Some days in this trade are neatly planned. Others involve an early start, a long drive, a stack of jobs, and a fair bit of adapting on the hoof. This was definitely one of the latter.
In this week’s video, I headed down into Nottinghamshire for a full day subcontracting on housing stock, armed with the cherry picker, a worksheet full of jobs, and the usual hope that everything would go smoothly. Naturally, not everything did.
From clearing gutters on a three-storey block of flats to dealing with awkward access, a leaking ridge vent tile, and a downpipe repair on a flat roof, this was one of those proper mixed-bag days that gives you a real look at what high-access maintenance work is actually like.
If you want to see how the day unfolded from start to finish, you can watch the full video here:
An Early Start and a Full Job Sheet
The day started early. Very early.
I was up at 5:00am and out of the house by half five so I could get down to site and make a proper start. The job for the day was a subcontracting one, working for a contractor managing housing stock for a large organisation south of me in Nottinghamshire. That meant a day rate, a thick sheet of tasks, and the goal of getting through as many jobs as possible safely and efficiently.
It is worth saying this because it often comes up in the comments: when people see several jobs being done in one day, they sometimes assume each one is charged separately at a minimum call-out rate. That is not always how it works. On a day-rate subcontracting job like this, the aim is to move from property to property and get multiple maintenance items sorted in a single day.
That is also where proper access using a cherry picker can make a lot of sense. For the right sort of work, it can be quicker and more cost-effective than scaffolding, while still keeping things safe and controlled.
Why Use a Cherry Picker Instead of Ladders?
This is another question that crops up a lot.
Yes, some of these jobs could physically be done off ladders. But that does not automatically make ladders the best choice. On this particular contract, there were clear health and safety requirements in place, and the options were really scaffolding or cherry picker access.
For things like minor gutter clearance work, reattaching downpipes, and small roof defects, using the machine can be a very practical solution. It allows safe access, keeps the work moving, and avoids the time and cost involved in erecting scaffolding for every small issue.
That is the reality of this kind of day. It is not about proving something can be done the hard way. It is about getting the work done properly, safely, and efficiently.
Job One: Gutter Clearing on a Three-Storey Block
The first task was straightforward enough on paper: clear some gutters on a block of flats three storeys high.
This is exactly the sort of work where the machine comes into its own. Get set up, get up there, clear the blockage, move on. Nice when it works like that.
And on this occasion, it did.
One down, several more to go.
Job Two: The Address Was Right… But the Access Wasn’t
The second job looked simple at first glance: refix gutters and check for further issues. But once I arrived, things started to feel off.
The building did not look like the sort of place I would normally be sent to for this kind of work, and there was no answer at the door. After checking the job description and surveying the property, it became clear there were disconnected downpipes around the back. The trouble was getting to them.
That is where access becomes the real issue.
There may well have been room to set the machine up at the rear, but there was no clear route to get there. The available gap was too tight, neighbouring access was uncertain, and with nobody home it was obviously not appropriate to start driving through somebody else’s garden just because it might help.
So that one had to be abandoned.
Not ideal, but that is part of real working days in roofing and high-access maintenance. Sometimes the problem is not the repair itself. Sometimes it is getting to the repair in the first place.
Job Three: A Leaking Ridge Vent Tile and a Practical Repair
The next stop was a leaking air vent ridge tile.
Now, this is where the internet would probably get excited.
Once I got up there, I could see a gap between two ridge vents and a nasty crack in the vent itself. I did not have a replacement vent tile with me, and on a day like this there was no realistic chance of heading off to source one without derailing the whole schedule.
So the decision had to be based on the actual objective of the day: stop further water ingress, prevent additional freeze-thaw damage, and leave the roof in a better state than I found it.
That meant sealing the joint with roof putty and using a hybrid polymer to stop more water getting into the crack.
Was it the ultimate textbook repair? No.
Was it a practical, sensible solution for the situation in front of me? Yes.
And that distinction matters. In the real world, especially on reactive maintenance jobs, the “perfect” repair is not always the one that is achievable there and then. Sometimes the right call is the repair that stabilises the issue, prevents further deterioration, and buys time until the wider roof repair work can be carried out.
That sort of judgement only really makes sense when you understand the context of the job, the access, the schedule, and the likely future works planned on the building.
If you want to see exactly what I found and why I made that call, this is one of the key parts of the video to watch: A Day on the Tools
The Reality of “Bodge” Comments Online
I know full well what happens when anything comes out of a sealant tube on social media.
People lose their minds.
If it is not being used around a bath or a window frame, somebody will declare it a bodge before they have even understood the problem. But context matters. The material matters. The objective matters.
This was not silicone slapped on for the sake of it. It was a hybrid polymer being used to prevent water ingress into a cracked component, with the understanding that the roof itself was likely due for replacement in the not-too-distant future.
That is not the same thing as pretending a temporary repair is a full renewal. It is simply making the best practical call with the information, materials, and timeframe available.
Tradespeople know this. Homeowners often do too, once it is explained properly.
More Gutters, More Confusion, and a Grass Dam
Next came a bit of confusion over the next building. The job sheet said one thing, the description pointed to another, and there was a bit of head-scratching involved before I worked out which property I was actually meant to be on.
Once that was sorted, it turned into another gutter-clearing job. This time the main issue was a bit of a grass dam, with the rest of the guttering not too bad overall.
Again, not glamorous. But blocked gutters are one of those things that can quietly cause all sorts of trouble if left long enough. Overflowing water, damp walls, staining, and unnecessary wear to the building fabric all start with small maintenance problems being ignored.
That is why regular checks and timely clearing are worth doing.
Final Job: Reattaching a Downpipe on a Flat Roof
The last job of the day was to reattach a downpipe in an awkward position on a flat roof.
It was one of those jobs that did not take long once I was in the right place, but without access equipment it would have been a nuisance out of all proportion to the repair itself. The flat roof was due to be renewed, but the client quite rightly did not want scaffolding erected just to deal with one bit of downpipe in the meantime.
So up I went, sorted it, and that was that.
Simple jobs are still satisfying at the end of a long day.
What This Sort of Day Really Shows
What I like about videos like this is that they show the reality of the job.
Not every day is one big dramatic chimney rebuild or a major technical repair. A lot of high-access work is about turning up with the right equipment, solving several different problems in a single day, making sensible calls on the spot, and keeping things moving.
Some jobs are straightforward. Some fall apart because of access. Some require a temporary but worthwhile repair. Some just need getting done.
That is the trade.
It is also why I enjoy filming these sorts of days. They give a more honest picture of what cherry picker roofing and access work actually involves than a neatly edited “before and after” ever could.
Final Thoughts
By the end of the day, I had put a decent dent in the worksheet, dealt with a good mix of guttering and roofing issues, and earned my dinner.
If you enjoy the behind-the-scenes side of roofing, cherry picker access, and problem-solving on live jobs, this one should be right up your street. Give the full video a watch, and feel free to leave a comment with what you would have done differently on that ridge vent tile repair.
And if you want to keep up with what I’m doing each week, whether it’s gutters, roofs, chimneys, access challenges or general life on the tools, make sure you follow me online as well.
Follow Me Online:
• 🌐 Website: www.dji-uk.co.uk
• 🎥 YouTube: @dan_cherrypicker_man
• 🎵 TikTok: @dan_cherrypicker_man
• 📸 Instagram: @dan_cherrypicker_man
• 👍 Facebook: Dan the Cherry Picker Man
• ⭐ Google Business Page: DJI High Access Services – Google Search
• 🛒 Amazon Shop: https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/danthecherrypickerman?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_0H3MM4YGDVAPRTXQJAYV_1
My workwear is sponsored by Granite Workwear, and all of the clothing I’m wearing in the video can be purchased on their website: Workwear Clothing Supplier | Protective Safety Clothes
