Some weeks remind you that roofing isn’t just about fixing problems, it’s about whether you can physically get to them in the first place.
This week was a perfect example of that.
From tight access in Nottingham city centre to unworkable chimney jobs, weather battles, and a trip to Milton Keynes to test out new machinery, it was a week that reinforced a key truth:
The job isn’t the job… access is the job.
Sunday – Nottingham: Valleys, Lead Work & Drone Surveys
The week kicked off in Nottingham, working alongside the lads from Vitus Roofing.
First stop, Castle Boulevard repairing tiles and carrying out lead work at the base of a valley to stop a leak. Valleys are one of the most vulnerable areas on a roof, and when they fail, water has nowhere else to go but inside.
We also installed gutter hedgehogs to help prevent blockages, part of keeping everything flowing properly as part of ongoing professional gutter clearance work.
Around the corner in Castle Gardens, we tackled a leaking ridge tile and a damaged soffit board. Access was tight through a narrow gate, but manageable.
The day finished with a drone roof survey on Ilkeston Road, identifying a chimney in poor condition. Flaunching and pointing had both failed a textbook case for chimney maintenance and repair.
Back home by 1pm. Efficient, productive, and a rare early finish.
Monday – Leicester to Worksop: Adaptability on Site
Monday covered serious ground Thurmaston, Leicester city centre, Mapperley, Mansfield, and Worksop.
A leaking dormer flat roof in Thurmaston revealed failed leadwork. A full replacement is needed, but a temporary repair stopped immediate water ingress sometimes that’s the priority in roof repair work.
A quick install of an air vent at Sanvay Mill in Leicester was followed by multiple chimney surveys in Nottinghamshire.
Then Worksop changed the plan entirely.
What was booked as a survey turned into:
- Bird ingress issue
- Visible hole in the roof
- Immediate repair on site
With the machine already set up, it made sense to also carry out a gutter clearance while there.
A good example of solving the actual problem not just sticking to the booked job.
Tuesday – Liners, Limits & Knowing When to Say No
Tuesday started strong in Kirkby in Ashfield, installing a chimney pot, liner, and cowl.
Then came Cuckney.
A tall building, two liners to install but completely beyond the reach of the 1890 Pro.
This is where experience matters.
Rather than forcing it, I arranged for a larger machine to take over. The job will be done properly just not unsafely.
This is a key part of working at height:
👉 Knowing when a job shouldn’t be done with the equipment you have.
Finished the morning in Chesterfield assisting with extractor fan covers, then back home for admin and editing.
Evening highlight?
Turning up to Cubs… on the wrong day.
Wednesday – Weather, Frustration & Getting It Done Anyway
Wednesday was one of those days.
A chimney liner drop in Warsop turned into:
- Access issues
- Full flaunching removal
- Old liner extraction
- Rebuild on a failing chimney
All while dealing with:
- Wind
- Snow
- Freezing conditions
It overran and tested patience, but it got done.
Then Derby where weather shut the job down completely.
Two-hour round trip. No work completed.
Add to that frustration with delays from ProMax on machine repairs, and it was a tough day all round.
But the evening redeemed it slightly Cubs night (on the correct day this time), including holding a tarantula.
Progress comes in many forms.
Thursday – When Surveys Get It Wrong
Thursday highlighted a major issue in the industry:
Bad surveying leads to impossible jobs.
Two separate jobs in Sneinton and Radford:
- Rear access only
- Three-storey height
- No viable setup
Both completely unachievable with the machine.
This is where accessing roofs safely using a cherry picker becomes misunderstood not every job is possible, and poor planning wastes everyone’s time.
Instead of forcing it, I moved on to a productive job on All Saints Street, Nottingham:
- Removing pots
- Capping and venting chimneys
- Re-flaunching and sealing
A proper, successful job to reset the day.
Finished with a roof survey in Arnold, then a quick dash to make my daughter’s school assembly abandoning the truck temporarily to make it in time.
Back later to unload the day’s debris. Reality always catches up.
