Ladder Recommendations?

[NiteWulf]

Closed on a house two days ago, and now I need a ladder to access the attic and roof when necessary. Ceilings are 8', house is a single-story ranch.

Came across this one at Lowe's, and it looks good for both purposes.
It's heavy (31.5lbs/14kg), which may get annoying if I use it often.

For the price, what would you purchase/recommend?

 

[Gothgar]

I use Werner fiberglass ones, I have a 10, 6 and 4 footer. They are great.

 

[FoBoT]

i just use the normal aluminum extension ladder, i have one 8' and one 16'

 

[Red Squirrel]

I have a similar one than the one you posted. They are nice if you don't have a truck as they'll fit in your car. The different "settings" can be nice for different situations too. The only thing I find it a little awkward to get it on the roof as it's not like an extension ladder where you can set it to the required lenght, it's basically all or nothing, more or less.

A telescopic one may be the best choice for the attic as you can get it the exact size you need. I used them before and they're good too, but expensive.

If you have a truck, then I'd just get a standard extension ladder.

 

[NiteWulf]

I have a similar one than the one you posted. They are nice if you don't have a truck as they'll fit in your car. The different "settings" can be nice for different situations too. The only thing I find it a little awkward to get it on the roof as it's not like an extension ladder where you can set it to the required lenght, it's basically all or nothing, more or less.

A telescopic one may be the best choice for the attic as you can get it the exact size you need. I used them before and they're good too, but expensive.

If you have a truck, then I'd just get a standard extension ladder.

I don't expect to haul a ladder around very much, but that is a good consideration. I have a Ranger, which rules out anything over 10' collapsed.

Didn't think to measure the roof height today when we were at the house. Perhaps nine or ten feet to the gutters.

 

[malbojah]

congrats on the house, now where are the pics?

 

[Red Squirrel]

I don't expect to haul a ladder around very much, but that is a good consideration. I have a Ranger, which rules out anything over 10' collapsed.

Didn't think to measure the roof height today when we were at the house. Perhaps nine or ten feet to the gutters.

Not so much for hauling, but buying. Need to be able to take it home.

Keep incline into account for the roof too, you want maybe 12-14 feet or so if it's 10 from ground to gutters.

 

[Red Squirrel]

double post

 

[NiteWulf]

Not so much for hauling, but buying. Need to be able to take it home.

Keep incline into account for the roof too, you want maybe 12-14 feet or so if it's 10 from ground to gutters.

Ah-ha! Don't know why I wouldn't think of these things. We're stopping by the house after services today, so I'll measure the roof line and do some in-my-head trig.

Thanks for your thoughts. :thumbsup:

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Check out the Werner MT ladders at home depot or lowes. Its an adjustable aluminum ladder which can act as a regular ladder or an extension ladder. It is kinda heavy but will more than likely be the only ladder you'll ever need. I paid like $170 I think. They have 13 ft ones for like $100 though. I got the 22 since I have to maintain some trees on my property.

 

[nickbits]

I have a slightly larger version of that ladder. My only complaint is it is heavy compared to standard ladders.

 

[db]

One ladder to rule them all -- doesn't work so well.
For inside the house a 5' is the most convenient size.
For outside it depends on what you will be doing the most. Will you ever be painting eves/fascias? Will you be up on the roof a lot? Do you have a chimney? Will you be up in trees?

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I have one and like it, but imo you need a wood frame or fiberglass regular a-frame for when you don't want to lug around 40lbs

 

[herm0016]

they are heavy, I have the costco version of that and like it though.

 

[lxskllr]

I like aluminum step and extension ladders. I recommend one of each. Fiberglass is nice if you're using it professionally, but too damned heavy to deal with for homeowner use.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah a mid size step ladder is nice for around the house, keep it indoors so it stays clean, while the other can be for outside only. Basically for indoor you just need high enough to be able to easily get to the ceiling. Either to change light bulbs, paint, change light fixtures, that kind of stuff.

 

[grohl]

The extension ladders are really heavy.

I would recommend a good stepladder. 8 foot is a good balance of weight and length.

 

[jhansman]

Step ladder with rubber feet. Remember: the minute you are, say, three or more feet off the ground, you become a candidate for quadriplegia. A good friend had his step ladder go over while cleaning out first-floor gutters; he now has four pieces of titanium (or whatever it is they use) in his ankle and cannot run.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I have a 12 foot Werner ladder like in the original post.

It's great inside the house to access my attic or change the light bulb above the stairs to the basement. It's decent for getting onto my roof.
It was nice to use while mudding/painting the top 2 feet or so of the basement wall. It sucks standing with your hands up above your head sanding for HOURS AND HOURS.

It's decent for getting to my roof, as I have a 1 story house with not a very steep pitch, however, a 16 footer would have been better probably.

Also, I can throw it in the back of my forester, and my friends can even fit it in their Sentra or whatever.

It's not super light, but that doesn't really matter for my uses.

 

[LurkerPrime]

I have one exactly like that. I wish I would have gotten a 15 or 17 foot one sometimes, but the one I have usually does the trick. As for the weight its only 31.5lbs and you are only going to be moving it around your house, not hiking cross country with it. Its also pretty small when fully compacted so it will take up less room in your garage than a standard ladder.

 

[vi edit]

I've got one of those, and it's nice for outside. Very sturdy, and between the weight of it and the wide stance of the feet it's quite stable. But it's pain to operate and lug around inside.

For inside I just have little folding step ladder with very deep steps on it that lets me reach 9' fairly easily. I use the crap out of that thing.

 

[mvbighead]

One ladder to rule them all -- doesn't work so well.
For inside the house a 5' is the most convenient size.
For outside it depends on what you will be doing the most. Will you ever be painting eves/fascias? Will you be up on the roof a lot? Do you have a chimney? Will you be up in trees?

Pretty much this.

However, it is nice to have a versatile ladder for the larger jobs.

I have this guy:

http://www.amazon.com/Werner-MT-26-...YDI4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330450997&sr=8-1

It works for my open living room with 16 foot ceilings, and will also work in getting me on top of the house. I got it a bit cheaper (260ish I believe), but have used it a number of times. It is heavier than anything I have used, but is versatile enough that I shouldn't need extension ladders for trees, accessing the roof, etc.

Then, we have your standard variety 6 ft aluminum ladder:

http://www.amazon.com/Werner-356-22...ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1330451203&sr=1-2

The 6ft gets used most of the time, but the other is necessary for the higher jobs. Honestly, are you going to drag a 64lb ladder around when you don't have to, or a 13lb ladder?

As for the one you linked, should be a really good ladder, but note its max A frame height is about 6 ft. It has a heigher weight capacity than your standard variety ladder, but it is also much heavier. If your wife/SO will be using it a lot, you may want to be sure they are capable of lugging it around.

 

[Jeffg010]

That info commercial for the little giant looks awesome but kind of pricey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWrXEGoKz04

 

[BoomerD]

I have a wooden 8 foot "drywaller's" step ladder. It has steps up both sides, is EXTREMELY heavy...and is very handy...except that for inside the house, it's just too damned big to be easy to use. I also have a Werner 20' fiberglass extension ladder for outside use. All are class IA, rated for 300 lbs. (I'm a big guy...and fat)

IF I was in the market for a new ladder, I'd look seriously at the "new" Little Giant Extreme:

http://www.littlegiantxtreme.com/

I've seen them in the "Costco Roadshows," and they're pretty damned nice. Heavily built, versatile, and good for MOST homeowner tasks.

 

[TheKub]

I bought the 20' version of it. I really like the flexibility that it offers, especially the ability to break it apart and make a scaffold out of it. It seems to be excellent build quality and is likely going to be with me for the rest of my life.

The major cons are its HEAVY, the 13' should be lighter but its still going to be much more than a typical A frame fiberglass/alum ladder. Also one of my attic entrances is in a closet and even though its a semi decent size its difficult to get the ladder set up in there the feet are wider and when in the A frame mode it only lock at certain angles which may mean it needs more floor length than you have to give.

Just remember to get one of those moving packages from the post office they usually have 10% Lowes which would save a chunk on ladder.