What Size Ladder for a Two Story Home? 

If you have the right size ladder required for your two-story home, then you can easily access the height of your home you want and do your work. But deciding which size ladder will be safe and effective for use for a two-story home is a difficult task. Also, it is a common question asked by many people while choosing a ladder for their two-story homes. 

In general, you can need a ladder for cleaning the window or gutter, any repairing work, or accessing the roof of your home. Whatever your purpose is, you need to choose the right size ladder for safety and ease of use. For a single-story home, you can easily select a ladder by considering the height of the ceiling and your height. But it becomes a little harder when it comes to choosing the right size ladder for a two-story home. 

However, you don’t need to worry because, in this article, we will guide you on how to decide which size of the ladder is ideal for a two-story home. You can follow this guide to select the right size ladder that works for you excellently.

Find The Height Of  Your Two-Story Home

First of all, you need to find the height of a two-story home in order to decide which size ladder will be safe for it. In general, the height of a two-story home can vary in different locations. Also, the style, construction, and other factors can define the height of a two-story home. Moreover, the ceilings of each home are not flat, which is a big difference to consider. 

However, the standard size of a one-floor home can vary from 8 feet to 10 feet. According to this consideration, two-story homes can range from 16 feet to 20 feet. Also, the height of a two-story home can go up to 25 feet in some cases. 

Let’s assume the height of your two-story home is 25 feet to choose the right size ladder for your home. 

How To Decide The Right Ladder Size To Reach A Specific Height?

Before finding the right size ladder for your two-story home, you need to understand how to determine the right ladder size for reaching a particular height. First, you need to measure the height that you want to reach. As there is no calculator for calculating the ladder size, you can measure the height of your home that you want to reach for your work. Measuring the height of your home is important because the wrong size ladder can cause injuries while working due to slipping. So make sure to measure the height of your home perfectly before going further.  

For finding the ladder size, you can follow the angle rule of the ladder. The angle rule of the ladder says that the ladder should be placed at an angle of 75 degrees off the wall. Also, it defines that the distance from the base of your ladder to the base of your home should be 1/4 of the height of the home. For example, if the height of the home is 25 feet, then the ladder should be placed at 6.25 feet off the base of the home. Therefore, this rule is also known as 4:1 rule. 

When the ladder is placed at the right distance from the home, it will look like a right-angle triangle. Therefore, you can use the Pythagoras Theorem to find the length of the ladder. This is a simple method, and here is how to apply this theorem to calculate the ladder size. 

As per the Pythagoras Theorem, a2+b2=c2

Here, 

a = the height of your two-story home

b = the distance between the ladder base and the base of the home.

And c = the size of the ladder. 

So, you can measure the height of the home and find the distance between the ladder base and the base of the home by using the angle rule. After that, you can apply the Pythagoras Theorem to find the length of the ladder. 

This way, you can easily find the right ladder size for your two-story home. 

Calculating The Ladder Size Of A Two-Story Home

Now, you know the formula and the parameters that you require to calculate the size of the ladder required for a two-story home. So let’s calculate it.

Suppose the height of your home is 25 feet. 

Then the distance from the wall to the ladder will be 6.25 feet according to the angle rule. 

So, a = 25 feet and b = 6.25 feet. 

Let’s apply Pythagoras Theorem to find c. 

a2+b2=c2  

= (25) ^2 + (6.25) ^2 = c2

= c2 = 625 + 39.06

         = 664.06

So, c = 25.76 feet. 

Therefore, the length of the ladder is 25.76 feet. 

But the top end of the ladder should have an extra three feet above the roof for appropriate performance. Therefore, the ladder size required for a two-story home is 25.76 + 3 = 28.76 feet or 29 feet approximately. 

If you are using an extension ladder, then you need to keep in mind that an extension ladder has three feet less operational height than its actual height. This happens due to the overlapping of two parts. Therefore, you need to choose an extension ladder with an extra three feet longer than your actual requirement. If you need a 29 feet extension ladder, then you can choose a 29 + 3 = 32 feet ladder for better performance. 

This is the simple way to determine the right size ladder for a two-story home.

Also Read: Ladder Vs. Stepladder: Which One is Better?

Conclusion

Having the right size ladder is important in order to do some cleaning or repairing work of your home effectively. It also can prevent slipping and injuries while working. But, you may get overwhelmed while deciding the right size ladder for your two-story home. However, you can determine the right size ladder required for your home by following the simple method explained above. We hope you have used the above method and calculated the ladder size for your two-story home.