything is good. They will bring another lift the following day to replace the failed unit.

Did I neglect to mention Robert is not comfortable with heights but he had no problem taking a leak at 20 feet considering the wait.

I'm sorry, he got to pee. What was the problem???? :D:D:D

GF hired a mobile scaffold for us to use to paint her two story house with pitched roof. It ended up costing about $1,000 by the time we gave it back :eek: I bought much the same one off a hire company that was going bust for $1,800 and have used it (and lent it) probably 20 times. It's nice to own when you are into properties.

Yeah, my BIL has scaffolding which I use if I have to do anything more than 8 or 9 feet off the ground. When I put the steel on the barn I was as high as I ever wanted (not) to be.
Like the OP, I'm never going to have to do that again.

Best
Les

Yes.

I would probably use a rope and harness for that sort of deal

Or put the sprayer on a long extension pole.

My buddy's brother has a wall like that, but he can drive right up to that side of the house

Two words. Vinyl siding.

We laugh at some of our "safety culture" at the lab - having to take "ladder training" to use anything taller than a stepstool in the kitchen for example. But I gotta admit, I still go through the process when I set up my extension ladder at home. It's helped me avoid some stupid decisions.

Aaaannnd - at some point, for the home, I understand the value of breaking out the checkbook.

Hell, in the name of safety we even have inspirational videos for using the stairs! (so much cringey shame here)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDsTc2oWGSI

I kinda knew when we built this house that the siding upkeep was going to be a pain. I just didn’t know that my body was going to lose strength and it’s flexibility. Setting up those big ladders on slopes and tight places is exhausting. But, I’m not giving up just yet.

Using lighter weight aluminum ladders might extend your ability to do the work. Fiberglass ladder weigh a ton.

I’ve got a 32 foot aluminum ladder with outriggers. Still very heavy.

About 10 years ago I got a hay elevator and had a brainstorm that it could be stored in the unused space above a stall if i made a hatch in the outside wall. That wasn't too bad for a few years but getting one end of the conveyor up to the hatch was getting harder. Last year I added a fixed davit above the hatch so I can attach a rope and haul the darned thing up. It works....for now.
Looks like we'll be feeding horses for another 15 years. Sigh.

Best
Les

The body gets weaker but the mind gets stronger! Not so much in my case.

I can hardly wait for the second part. :D

Best
Les

Bugs, good work but please buy some scaffolding, I've had a few ladder adventures but scaffolding is so much safer

So I’m all finished power washing. Went well. A few times up the ladder and I’m comfortable. Now to tape off the windows and spray it down.