Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Apr 23, 2012 4:25 pm We have a problem with birds sitting on our TV aerial and "pooping" all over the our dark colourbond roof, I was worried that over time it would "eat away" at the surface and cause issues, so I bought a big ladder and some plastic spikes, I got up on the roof for the first time since the house was built and it was bloody scary! I had "normal" runners on and they have quite a bit of grip but on the roof they were very slippery, I secured the "spikes" on the aerial with cable ties but now the damn birds have tried to land and have pushed the spikes over, I now have to get back up and change how I secure them. Has anyone got any ideas on what footwear (or other ideas) to wear/do so I don't feel like I'm going to fall off and kill myself ? Re: Walking on a Colourbond Roof 2Apr 23, 2012 4:30 pm You need something like this? Magnetic boots? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_boots Otherwise colorbond recommend soft rubber soled shoes http://www.colorbond.com/faqqa/can-i-walk-on-my-roof-made-from-colorbond-steel Or http://www.contractortalk.com/f15/there-good-roof-shoe-14659/ Building with Jandson Homes - Eclipse 18. http://adgnetworks.blogspot.com/ Re: Walking on a Colourbond Roof 3Apr 23, 2012 4:37 pm Dunlop Volleys always work for me. Just make sure you haven't got anything heavy that you could drop on your shoe. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Walking on a Colourbond Roof 4Apr 23, 2012 8:08 pm Never worn anything other than steel cap boots! Of course, you should remember to walk on the screws, would suggest there is timber underneath and less likely to dent the roof compared to walking mid span! Strictly speaking you should also wear a harness attached to an anchor, you can get anchors similar to a boat anchor which slips under the end of the sheet! At least that way if you slip you don't fall off the roof!! Or, top suggestion would be hire a handy man or similar to get on the roof for you, roofs can be very dangerous places! And I'm assuming you would only think about get up on the roof on a calm day when the roof is dry! What pitch is the roof? If it's relatively steep I wouldn't get up there with out a harness! As for the spikes, I have heard of just using cable ties, just put them on the aerial and don't cut the excess off, just leave pointing up! Re: Walking on a Colourbond Roof 5Apr 23, 2012 8:21 pm Thanks for that the roof has a 25deg pitch. I would only get up there on a nice calm dry day, I remember when the house was built the roof was put up in winter and unlike other trades that turned up early they were much later when there was no cold dew. My "control tower" (wife) doesn't want me getting up there and suggested I get someone in but I figure once this is done I'll probably never get up there again, only around the edges to clean the gutters. Can you tell me where you get the harness things? Thanks. Re: Walking on a Colourbond Roof 6Apr 23, 2012 8:57 pm As per stormjr, the proper way to do it is to use a roof-walking harness and restraint system. I have one of those proprietary brackets/clamps that attaches to the edge of the sheets on one side of the house with a rope attached, and you throw the rope over the roof and down the other side. Attach your harness to the dangling end with a self-stopping climbing ratchet and you're set to go. You can only move down the rope when you have no weight on the ratchet, so it stops you falling off that side of the roof. Obviously you have to move the bracket to the other edge if you want to inspect the second face of the roof. Quite unlikely that you're going to go to that trouble for a home project though! So Dunlop Volleys plus a rope thrown over the ridge and securely fixed to something solid at ground level (alloy wheel spoke of a car would do) would be better than nothing, though obviously for legal reasons I can't recommend it. My climbing kit is this one here. Be sure you're sitting when you look at the price! Though there are cheaper versions on there. The silver coloured plate is the roof-edge bracket I mentioned in the first paragraph. Just get a bloke in to do it Re: Walking on a Colourbond Roof 7Apr 24, 2012 1:17 am Something like this? -- http://www.roofhandles.com.au/ Havent used them but anything would be better than falling. You can always remove them once your problem is fixed. Have you thought about moving your antenna so its lower down on the roof and easier to reach off a ladder? Arfur Re: Walking on a Colourbond Roof 8Apr 24, 2012 8:12 am Uncle Arfur Something like this? -- http://www.roofhandles.com.au/ Havent used them but anything would be better than falling. You can always remove them once your problem is fixed. Have you thought about moving your antenna so its lower down on the roof and easier to reach off a ladder? Thanks for that. They look interesting I'll have a look at where the tec screws are and I probably wouldn't need many, with