Week Beginning 2.8.2026
Sometimes It’s Worth Stopping to Look Back
Every now and again, it’s worth taking a step back from the endless cycle of loading vans, mixing mortar, editing videos and chasing the next job to appreciate just how fortunate life can be.
This was one of those weeks.
It began celebrating Robin’s eighth birthday, took me to Fred Dibnah’s former home in Bolton, saw me complete restoration work on a historic mill in Sheffield, spend a day testing the latest Oil & Steel access platform in Hull, and ended celebrating Hannah’s birthday with the family.
Throw in a surprise pigeon eviction, some brilliant people, a few hundred motorway miles and plenty of time with the family, and it became one of those weeks that reminds me exactly why I love what I do.
Sunday – Robyn Turns Eight
The week began with a planned rest day from running, giving me a chance to catch up on a little video editing before the house came to life.
It didn’t stay quiet for long.
Robyn was celebrating her eighth birthday, so she was awake far earlier than necessary, bursting with excitement to open her presents.
Before long, the four of us – me, Hannah, Robyn and Wren – were heading down to the NEC in Birmingham for Robin’s birthday surprise: the Gladiator Experience.
We spent the morning tackling famous events from the television programme, including The Eliminator, Duel, Hang Tough and The Wall.
It was enormous fun.
Whether any of us looked remotely like Gladiators is another matter entirely, but everyone threw themselves into it and we made some fantastic family memories.
On the journey home we stopped for a very rare family treat – a McDonald’s – before racing home to prepare for the evening.
While Wren enjoyed her afternoon nap, Hannah and I transformed the garden into party mode.
By five o’clock, family and friends were arriving for Robyn’s birthday barbecue.
There was good food, birthday cake, children tearing around the garden, a few beers for the adults and plenty of laughter.
Exactly how a summer birthday should be celebrated.
Monday – Fred Dibnah’s Chimney
Monday took me north to Bolton to meet somebody I’d spoken to online for quite a while but had never actually met in person.
Danny Smith from Kingfisher Roofing had invited me to help him inspect the chimney at Fred Dibnah’s former home.
Danny is a huge admirer of Fred Dibnah, so when the opportunity came up, he understandably jumped at it.
He kindly asked if I’d provide the specialist access.
Meeting people from social media can sometimes be a bit of an unknown.
Thankfully, Danny turned out to be exactly as genuine in person as he is online.
An excellent roofer and a genuinely lovely bloke.
Originally, we expected to remove and replace the chimney flaunching.
However, once we’d cleaned away the moss and inspected everything properly, it became obvious that the existing flaunching remained remarkably solid.
Although the drone photographs had suggested otherwise, removing it would probably have caused more damage than simply leaving it alone.
So that’s exactly what we did.
Instead, we cleaned the chimney, cleared the gutters and left a perfectly serviceable repair exactly as it was.
It’s a good reminder that sometimes the best repair is no repair at all.
Afterwards, we spent some time looking around Fred Dibnah’s old property before visiting the magnificent India Mill Chimney, one of Britain’s most recognisable industrial landmarks.
As an unexpected bonus, we even spotted a pair of peregrine falcons.
The two-and-a-half-hour drive home felt considerably shorter after such an enjoyable day.
Tuesday – Preventing Bigger Problems
Tuesday’s first stop was West Bridgford, where a homeowner had recently discovered pigeons taking an interest in the space beneath their solar panels.
Fortunately, we caught the problem early.
There was only a single pigeon using the space and no eggs or chicks in the nest.
After carefully removing the nesting material, I installed Defender Jaws bird guards around the solar panels, preventing any future residents from moving in.
Like many roofing jobs, prevention is almost always simpler and cheaper than dealing with a fully established problem later.
From there, I travelled to Sherwood to carry out a roof survey before returning to DJI HQ to prepare for Wednesday.
With Hannah, Robyn and Wren away visiting friends in Robin Hood’s Bay, I enjoyed an unusually quiet evening catching up with office work, editing videos and replying to messages.
Why Good Roofers Sometimes Recommend Doing Nothing
One thing that really stood out this week was how important proper inspection is before recommending work.
On Monday, drone photographs suggested Fred Dibnah’s chimney required extensive repairs.
A closer inspection proved otherwise.
Rather than removing perfectly serviceable flaunching simply because we’d expected to, we left it alone.
Likewise, Tuesday’s pigeon-proofing job wasn’t about repairing damage.
It was about preventing future damage before it became expensive.
Whether I’m carrying out a roof survey, diagnosing a leak or inspecting a chimney, the objective isn’t to find work that can be done.
It’s to identify the work that actually needs doing.
That’s why I always recommend starting with a proper inspection before jumping straight into repairs.
If you’d like to understand the condition of your roof before committing to work, take a look at my Roof Surveys page:
https://www.dji-uk.co.uk/roof-surveys
Wednesday & Thursday – Restoring a Sheffield Landmark
The middle of the week was dominated by a large former mill building in Sheffield.
Wednesday was spent repairing damaged guttering, installing new benching where years of weather had taken their toll, clearing gutters and re-flaunching a chimney.
