Walter R. wrote:
Painting my house. I can reach all facia boards and gutters of my single
story house with a 6' stepladder.

Only the facia boards at the cathedral ceiling section are up to 12' above
the level ground. I need to repair/paint these facia boards.

Will it be save to use an 8' stepladder or an 8' (16') extension ladder? I
don't want to invest a fortune in a ladder that I use only rarely and only
for a few feet. But, I am standing here, scratching my head.


Whatever happened to people making there own
ladders? Figure out what height of non-adjustable
ladder would work, or make two ladders, or paint
high first and cut off for a lower elevation).
Get two 2x4 of that length and a long enough 3/4"
x 4" wide board to cut into 18" lengths to make
steps every 12-14" and use four 2" screws in each
step. So what does that lumber and screws cost?
I made a similar ladder which has been in
service for about 30 years (used nails not screws
and only recently put in a few screws)
BTW, the bottom of the first step should be not
more than 4" from the end of the 2x4. Use Doug
fir 2x4s, pine 1x4s and wallboard screws (no
drilling) and take 20 minutes to make it. It will
be as strong or stronger than any ladder you could
buy. The only down side is that the part you
stand on is only 3/4" wide so you can't use moccasins.