The real problem is that chairs and a couch are terrible anchors because they slide apart on smooth floors. A laundry rack works because it pushes outward against both sides, so the whole thing locks up like a bridge. Try a shower curtain rod next time, the tension kind, wedged between the two chair backs at seat height. Cheap, stores flat, and it won't budge no matter how hard you lean.

One time on a compressor job I had the same issue and just asked the super straight up if we could get a basket for the overhead stuff. He grumbled but made it happen once I showed him how much faster we'd be. Saving your back is worth the five minute conversation.

Dale in Cheyenne had been using an inspection camera for years before you even ran into him? That part gets me. I figured those things didn't really catch on with roofers until maybe ten years ago, and here he was already set up back then like it was nothing. I was doing flues by feel with a flashlight for way longer than I want to admit, and I know I passed a few I shouldn't have. Just the idea of seeing down inside there instead of guessing makes my stomach drop a little. Guess some guys were ahead of the curve and the rest of us were just winging it.