the benefit of hindsight I probably would have asked the aerial installer if we could put it lower, but it is probably where it is for efficiency reasons Re: Walking on a Colourbond Roof 9Apr 24, 2012 8:16 am Integrity As per stormjr, the proper way to do it is to use a roof-walking harness and restraint system. I have one of those proprietary brackets/clamps that attaches to the edge of the sheets on one side of the house with a rope attached, and you throw the rope over the roof and down the other side. Attach your harness to the dangling end with a self-stopping climbing ratchet and you're set to go. You can only move down the rope when you have no weight on the ratchet, so it stops you falling off that side of the roof. Obviously you have to move the bracket to the other edge if you want to inspect the second face of the roof. Quite unlikely that you're going to go to that trouble for a home project though! So Dunlop Volleys plus a rope thrown over the ridge and securely fixed to something solid at ground level (alloy wheel spoke of a car would do) would be better than nothing, though obviously for legal reasons I can't recommend it. My climbing kit is this one here. Be sure you're sitting when you look at the price! Though there are cheaper versions on there. The silver coloured plate is the roof-edge bracket I mentioned in the first paragraph. Just get a bloke in to do it I'll see if I can rig a rope up somehow, only problem I need to get on the back section of the roof and it's about 30 mtrs from front to back with several different "peaks/angles" Re: Walking on a Colourbond Roof 10Apr 24, 2012 8:40 am Probably not the answer you looking for. However you might want to consider changing the antenna. My Neighbors have massive analogue compatible antennas and birds love it. I have a small digital one with thin elements and birds dont sit on it. I only paid around $40 for the antenna to. Re: Walking on a Colourbond Roof 11Apr 24, 2012 12:02 pm Have you thought about putting the antenna inside the roof ? We had that at our old house and will do it again in the new house we are building and its brilliant. No bird s**t to deal with and if the signal is not to good you can buy a booster for it, but with with digital TV these days who doesn't get a good picture. Worth thinking about ! Site Cut 17.02.12 Slab poured 29.03.12 Frame up 23.04.12 Roof on 10.05.12 Lock up 18.07.12 Moved in 26.10.12 252 days or 36 weeks to complete. Re: Walking on a Colourbond Roof 12Apr 24, 2012 12:44 pm Quote: Thanks for that the roof has a 25 deg pitch. Another reason why we are going for a 15º pitch to our roof when we do the big reno. We also like lower pitches but need the 15º minimum for several Velux roof windows. A better option to your setup is to install several roof safety bolts ( skyhooks my mate calls them ! ) along the ridge line that you can attach your safety harness to. Most residential roofs you only need about three and allow you to work on both sides of the roof from the one safety bolt. Bolted through the roof sheeting and secured to a rafter. Also called roof anchor and safety harness bolts too I think. Stewie Re: Walking on a Colourbond Roof 13Apr 24, 2012 1:50 pm Stewie D A better option to your setup is to install several roof safety bolts ( skyhooks my mate calls them ! ) along the ridge line that you can attach your safety harness to. Assuming the are fixed on top of the roof covering or ridge capping, when you tighten them what is to stop them crushing the roofing corrugation? Arfur Re: Walking on a Colourbond Roof 14Apr 26, 2012 1:06 pm We put curved blocks of timber underneath the roof iron ( if it's corrugated that is ) or flat if it's Kliplock. The bolts don't have to be super tight - just enough to pull down onto the roofing iron a little so the rubber washer seals the hole is all. It is the nut on the end that stops the bolt pulling through the rafter that counts. Stewie Re: Walking on a Colourbond Roof 15Apr 17, 2021 12:14 pm bashworth Dunlop Volleys always work for me. Just make sure you haven't got anything heavy that you could drop on your shoe. Hi, Sorry for the necro, but I just wanted you to know I'm putting up my colorbond shed roof now in April 2021 and I was concerned about walking on it while it's under construction. I happened upon your post after a google search and it also just so happened I own a pair of dunlop volleys (I originally bought them just for some simple, lightweight gym shoes). The point is, your idea from 9 years ago is helpful! They are an excellent choice as they have a nice flat soft rubber sole and I can walk with confidence (over the battens of course) on the colorbond without scuffing, scratching or crumpling it. Thanks Cheers. The painted render is a bit chalky to the touch. To prepare the surface for best adhesion, what would you recommend? Also, given that there must be some… 6 8515 Yes i guess this is one of the main reason as i checked one post foundation 4 9997 2 9458 |