Friday – Dad Duties & Cotgrave Call-Outs
A slower start turned into chaos quickly.
School run.
Emergency call, daughter stuck at a petrol station.
Quick fix. Lesson learned.
Then a mix-up with an asbestos contractor meant a mad dash to Cotgrave:
- Repairing a roof after pipe removal
- Re-bedding ridge tiles
- Fixing a fallen dry verge
Once moving, the day became productive just not in the way it was planned.
Saturday – Milton Keynes & Machine Testing at Elite Access
Saturday took me down to Milton Keynes to visit Elite Access Platforms.
A great opportunity to test the Palazzani TZX250s and spend time with Adam discussing all things powered access.
Weather looked perfect… but wind limited what we could safely test.
Still enough to gather solid insight for an upcoming review.
We also attempted to get the Multitel truck-mounted platform out but it broke down before we could properly use it.
That’s the industry in a nutshell:
Even the machines break.
Despite that, a valuable visit and the start of what should be a strong working relationship going forward especially when it comes to repairs and alternative machine access.
Back home (later than planned), followed by the classic Saturday Tesco run.
Roofing Insight of the Week: Why Access Matters More Than the Repair
One of the biggest misconceptions in roofing is that the difficulty lies in the repair itself.
In reality:
The biggest challenge is often access.
You can have:
- A simple tile replacement
- A straightforward chimney repair
…but if:
- There’s no setup space
- The reach is beyond the machine
- The structure blocks safe access
…the job becomes impossible.
This week alone showed:
- Jobs that couldn’t be done at all
- Jobs that required different machines
- Jobs that were misjudged at survey stage
This is why proper planning and understanding access is just as important as the repair itself especially when working at height.
A Quick Note on Workwear
Between snow, wind, and everything else this week threw at me, having reliable gear makes a difference.
I’ve been wearing kit from Granite Workwear, which has held up well in some pretty rough conditions:
👉 https://www.graniteworkwear.com/?afid=danny
A Completely Necessary (and Slightly Questionable) Link
If you’ve ever tried to work around a garden full of plant pots while setting up a machine, you’ll understand this:
👉 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obstacle_course
Wrapping Up the Week
This week wasn’t about perfect jobs or smooth days.
It was about:
- Adapting
- Making the right calls
- Knowing when to proceed — and when not to
Some jobs got done.
Some couldn’t be done.
Some shouldn’t have been booked in the first place.
But that’s real-world roofing.
And through it all:
- Work got completed
- Problems got solved
- And lessons were reinforced
Roll on next week.
Locations Worked This Week
- Nottingham (Castle Boulevard, Castle Gardens, All Saints Street) – roof repairs, chimney work, re-flaunching
- Ilkeston Road (Nottingham) – drone roof survey
- Thurmaston (Leicestershire) – flat roof leak investigation
- Leicester (City Centre) – vent installation
- Mapperley – chimney survey
- Mansfield (Ashfield) – roof survey
- Worksop – roof repair and gutter clearance
- Kirkby in Ashfield – chimney liner installation
- Cuckney – attempted liner install (access limitations)
- Chesterfield – extractor fan cover installation
- Warsop – chimney liner and flaunching work
- Derby – aborted roof repair (weather)
- Sneinton & Radford (Nottingham) – inaccessible chimney jobs
- Arnold (Furlong Street) – roof survey
- Cotgrave (Nottinghamshire) – roof repair, ridge tiles, dry verge
- Milton Keynes – access platform testing at Elite Access
About the Author
This blog is compiled and published by Danny Iwanejko, also known as Dan the Cherry Picker Man, who runs DJI High Access Services Ltd.
Danny specialises in roofing and chimney repairs carried out using high-access equipment, including spider cherry pickers. Through his work, he documents real-world challenges, solutions, and day-to-day life in the trade, providing insight into what it really takes to work safely and effectively at height.
Keep Up With Dan the Cherry Picker Man
🌐 Website: www.dji-uk.co.uk
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