Hello! I am working on a very ambitious DIY renovation project for an old Irish stone cottage (about 200 years old).
Unfortunately the roof, which is half cladding and half slates, is not a realistic job for amateurs as it has a large hole and rotting timbers. We are talking to several roof contractors to get it replaced while keeping costs as low as possible.
One of the roofers told us that if we could take the roof off ourselves before he got to work, it would keep the cost of labour down. But how realistic is this? There are two of us and we would rather avoid renting scaffolding. We can't walk on the roof because it is likely to collapse. The ladder we have access to is not high enough for the front of the house (although we can reach the roof at the back of the house with it). Does anyone have any advice about potentially removing all the slates ourselves, or is it just impossible?
Front of the house:
Back of the house:
Unfortunately the roof, which is half cladding and half slates, is not a realistic job for amateurs as it has a large hole and rotting timbers. We are talking to several roof contractors to get it replaced while keeping costs as low as possible.
One of the roofers told us that if we could take the roof off ourselves before he got to work, it would keep the cost of labour down. But how realistic is this? There are two of us and we would rather avoid renting scaffolding. We can't walk on the roof because it is likely to collapse. The ladder we have access to is not high enough for the front of the house (although we can reach the roof at the back of the house with it). Does anyone have any advice about potentially removing all the slates ourselves, or is it just impossible?
Front of the house:
Back of the house: