As most homeowners will have noticed, almost every roof that you will come in contact with has an overhang of some kind. This portion is called the eave of the roof. Usually the edges of the eaves are finished when the roof is sheathed. This is not a rule that is written in stone and various building practices are different in different places.
Still, there are two methods of finishing the eaves that are commonly used and these are the open method and the closed method. The closed method has several different variations. The standard flat cornice has a soffit that is flat or horizontal with the ground and in most cases it is not sloped with the angle of the roof as some of the others are. Although most roofs generally look the same when they are finished, there are various techniques that fix various situations in their construction.
Using a ladder is an all important skill if you’re going to be working on a roof. The ladder that is going to be erected should first be laid on the ground with the bottom end nearest the building. The top end is raised overhead while the carpenter or worker gets directly beneath the ladder. There is a smaller chance this way of a ladder falling or slipping as it is raised into position.
As a ladder goes up, the hands are moved from rung to rung and as the top end of the ladder is raised, the worker walks toward the building moving the ladder higher and higher with every step. Care needs to be taken to move the top end of the ladder into the proper position. It’s important here that the base end of the ladder should be on a firm solid piece of earth so that it doesn’t slip from the position intended. It’s also a good idea to take a few practice steps so that the you can judge how sturdy the ladder is before you make the climb all the way to the top of the course.
There are two types of ladders that are commonly used and these are aluminum and wooden. Aluminum ladders are light and easy to manage but they have a tendency to sway more than the wooden variety. However, aluminum ladders are very sturdy and safe to work with when they are used properly.
Always remember that any fittings and pulleys that extension ladders have should be tight and make sure that frayed or worn ropes and lines are replaced.
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