Walking roofs of various pitches

Newbie question. In my market, to be competitive, I need to walk roofs, which I’m comfortable doing, but I wanted some opinions. Where do you all draw the line. I’m comfortable up to 7:12 without gear (asphalt shingles), from 7:12 - 9:12 I need to be tethered (and wearing cougar paws), beyond 9:12 I’m not walking it. Anything other than asphalt shingles, I don’t walk it. How about the rest of you?

Robert, don’t walk anything you’re not comfortable walking. Your comfort level may increase with experience, but don’t base what you walk on what others are comfortable with.

Fear and tension degrade your sense of balance and relaxation improves it. Wet surfaces are slipperier than dry ones and cold/shaded ones may also be slipperier than sunny ones. Biological growth can be slippery.

Don’t walk fragile materials. What is fragile varies with material, age and sometimes installation.

Don’t let any agent, client, inspector, or contractor intimidate you into walking a roof you really don’t want to walk. It’s your family and your ash on the line.

I routinely walk tiles except old fragile tiles. Step on the overlap only, and on two tiles at once of possible.

Some roofs you climb, rather than walk, meaning you use penetrations as hand/footholds as long as you don’t damage them and are comfortable with that. My first sentence really covers it all.

It pretty much boils down to whatever you are comfortable with.
Keep in mind that you should not endanger yourself for the sake of competition. It is not worth it.

Most roofs can be inspected from the safety of the ground or ladder at edge of the roof.
Conditions at the time of the Inspection will at times be the governing factor between safe and unsafe to walk.

Stay Safe.

Per the Inter-Nachi SOP you do not have to walk on any roof. So, it is totally up to you as to what you consider safe or not. No fee is worth an injury or death from a fall. Having said that, I walk a good 3/4 of the roofs I inspect.

Did one yesterday nice walk in the park. Had various nail heads all over the roof. Not seen from the ground the ladder or from the air. A nice valley makes for good roof climbing;-)

Come on Keaton your pampering these guys, inspecting roofs is a major part of this business and not walking a roof will eventually end up in court. I agree there are some roofs that are to dangerous to be on but to just say you don’t have to walk any is just wrong. NACHI SOP needs to be changed.

I appreciate the feedback so far. Keep it coming. Do you guys routinely throw a rope over or use a chicken hook/ladder or is that stuff just impractical?

If I have a 2-1/2 story historical that needs to be looked at close up I have hooks on my ladder with rollers that catches over the ridge cap and allows me to lay the ladder flat on the roof and just walk up it like steps

Some roofs I will not walk ,Just look at the edge .

Dec 3 02 006.jpg

Common sense should prevail;-)

I agree worked well for me Still here, and I can still walk my roof ,

You don’t walk roofs “to be competitive”

You walk roofs because you want to do the best job you can for your client.

Personally, I find walking roofs to be the most fun part of the job.

But as mentioned, if you don’t feel safe on certain roofs, don’t.

I can’t say I have any specific rules. Weather, roof condition, materials, number of stories, etc all play into if I’m walking it, using a video camera, or some combination of methods. I’ve always got a back up plan, and a back up to the back up plan to get the job done.

Kenton… it’s Kenton, Charley. And anyway, everybody knows you cheat and wear golf shoes, which works like crazy on asphalt shingles, especially roofs with multiple layers where you can really dig those spikes in, but that’s why you leave those long scratches in those metal roofs all the way to the edge, and man… you crushed the daffodils and petunias in the flower bed!

You force guys who aren’t comfortable with heights to walk roofs in order to make a living and you’ll have some of them eventually ending up in the cemetery sooner than they had planned.

Thanks again everyone for the advice and info. I was very comfortable walking roofs in Florida, but in my current market, they tend to be pretty steep and frequently don’t offer a friendly valley for climbing to the ridge. I will continue to use my best judgement and try to stay off the bushes. Never looks professional to be splayed out in the front yard.

I would only force JJ to climb a 12X12 everyone else is on their own. Hell there are guys in this ORG that won’t even walk a flat roof if its more than 2 feet high. Hell there are guys in this Org that won’t walk a flat roof if its more than 2 feet tall.

Corp America has job requirements for all jobs they do in some form or another such as lifting as an example . If you can not lift Said amount of weight you don’t get the job. Inspecting a roof is a job requirement and it can not be properly performed from a dam ladder or the ground. The SOP should be all roofs with a 8X12 pitch or less that has no snow, ice or rain on the surface should be required to be inspected by walking

That must be some ladder to get that high in the last picture!!!:mrgreen:

Walk what you feel comfortable doing. I do not think laying in a hospital bed is quite relaxing on your day off or any other day.

Nope I was wearing my Jesus shoes:p

The problem is to many home inspectors don’t feel comfortable and use the soft SOP to say I don’t feel safe today.

I walk everyone I possibly can, with the exception of pitched metal roofs.

Charley, Kenton is 100 % on "You force guys who aren’t comfortable with heights to walk roofs in order to make a living and you’ll have some of them eventually ending up in the cemetery sooner than they had planned.
" I myself have walked roofs that make your last post photo tame. That includes barns being erected three stories up beams exposed because the sheathing and metal was still to come. It is more than possible to satisfactorily inspect roofs from the edges, cameras on poles or even with drone tec, no one needs SOP putting them in danger because they dismissed their very human survival instincts.

We are all big boys here and my memory sometimes gets a little foggy but I surely don’t remember twisting any arms. I would thoroughly enjoy inspecting one of your roof from the edge inspection right behind you, I find to many anomalies to believe that you can inspect a roof properly from the edge. You BS your friends and I will BS mine but please lets not BS each other.

My basic point is if one can not do the work get out of the business:shock: