Ideas for getting sheathing on to the roof?

[MushCreek]

I'm at the point- I need to get 72 sheets of 5/8th's OSB at 56 lbs. a sheet up onto the roof. I'm curious what clever ideas you guys have used, especially when working solo. My plan thus far is to set up a two-high scaffold (about 11' with the wheels) at the edge of the roof, and load stacks of OSB with a fork lift attachment on a payloader. All of this is available free, if it works. According to the scaffolding, I can load 50 lbs/ sq ft, which works out to 28 sheets at a time. No one is allowed to stand under or near the loaded scaffold!

I want to do the back of the house first for several reasons, and that roof is almost 20' off of the ground due to being on a walk-out basement. The only practical way I see is to slide the sheets up and over from the front of the house. I figured temporarily screwing down sheets of OSB to walk on would make this easier. The good news is the the roof is a 5/12 pitch. The bad news is that I'm, well, old! Thoughts?

[PEG688]

I all most all ways bring roof sheathing up between the trusses / or floor joist. It's a two man job one guy down on the floor below , garb the sheet with knees bent , stand up and lift the sheet up to the guy on the roof.

If the guy on the roof knows what he's doing or most sheets you can do very little lifting of the sheet , you use leverage, and pivot the edge of the sheet on that sheet you are standing on , once you have one sheet laid , you just pull up , pivot the sheet being lifted on the edge and tip it up to your self.

If I had to do it alone , I'd pick a spot in the middle of the house and two sheets inboard from the edge and I'd either make some high saw horses if you have tall ceilings , if you have 8 foot ceilings normal height horses would work I'd then stand on edge 10 of 20 sheets so they stuck up thru the roof plane , and then go up and install them.  The first row is the hardest , you could set up a staging the length of the house to stand on, set it up so the fascia is below you waist , they sell what we called "wall brackets" look at Tool Crib of the North. We used those all the time back east to trim out fascia and soffits , and roof sheathing / getting started with the bottom rows of sheathing and roof courses.

Poor written discription , but it's a easy process if you see it being done .

Your idea sounds sketchy to me , if you have a loader with a fork lift attachment why not just drive the load up to the roof edge , and rest the forks on the first couple of sheets you lay?

G/L and be safe with what ever you do.

PEG           

[Davegmc]

There is a book you can get from Taunton Publication (Fine Homebuilding) called "Working Alone". Among other things he shows his tips for installing sheet products working solo. With roof sheething you can attach c-clamps to the sheet and lift with rope or whatever.

[MountainDon]

...or drill a hole and use a carabiner. Two holes along the side may be better, give better control.  I've pushed them up a pair of ladders when a helper was available. I would not feel comfortable trying that alone with that height and number of sheets. I did do our cabin that way alone though.

[tommytebco]

Here's how Bremmer did it. I thought it was pretty clever.

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=10641.700

it's on page 29 near the bottom if the link is screwy

[JRR]

I saw a pretty impessive feat one day.  It actually involved two people, one lifting the plywood sheets ... the other actually installing the sheets.  This was a sheathing operation, but I think the idea applies.  It was the guy-on-the-ground that had the interesting part of the process.  He first drove a nail into the plywood sheet, centered and a few inches from the top edge.  Then he pre-staged the sheet by lifting it onto a step ladder that was leaning against the building ... this was about as high as he could lift the sheet by hand, standing on the ground.  Then he used a lifting pole, that had a v-notch in it ... to catch the protruding nail and then further lifted the sheet very high up to the installer.  He then re-located the step ladder for the next lift.

This might work for you, especially if you re-oriented the sheets.

[MushCreek]

I forgot to mention that there's a 12' deep porch slab across the front, so we can't drive the tractor up to the edge of the roof. I figured we'd move the scaffold to the front of the porch slab, load some sheets (maybe 10-15; don't want to tempt fate), and then roll the scaffold back to the edge of the main roof. I could do the front porch roof first, I suppose, but I figured the simple single roof plane on the back would be easier, and allow me to nudge the trusses into alignment easier. The porch roof spans 3/4 of the front, and goes part-way up the up the main pitch.

On the garage, I used a ladder as a ramp, and tied a rope to a C-clamp on the edge of a sheet. It worked, but it was slow, hard work. I thought about doing it like that, only clamping say 5 sheets together, and using my electric winch to drag the sheets up. Gotta figure out how to control 'em when I take the clamp off, though.

