Ladder to reach the gutters

[Ragged]

I am not sure what to do.
Basically I need a chickenwire insert at the top of my gutter downpipes to stop rats crawling up the inside & getting in the loft. This means someone going up a ladder to position the insert. I can make the insert out of chickenwire I already have, making it is the very EASY part.

I'm very nervous about heights , I don't do heights.

Gutter cleaning guy has let me down and probably won't get in touch again. I could ring around trying to find someone else with their own ladders etc. or...

I can buy a suitable ladder ;
relative volunteered to go up the ladder
Also would check to see if my gutters need a clean.
I can stop the rat entry asap rather than waiting for weeks before I figured out another way to get the inserts in place.

Problems: I have nowhere out of the rain to store a 5-6m long expensive ladder;
Trying to choose a suitable and safe ladder is a headache, £200+.

I reckon that Pest control business people aren't going to go up ladders either, they'll just charge me a lot of £££ for traps & poison poorly positioned in the loft. Am I wrong about whether pest control would go up a ladder to place the insert for me?

I started this thread thinking to ask for advice in buying a suitable ladder but I still can't figure out if I should instead ring around again trying to find someone with their own ladder. Last time I posted a query like this on local Facebook Recommendations, many people took the piss and called me useless for needing to ask for help. So I'm very unsure how to find someone suitable other than many calls after internet searches for some sort of gutter or handy-men type people.

WWYD?

As you have a relative willing to go up the ladder, but you don't have anywhere to store a ladder, and no other regular need for it, I reckon you should be able to hire one.

Just put out a Facebook post on your local groups asking for anyone with a ladder willing to help you out.

Is it a 2 story house ?

If it is I would just use a long pole. You could put a camera up there to view the process. I have something called a docapole that has all sorts of adaptors and tools you can put on the end.

Is there not some other way you can stop them lower down ?

Try a traditional window cleaner (one who uses a ladder rather than a water pole system).

I 2nd asking a window cleaner for help

You can hire ladders. Or ask on local groups, nextdoor. Check Freecycle.

Perhaps use those odd job sites like airtasker?

Hire a scaffolding tower for the weekend. If you are scared of heights you will never make it up a normal ladder. A scaffolding tower will be stable and safer and let you do the work easily.

You can get extendable ladders that fold down quite short . I have some and they reach my guttering

Just to make you aware, you will need something much more heavy duty to stop rats. They will chew through chicken wire in a second!

Telescopic ladder.

Interesting point! I suppose if I double the wire and the rat is clinging to inside of the vertical downpipe, it may simply be too much effort for the rat. I have to try, anyway. The water still has to get thru.

They don't seem to come > 3m long, and to get to gutters on a 2 story house I need at least 4m, maybe 5m. I was looking at a good quality telescopic one for about £180 but it only went to 3m. the cheap telescopic ladders are very bendy, scary!!

the hire seems to be about £90 for a 4m ladder from B&Q, which is probably more than someone would charge me to place the inserts.

Can't stop the ratties at ground level without dislodging the downpipes from the guttering at the top, so then someone has to go up a ladder to reconnect. Also the front downpipe seems to be wedged into the drains... I don't think the front downpipe can be moved without disconnecting it at the top first.

yeah I tried that, a lot of people online mocked me because I asked for help.

I did from that appeal end up with a guy who helped me with earlier repair. It took him 2 minutes up the ladder to effect and then he talked to me for 20 minutes (probably felt like this somehow made him earn the £20 I paid him). Anyway, I think sensible thing is I just contact him again, and be braced for the long chat afterwards. £20-£40 to him is less than £90 hire cost ( is less than £180 for a nice ladder I can't store without ruining it). So enduring the chat is quite reasonable way to get the job done.

I'll try a window cleaner if I can't get the same guy to come over again.

Thanks to all for trying to help. I needed to write that out to figure out what to do.

I have a telescopic ladder that I use to reach my gutters, it is only slightly bendy and doesn’t bother me so wouldn’t probably bother your relative either. I can’t remember how much it was but well
under 200£. I have also used it on a flight of stairs to paint the underneath of the flight above!

Window cleaner would’ve been my first port of call. Mines ace, does all the jobs at height that I couldn’t do and he’s already on the ladder so it’s no extra bother. Of course I pay extra but no job is too wet or minging for him. He’s used to it

Pest control man did exactly this for me.