You’ve always got to be careful when you work in high places, especially if you are 64 years old like I am. Yesterday, while putting rigid foam insulation between roof rafters, I stepped on the edge of a temporary plywood support, then fell through the ceiling and smashed my chest against a 2 x 4 truss brace. The brace, fortunately, prevented me from falling all the way to the floor.
I’m lucky! Initially I thought I had broken a couple of ribs. The fall had knocked the wind out of me, so I began making inarticulate gestures to my wife, Ilene, and three sons below. Lenie, who was working out the roof angle on a calculator, had not realized what had happened.
“Don’t be kidding like that,” she said as she looked up.
My sons realized immediately that I was hurt. They had been working with me and had to dodge the cascade of plywood and tools that crashed to the floor.
After a few moments of trying to explain via motions what happened, I managed to get out the hoarse words, “My ribs! I think I broke my ribs!”
Everyone went into scramble mode to try and figure how to get me down from the ceiling. But after about five minutes I caught my breath, and the pain in my chest gradually slackened, allowing me to climb down the ladder with the help of Jake.
Fifteen minutes later I was working with my boys again — for another hour. It wasn’t until later in the evening that the belated chest pain caused me to take some Tylenol.
Injuries are a hazard for do-it-yourselfers like me and others who read BHM. We try to be careful, but now and then we make a mistake. This was almost a big mistake. Had I fallen all the way to the floor, I’d be in the hospital cursing my stupidity for stepping on the edge of a piece of plywood I had already cautioned my boys about.
The reason for this “almost injury” is because for the past week my three sons and I have torn out our living room ceiling, sucked out with a vacuum or swept up all the blown-in mouse-pee-permeated attic insulation, and are in the process of installing a new product called “pink board,” which gives you insulation value without absorbing rodent pee. It’s part of a battle I’ve been fighting with mice and rats for years.
While we’re at it, we’ll extend this remodeling project to include a new floor for the living room, a few new windows, and a kitchen re-do.
Pink board (The technical name is Owens-Corning Foamular 150) is a modern age type of extruded polystyrene that boasts an R-value of 5 per inch. I’ll get up to an R-45 value on the roof, which essentially creates what is called a “warm roof.” Here’s how it works if you’re interested.
Anyway, I’m hard at work between issues doing my own do-it-yourself projects. I’m glad I dodged a serious injury, and I sure am glad I have three teenaged sons to help me out.
