Plans Go Asunder
I had planned to use the neighbor's scaffolding to work on the ceiling but he had to go to LA for who knows how long so I’m back to the trusty ladder. I own 4 ladders. There is the 32 foot monster ladder that is invaluable when you own a tall Victorian. I spent weeks up on that baby 2 years ago when I removed the asbestos siding a rebuilt trim a window sills. I have an articulated 16 foot ladder. It has 4, 4-foot sections that lock in to place at different angles. It can be a 4-foot, 8-foot, 12-foot, or 16-foot ladder. You can also make an 8-foot section of scaffolding that is 4 feet high, but it is not very stable and kind of dangerous to work on. The aluminum ladders are great, but the rungs are relatively narrow, and they can be tough on the feet if you are on them for long periods of time.
The other 2 ladders are wooden ladders and came with the house. They were left by the POs or a previous PO (PPO?). These are the ones I use most of the time. They are really inside-use ladders and rarely go outside. I’m not sure how old they are but they saw a lot of use well before I got them 3 years ago. One is a 6-foot ladder and the other is a 4-foot ladder.
The 6-footer is my favorite. I put 1 foot on the forth rung and the other foot on the cross brace on the opposite side while I straddle the ladder. This puts me at the perfect height to work on the ceiling. The rungs are wide and flat so it is comfortable to work on for long periods. The 4-foot ladder is good to use in the same way upstairs where the ceilings are only 9.5-feet high. For all of the bad things the POs did, leaving these 2 ladders almost makes up for it – almost.
They also left a lot of brooms, which is surprisingly handy. I think I have 6 or 7 brooms in the house. Brooms are one of the few things I don’t spend hours looking for. There always seems to be one within arms reach. Maybe I should buy 6 or 7 hammers, tape measures, screwdrivers, etc. I could have a complete set of tools on all 3 floors of the house and a set for the garage. Now that would be livin’ large old-house style. Boo-Ya!
3 comments:
We were left a smaller wood ladder similar to your small one but it was quite rickety. I always felt like I was risking my head using it! I think it's still around here somewhere though and it has more character than the new fiberglass ones. A good ladder should be covered in plaster, paint and other various and sundry items :) (ours are anyway)
The old ladders look great. We haven't found anything great left behind by our PO's, but at least they left much of the original woodwork. If I had a set of tools for each floor, I think I'd still be asking, "Where's the tape measure?"
Ours POs left a pair of sawhorses, which have come in handy.
I bought a tape measure key chain at Target the other day, so now I will have a tape measure with me wherever I go. :)
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