A DIY safety guide for emergency roof and gutter repairs is something you do not want to be without. You can find tips in books and online, so there is no excuse for taking risks. Working on your own housetop is reportedly the most dangerous of all do-it-yourself repairs – which should be enough to cause you to take the simple precaution of implementing safety measures.

If you feel any trepidation about getting up on your own housetop, you might consider calling a professional to do what is necessary. Gutter maintenance, however, is one chore that needs attention so often that you might want to do it yourself. If you are going to try high repairs and maintenance, you need to know how to do the job safely.

First of all, remove the word ‘emergency’ from your mind and your agenda. Never venture onto a roof until conditions are dry. Wet surfaces or ones covered in ice and snow are not places you want to be. This goes for wooden shingles as well as metal roofing. If things are so bad that something needs to be done immediately, call a professional who is both skilled and insured.

Before you start, educate yourself. How long a ladder do you need? How should it be angled? What tools does the job require, what measurements do you need to know before you buy materials, and what constitutes safe practices and equipment? This will be the time to get what you need and plan the step-by-step progress to complete it. You will thereby save many trips up and down that correctly-placed ladder or returns to the lumber yard.

Safety gear starts with tough gloves and protective goggles. There is no sense in saving money by risking your neck on the housetop and having to go to the emergency room because you got a shard of metal of a piece of old shingle in your eye. Gloves will protect you from jagged edges (which come with plastic as well as metal), raised nails, and splintered wood.

A safety harness is probably the most omitted feature of homeowner repairs, but one which will guarantee you will be able to finish the job (and the rest of your life). You need a secure anchor for the rope that will keep you from sliding off and hitting the ground. A roof ladder, that lies flat to give you purchase for your hands and feet, needs to be secured properly as well.

You need to take everything you need up with you to minimize risky trips up and down and on and off. You can put all your tools in a bucket, but a tool belt is better. Both will leave your hands free for moving materials or yourself around, but the belt will keep everything in easy reach.

Finally, get a partner for any job that has an element of danger. They can help or at least hold the ladder, fetch and carry, and get help if necessary. A DIY safety guide for emergency roof and gutter repair always says: ‘Never work alone’.

Looking for a diy safety guide for emergency roof and gutter repairs ? Get it now by checking out our overview of all you should know about Roof repairs London and Gutter repairs London .