There was far too much work to complete in one day, so I returned early on Thursday morning.
Very early.
I left home at twenty past five to arrive on site around twenty past six, giving me enough time to clear the roadside gutters before traffic became too heavy.
Partway through the morning, the hired Hinowa 26.14 arrived, supplied by Viking Access.
The operator, Simon, was absolutely outstanding.
Because of the weight restrictions involved with carrying mortar, tools and materials, Simon couldn’t accompany me in the basket.
Instead, he quietly got on with everything else.
He repositioned the machine, swept the pavement after I’d cleared the gutters, unloaded debris, organised the back of my truck, cleaned my mixing paddle and generally made sure I could keep working efficiently all day.
It’s amazing how much difference somebody like that makes.
With the additional reach of the Hinowa, I was able to re-flaunch two chimneys, repair leadwork on the clock tower, remove vegetation, clear debris and finally complete the entire project.
Best of all…
I didn’t have to return on Monday.
Huge thanks to Simon and everyone at Viking Access. The service they provided genuinely went above and beyond.
Friday – A Day with Hird
Friday saw another early start, this time travelling to Hull to visit Hird, the UK distributor for Oil & Steel access platforms.
I’d been invited by Dan Holegate to spend the day testing the Oil & Steel Octoplus 21, a machine competing in the same class as the Hinowa 20.10 and the CMC S20.
Rather than simply driving it around a depot yard, we took the machine to one of Dan’s family properties so I could assess how it performed in a genuine domestic environment.
Testing access equipment this way tells you far more than a brochure ever can.
You learn how it positions alongside buildings, how the boom behaves around chimneys and whether the machine feels practical in real working conditions.
It was another thoroughly enjoyable day and another opportunity to broaden my understanding of specialist access equipment.
Saturday – Hannah’s Birthday
Saturday belonged entirely to Hannah.
After enjoying BLTs for breakfast, we headed over to Thoresby Park for the Glow Worm Festival.
One of the highlights was watching one of our favourite children’s performers, Nick Cope, whose songs have become regular favourites in our house.
Robyn and Wren absolutely loved it.
Truthfully…
…so did I.
After returning home for Wren’s afternoon nap, we rounded the day off with a fantastic Italian meal at Ciao Bella in Mansfield.
We definitely ordered more food than any sensible people should.
No regrets.
Looking Back
Reflecting on the week afterwards, I realised just how lucky I am.
Within seven days I’d celebrated Robyn’s birthday at the Gladiator Experience, worked on Fred Dibnah’s former home with Danny Smith, completed restoration work on a historic Sheffield mill, spent a day operating a Hinowa 26.14, visited Hird to test another exciting access platform, and finished the week celebrating Hannah’s birthday.
Along the way I’d met some fantastic people.
Danny Smith.
Simon from Viking Access.
Dan Holegate at Hird.
People who genuinely enjoy what they do and make this industry such an enjoyable one to be part of.
Sometimes it’s easy to become wrapped up in deadlines, traffic, weather forecasts and leaking roofs.
Weeks like this remind me to stop occasionally and appreciate just how fortunate I am to do a job I genuinely love while still having time to enjoy life with my family.
I wouldn’t swap it for anything.
Locations Worked This Week
- Birmingham – Gladiator Experience (family day)
- Bolton – Inspection of Fred Dibnah’s former home
- West Bridgford – Solar panel bird protection
- Sherwood – Roof survey
- Sheffield – Mill restoration, gutter repairs, chimney re-flaunching and leadwork repairs
- Hull – Hird visit and Oil & Steel Octo Plus 21 review
- Thoresby Park – Glow Worm Festival
- Mansfield – Hannah’s birthday meal
Do You Have Concerns About Your Roof, Chimney or a Persistent Leak?
If you’re worried about a leak, damaged chimney, blocked guttering or simply want to understand the condition of your roof, I offer two survey options:
Targeted Roof Inspection — £100 + VAT
Ideal if you have a specific concern you’d like professionally investigated.
Full Roof Condition Survey — £250 + VAT
A comprehensive inspection covering the overall condition of your roof and identifying any defects before they become larger problems.
I generally carry out surveys within approximately 1½ hours of North Nottinghamshire, although remote photo quotations are often possible for customers further afield.
Find out more here:https://www.dji-uk.co.uk/roof-surveys
About the Author
Roof Tops and Pit Stops is compiled and published by Dan the Cherry Picker Man, documenting the real world of roofing, chimney repairs, specialist access work and life on the road.
Based in North Nottinghamshire, Dan specialises in difficult-to-access roof repairs using cherry pickers and spider lifts, while sharing the realities of running a family business, reviewing access equipment and meeting fascinating people along the way.
A huge thanks to Granite Workwear for keeping me suitably equipped throughout another busy week. If you’re after quality workwear that’s built for life on site, you can find them here: https://www.graniteworkwear.com/?afid=danny
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From Fred Dibnah’s former home to restoring a Sheffield mill and testing new access platforms, follow another unforgettable week with Dan the Cherry Picker Man.