As for the first course in the back, what I did on the garage was to clamp stops to the sub-fascia. The sheets then rest against the stops until I get them nailed off. I found that with the nail gun, I could just reach the bottom edge of the first row, so I could nail it off without actually being on top of the sheathing. On subsequent courses, there's more real estate between me and the edge of the roof. Either way, I use a harness up there!

[flyingvan]

Don't tell OSHA, but I just slid them up the ladder in front of me.  I had a block nailed down, and I'd shove them up and over the end of the ladder onto the rafters.  Early morning--no wind yet--job.  22 feet up but only a third of the number you are doing

[MushCreek]

I've done them that way- 30 years ago! And after having had vertigo, I'm not nearly as comfortable on a ladder as I used to be. The front wouldn't be as bad, about 10-1/2 feet, but I don't know that I have the gas to do 72 sheets that way. I'm trying to cut down on ladder climbing, for one thing. Even if I only put 10 sheets at a time on the scaffold, that's 1/10 of the climbing, and I'm not carrying anything as I climb.

[archimedes]

I just slid them up the ladder in front of me.  I had a block nailed down, and I'd shove them up and over the end of the ladder onto the rafters.  Early morning--no wind yet--job. 

That's the way I did mine. 

[Ndrmyr]

Consider the Gorilla Gripper    http://gorillagripper.com/  I put a rope on the handle and pushed up at a shallow angle.  I welded a piece of angle iron onto a rebar to use as a bottom pusher while a guy on the roof pulled on the gripper.  Not perfect, nor safe.  Frankly, It is really the berries for carrying a sheet of 3/4" or sturdi-floor, which as we all know is far heavier than it was 30 years ago.  Just a thought.

[Arky217]

I'm an older guy as well (67). At first, I tried pushing them up a ladder as I climbed like someone mentioned, but I soon ran out of oomph.

So what I did then was to take a short piece of rope and make about a foot loop in each end, then another small loop in the middle.
Then I would lean a sheet against the ladder and loop the rope at each bottom corner.
The middle of the rope would then be about 3' up from the bottom.

Then tie a long rope to the middle loop of that rope and take the other end of it up with you on the roof. While standing on the bottom chords of the trusses, I would pull the sheet up and over the ladder. Continue pulling until it's past the top edge of the last installed sheet so it won't slide back down.

(for the first row of sheets, nail a short temp facia board to 'catch' the sheet after you get it over the ladder)

Arky

[MushCreek]

Yesterday, I tried loading a sheet up through the trusses. I lifted and pushed the bottom up on to my scaffold (about 6') The top was sticking up through the trusses. I found I simply wasn't strong enough to pull the sheet up from the top, though.

I'm finishing up my sub-fascia and look-out rafters today. The guy with the tractor is supposed to be by late in the afternoon. Meanwhile, I might try moving sheets up the already-sheathed garage roof to get that tricky bottom course done. The garage is attached, and about 3' lower than the main roof, so it should be a good surface to work from. Either way, I'm taking lots of pictures to share once we hit on something that works.

My roof is tricky because I have generous 24" overhangs. If I put a ladder up the tall back side, the eave is behind you. I do have a ladder stand-off attachment; I haven't tried that yet. I found if I  straddled the top wall, I could just reach far enough to attach the sub-fascia with a screw gun. The old adage 'Don't look down' definitely applies! I use Torx drive self-drilling screws which make them easier to work from an awkward position. I also started the screws in the sub-fascia before hanging it out there. Once I get all of this done, I'm going to start a thread on some of the tricks I have learned working alone.

[flyingvan]

Mush---I also built 5 triangles out of 2x6's and used them as mobile scaffold, lag bolting them to the wall wherever I needed.  It was the safest way as a single builder to work way up high, don't know if it would help in your application

[PEG688]

http://www.lynnladder.com/products/SIDEWALL-STAGING-BRACKET.html

Same idea only made out of metal , easy to install , with two people one outside holding the jack in place , one inside insatting the 2x4 that crosses the studs and the handle with the nut welded to it to tighten the jack in place.

