Do-it-yourself roof ladder - dimensions and installation

The roof of the house is the most important construction, which is the first barrier protecting a person’s dwelling from the penetration of cold, wind, thawed rain or rain. The process of erection of the roof begins with the assembly of the rafter frame and ends with the laying of the roof covering, however, even after the completion of the roofing work, there remains the need to climb up to maintain, repair and clean the surface of snow or debris. To provide access to perform these functions outdoor stairs. In this article we will describe how to make a ladder on the roof, so that its use is safe.

Device

Roofing or external ladder is called a structure that facilitates the lifting and movement on the roof during repair, maintenance, cleaning its surface. Usually it consists of a vertical part fixed to the wall and an inclined part that is installed along the slope. The staircase to the roof consists of the following elements:

• Vertical supports Two vertical supports are needed to fix the steps between them. They must be smooth and durable to support the weight of the person performing the maintenance of the roof.
• Steps. The step is located between the two legs of the stairs; it can be made of wood or metal. Steps should be located every 30-50 cm so that you can climb from the edge of the overhang to the ridge of the roof.
• Railing The railing is necessary to ensure the safety of the use of the stairs, as well as to facilitate lifting.

Note! According to modern building standards, all the roofs of residential and industrial buildings must be equipped with external stairs. Installing lightweight construction does not increase the load on the foundation, but it does greatly facilitate the urgent repair of the coating, timely maintenance of chimneys or ventilation ducts, and cleaning the surface from snow and ice.

Functions

Installation of an external ladder on the roof is a prerequisite for long-term and trouble-free operation of the house, especially if the roof structure is serviced by its own. The fact is that climbing the roof to clean or repair it will have to be quite often, so you need a stationary staircase, which will facilitate and secure high-altitude work. It performs the following functions:

1. Facilitates the rise on the roof to clean its surface from the snow mass, ice and icicles, actively forming along the overhang during the winter period.
2. Provides quick and safe access to roofing for spot and urgent repairs to avoid leaking and blowing cold air.
3. Providing free access for maintenance and cleaning of chimney and ventilation systems having access through the roof.
4. Distributes the weight of the person serving the roof, while advancing on its surface, protecting the roof covering from damage and deformations.

Important! Most roofing coatings have a high load bearing capacity, however, they are very sensitive to point impacts and mechanical stress, so the load arising from a person’s weight can cause material damage that is fraught with leaks.

Kinds

As we found out, an external staircase is practically a mandatory element of the roof, which is necessary to ensure easy, fast and safe lifting onto its slopes. Construction stores have an impressive range of prefabricated and prefabricated structures used to facilitate movement on the roof. They differ in weight, bearing capacity, material, and of course cost. There are 3 main types of external roof ladder:

• Wooden. Wooden ladders have a fairly light weight, but at the same time high strength, they are relatively inexpensive and when made easily assembled from blanks with their own hands. They are two vertical supports with horizontal bars and steps. There is another kind of wooden ladder, which looks like one vertical support with poles hooked to it, it is more difficult to move along it, but it costs much less because of the material saving.
• Metal monolithic. The monolithic metal staircase is a welded structure in the form of two vertical supports with horizontal bridges between them. It has high strength, a fairly large weight, but can withstand a considerable load. Metal stairs have only one drawback - they are quite expensive.
• Metal team. Prefabricated stairs are separate modules with steps that need to be connected and secured using special mounts. Each ladder module connects to the previous one without using welding.

Note that the ladder module installed on the roof is constantly exposed to moisture, so it must be resistant to rust. It is possible to increase the anticorrosion properties of the metal with the help of a polymer or paint and varnish coating, while wooden stairs protect against precipitation with the help of antiseptic impregnation.

Installation requirements

Do-it-yourself roof ladder is a practical option for homeowners who do not want to spend extra money. The easiest way is to make it from wooden blanks, although craftsmen with welding skills can easily assemble a construction of pipes of suitable diameter. The installation of the finished ladder is made after the completion of roofing work in accordance with the following requirements:

1. The roof ladder should start no higher than 1 m from the surface of the earth, and end at the ridge of the roof.
2. It should be located in the immediate vicinity of the chimney, ventilation shaft or other elements on the roof that require regular maintenance.
3. The minimum allowable distance from the stairs to the wall of the house, allowing you to move safely, is 20 cm.
4. The distance from the upper step of the vertical part of the stairs to the roof overhang should not exceed 10 cm.
5. For fixation, you must use at least 2 ridge brackets and 2-10 roofing, depending on the length of the slope.

Important! For safe use of the ladder, it must be securely fixed. In order for the structure to bear its weight in conjunction with the weight of the person, it is necessary to strengthen the crate in the place of fixation, as well as to use secure fastenings.

Making wooden stairs

A roof equipped with a fixed ladder is much more convenient to use, because at any moment it can be safely and easily climbed to eliminate minor defects, maintain the chimney or clean the roof covering from ice without the risk of damage. If the homeowner has no desire to spend money on the finished staircase, you can make it yourself from the boards with a section of 160x40 mm, bars 40x40 mm and nails 100 mm long as follows:

• First you need to touch the lumber and soak them with a deep penetration antiseptic or paint.
• Then you need to take two boards section of 160x40 mm and make two vertical supports of them, the length of which will be equal to the length of the slopes.
• The bar size of 40x40 mm is cut into blanks 40-50 cm long, and then nailed in increments of 30-50 cm.
• At the upper end of the stairs, a fastener is made of the remains of the bar, which will fix it on the ramp, hooking it onto the ridge of the roof.

Keep in mind that the smaller the step between the steps, the greater the weight of the stairs. On the other hand, increasing the distance between the steps makes the design less convenient. Therefore, experienced craftsmen recommend choosing a step so that the cross beams fall on the lower part of the wave of the roofing material with a profile.

Video instruction