Exterior Painting Question

[oldtoyota]

Hello--

I am considering painting the outside of my house since I only need to paint a small area. Here is the situation:

My house is mostly brick. The part that needs painting are two high-up triangles right under the roof line. There are a total of two triangles--one on each side of the house.

My concerns are: 1) being that high up 2) figuring out an efficient way to sand.

Questions:
1. What is the safest way to be that high up? Is using a ladder the best way to go or would I want to rent scaffolding to give myself more stability? The area under me on one side is an unforgiving cement driveway.
2. Is an electric sander the way to go? If yes, would it be best to rent this from a place like Home Depot?
3. Would I need to use a paint sprayer? I have never used one and am trying to envision what it would be like to use one while on a ladder…

What else do I need to consider here?

[soccerluvof4]

Not seeing it is tough however, for #1 I when its high usually try to find away to use a rope I can wrap around my waist. I wrap around chimney and then tie off on/around myself and then use the ladder.

[TrMama]

1. I prefer scaffolding. It feels safer and you can reach a wider area without having to move the ladder around. I have no idea if it actually is safer though. You should be able to adjust it to account for the slope.
2. Probably. When I rent equipment, I pick the closest place since the difference in price is usually small.
3. NO. IMO spraying anything outside results in serious overspray onto the thing you least want covered in paint. Do not spray anything outside. Even the slightest breeze is a big problem. Use a roller and brush.

[Thegoblinchief]

Why do you need to sand? A paint scraper is typically all the prep I've done, especially on something that high above the ground.

You can spray outdoors, but then you're drastically increasing the amount of masking necessary. And doing it on a ladder doesn't work well, since you'll typically be too close to the wall surface for even coverage.

It really comes down to the width of the area. If you will need to move the ladder horizontally more than 3 times (~12 ft safe reach to each side, combined), scaffolding may be the better bet.

Not sure about scaffolding, since I've never used it myself, but extension ladders really need 2 people to safely move, especially once they are 25ft or longer. Otherwise you're asking for a window breaking or seriously jacking up your back wrestling with the damn thing.

[oldtoyota]

Thank you, everyone!

Lots to think about. For instance, I could skip the sprayer and sander. That makes it a lot easier for me.