$44.00 each. Great quick staging ideal for new builds , install fascia , soffits , first row of sheathing on roofs , first 4 or 5 rows of shingles on roof , etc.

I'm sure thay are not OSHA approved as they have no guard rail system , but they where used on every house I built back in RI in the 70's .   They made the soffit and roof work safer and faster  , but I'm sure OSHA ruined that.

[MushCreek]

Actually, those look like a good idea for another problem I have- painting and hanging soffit on my barn. The barn is 27' to the peak. I can climb up there, but can't let go with both hands to hang the soffits.

My buddy brought his tractor over today, but it's nowhere near tall enough to load the sheathing on the scaffolding. I guess I'll make a ramp and use the winch to haul it up.

[PEG688]

Mush what is the floor to ceiling height , did you even consider my post #2 , I think it was, about a rack placed on the floor that you can push the sheet up between the trusses or rafters?

Maybe my post wasn't  clear ? Maybe you have 20 feet from the floor to the roof vaulted ceilings?? 

Some time you folks make  complex solutions to simple issues.

Maybe I have your situation  wrong?   

[MushCreek]

I tried that- it's in my second-to-last post. My ceilings are 9'4", and I got a sheet up on to my scaffold- about 6'. I'm not strong enough to lift it from there. I could pick it up 2' or so, but had nothing to hold it there while I got a second purchase. That, and it was a lot of work getting just one sheet up on the scaffold. There is no 'second guy' to hand sheets up; that's the point; I'm working alone.

Today is Sunday; I'm going to go to church and then watch football. Monday, I'll rig up a ramp and see how I do pulling the sheets up with my winch. I have an idea for a stop to hold the sheets in place once I drag them up there.

[PEG688]

I see.   Have you tried this method right up against the exterior wall ? 

Move your staging right against the wall , when you pull the sheet up , don't try to lift it all the way up but use the exterior wall as a pivot point grab the far corner of the top edge of the sheet , the most inboard to the house corner and roll the sheet off the outside corner of the top plate so you "lift" the sheet up into the 8' long edge of the sheet . You are almost  "lifting" nothing , as the sheet is pivoting on the edge.

You would have to work around a "slot" where you leave two sheet off in this area and work away from that area . Lift a sheet , set a sheet , so  very few sheets would be "stored" on the roof .  When one side is close to done you'd pull up the last two or three sheets then close off the access hole.

The other side would a be a repeat of the first.

Wish I had a few photo's of how we do it , but I've never taken any of this process.

Think about using leverage instead of brute strength.

G/L and be safe  reading some of what you've done alone makes me cringe a bit! 

PEG     

[NM_Shooter]

Working alone on this is never optimal. 

I too pushed these up a ladder.  I rigged up a means for having stops on my ladder that were spring loaded.  Hard to describe.  I put them every 4 feet or so starting at about 8' off the ground.  Putting the OSB on the ladder depressed the stop so the OSB would slide over the ladder, and when the bottom of the OSB cleared, the stop would pop out and allow me to rest the OSB on the stop while I climbed up two or three steps. 

First time I did this I was standing too high and when the OSB cleared the spring stop, I had a 2x6 stop then pop out of the ladder as designed, only to come to a crashing halt about 1/2" from my forehead. 

I started laughing so hard I almost fell off the damn ladder.   

Be safe.

[MushCreek]

PEG- I tried bringing them up from the inside again, but found that there was nowhere to stand to deal with the sheet once I pivoted it up. I would have to re-position myself- not easy to do without losing the sheet. My shoulders are killing me from trying to clean and jerk the sheet up to the scaffold anyway. What would be simple with two people is nearly impossible alone. One problem is that I've had vertigo (!) in the past, so I don't have the confidence I used to up there. I always hold on with one hand unless I'm securely in between the rafters. Once I have some sheathing to stand on, I use a safety harness to move around. Even then, I like to hold on to the free end of the safety rope as I walk around.

What I finally did was lay my big ladder at about a 45 degree angle against the eave, and use it as a ramp. I made a rope sling to catch the two bottom corners, and hooked my cheap 110V winch to the rope. I was able to pull one up by hand, but it was exhausting work. The winch is easy, safe, but slow. I may try to haul 2 or 3 sheets at a time to speed things up, and cut down on the climbing. I attached stops on either side of the ladder, but a little lower than the ladder, so that once the sheet clears the ladder, I can let it rest against the stops while I disconnect the sling and get ready to place the sheet.

I'm curious how you guys with the taller roofs work at the top of the trusses before they're sheathed. Mine are a little over 8' tall, and there's nothing to stand on at all. I did my look-outs and fly rafters as high up as I could, and I guess I'll sheathe my way up the rest, adding those parts as I go. Once I get the front sheathed to the top, I'll slide the sheathing up the front, over the peak, and let them down the back side. I put stops in place along the back to hold the first row of sheets, and once they're secured, the rest will be (relatively) easy.

[PEG688]

Maybe you should hire the roof sheathing and roofing out? Cheaper than a hospital stay!

We climb up the lookouts as we install them, they create a "ladder" of sorts.  Come down the same way you go up.

The first sheet is always the hardest one to install , the whole lowest row for that matter.  The wall brackets make the bottom row go easier , but no one out west here has wall brackets  and like I said they are more than likely NOT OSHA approved , so to avoid fines people don't use them / have them on site.

G/L stay safe PEG   

[MushCreek]

I got ten sheets up and installed today in about 5 hours. 1/2 hour a piece isn't so bad. The front is tricky because of the porch roof which intersects the main roof part-way up. I sheathed the lower section where there is no porch, then stretched a string at the level where the porch and main roof meet. I put in a row of nails along that line, and installed the sheets resting against the row of nails.

I'd like to have done the porch first, but I can't get post brackets with decent capacity against uplift. No one carries them, or is even willing to order them. Simpson and USP make them, but try finding them! Even on-line I had trouble finding them, and they want you to buy a dozen- at $18 each. I decided to have steel columns fabricated, but have been waiting a while to just get a quote. I can't wait around, so I am sheathing around where the porch roof will go.

Now I have a secure row of sheets all the way across the front (whew!) Using the winch, I'll simply keep dragging sheets up the roof and installing them. I can easily reach the peak from the garage roof, so I'll drag the sheets up next to the garage end of the house.

Other aggravations- When they built the trusses, the gable ends were supposed to be dropped 3-1/2" for the look-outs, but it's not working that way in reality, with some of them having to be cleared out a good 1/4" to get the look-out to match the roof plane. Otherwise, the ends of the look-out will be 1/2" or so high. Do commercial builders fit all this stuff, or do they just slap it together and call it 'good enough'? I have enough fun getting comfortable working up there without having to measure, cut, and chisel for every look-out.

PEG- I seriously thought about hiring out the sheathing. The only contractor I know is expensive, though. He wanted $2800 just to hang the trusses. I paid a crane $800, and with two old guys from church plus me, we had them all up and braced in 6 hours. That doesn't seem like $2800 to me, especially considering how much faster an experienced crew would have done them. I had a framing crew do the barn, and it was expensive, and the work was very sloppy. It won't fall down, but it bugs me. I'm being very careful, and short of passing out, it would be pretty tough for me to fall. Now that I have sheathing to walk on, I have the harness set up. Still, I look at the places guys on here have built with 12/12 pitches and 2 stories, and I realize my limitations.

[PEG688]

PEG- I seriously thought about hiring out the sheathing. The only contractor I know is expensive, though. He wanted $2800 just to hang the trusses. I paid a crane $800, and with two old guys from church plus me, we had them all up and braced in 6 hours. That doesn't seem like $2800 to me, especially considering how much faster an experienced crew would have done them. I had a framing crew do the barn, and it was expensive, and the work was very sloppy. It won't fall down, but it bugs me. I'm being very careful, and short of passing out, it would be pretty tough for me to fall. Now that I have sheathing to walk on, I have the harness set up. Still, I look at the places guys on here have built with 12/12 pitches and 2 stories, and I realize my limitations.

He would have sheathed the roof "fixed" ,  potentially, your gable truss issue, cut in the look outs,  hung the fascia and rakes , ready for roofing right?  Lets see ,,,  what would a ER visit and a day or two in ICU cost? 

  I hope it goes well for you, and maybe you are not pushing the envelope of your limitations, time well tell.

G/L and best wishes, PEG .   

[Steve_B]

Hey Mush... how many do you have up on the roof so far? How many more do you have to pull up to the roof?