Price range – £250 to £1500
Average cost – £625
Best/Cheapest price – £250
Any major building work required on your house, like re-tiling your roof or having work done on your chimney, will require scaffolding. This is not something that can be compromised as work carried out is above head height and needs to be safe. For example, carrying out repairs on a roof with just a ladder can easily lead to injury.
How Much Does Scaffolding Cost?
The average cost in the UK: £150 per day
Normally, the cost of scaffolding is built into any quote where the work requires scaffolding. If you are doing a project yourself that needs scaffolding or it’s been left for you to organise, a single scaffold up to 10 metres can cost around £625 per week.
Scaffolding cost per M2
Most scaffolding is worked out per M2, which is because some scaffolding installations are only needed for small jobs or jobs that encircle your whole house. Scaffolding may also need to be positioned around certain features such as small walls or ponds.
Usually, the average cost of basic scaffolding per M2 is between £15 and £20. On top, is the cost of protection. For each M2, there is edge protection which costs £10 and £10 for guardrails.
In total, the cost of scaffolding per M2 is about £35 to £40.
Why Do You Need Scaffolding?
Scaffolding is required for jobs that are carried out at a height such as having your roof repaired or building a two level extension. Although not impossible, this work could be done via a ladder. But this is very unsafe for the workers.
Scaffolding allows the workers a level footing, so that they have a stable platform to work from. It also allows more than one worker on the same scaffolding so work can be done faster, potentially saving you money. The extra space that is gained with scaffolding is ideal for materials to be stored on. This prevents multiple trips getting materials up to where they are working.
Factors That Can Affect Costs
There are many things to consider with the cost of scaffolding when you think about hiring a tradesperson. These include the following:
Length of Hire
As you can imagine, the longer that you need scaffolding, the more this will cost you. Usually, you will agree on the length of time you will be hiring the scaffolding for and agree to a fixed fee. However, if your project goes over the expected completion time, then you would need to extend the time you have it. This is usually charged at a weekly rate.
Location
The location where you need to hire scaffolding can make a difference. Usually, you will find that hiring scaffolding in a city is more expensive than doing so in a village in the countryside.
Also, if you go to a small independent scaffolding company you may be able to get more value for money as they tend to be less expensive.
Height
The higher your scaffolding, the higher the cost will be. This is because you will need more panels, metal poles and joints, and it will take longer to put the scaffolding up and down. If you are unsure of how high you need your scaffolding, make sure you ask your professional tradesman, and they may come out on-site to inspect what is required. [ Sarunas, is this part of the service of a scaffolder anyway?]
Number of Working Levels
Depending on the kind of work that you’re having done, it may require a different number of levels. This is connected to the height, but if you need two working levels at different heights then more material such as panels, edge protection and guardrails would be needed.
Access
Putting up scaffolding with lots of clear ground doesn’t really cause a challenge. If you compare that to putting scaffolding up somewhere like a sloped driveway with tight spaces, this is a more challenging installation. The more difficult the access for scaffolding to be put up, the longer it will take, increasing the cost.
Do You Need a Licence for Scaffolding?
If the scaffolding is being put up on your property then there is no need for a permit. However, if the scaffolding needs to be put up on the pavement or the road then you will need to obtain a licence.
This would be something to bear in mind if you are personally hiring the scaffolding for your own projects.
It is also worth noting that if your scaffolding does require a licence and is being provided by a company, that it’s your responsibility to make sure that the company has the licence and doesn’t run out before the work is finished.
Different Types of Scaffolding Jobs?
Conservatory Scaffolding Costs
Work that needs to be carried out around a conservatory can be difficult. Due to the conservatory structure, they aren’t strong enough to be stood on. So scaffolding would have to be erected around it if you needed to work above it.
A scaffolding bridge would need to be installed and these cost around £650 per week.
Chimney Scaffolding
Depending on where your chimney is on your property and how safe it is to access, it might be required to have chimney scaffolding. Typically this scaffolding is just a high-level tower and doesn’t need to surround the house.
Due to it being put up to access the highest point of the house, extra safety precautions will have to be put in place.
The cost of installing chimney scaffolding is between £400 – £800 per week.
Scaffolding for Guttering Repairs
If you need repairs to be carried out on your guttering then having scaffolding is the safest option. Trying to do this with just a ladder would put you in danger of injury. Depending on how much of the gutter needs repairing, will impact the price.
If you only needed a single tower then the average cost will be about £250 per week.
The Different Types of Scaffolding?
Single Scaffolding
The single scaffold is commonly used in bricklaying. It uses the building as support by driving holes into the walls. Planks are layered on top of the metal poles to allow for a surface to walk and work on.
Double Scaffolding
When there isn’t an occasion to be able to drill into the wall, a double scaffold is used. The structure looks like the letter H and is typically the most common type of scaffolding.
Suspended Scaffolding
This scaffold is suspended from the roof by rope and chains. This is a lightweight scaffold that can be raised and lowered, making it suitable for repair work, painting or pointing work.
Trestle Scaffolding
Trestle scaffolding is a movable platform from which you can work. With a height of up to 5m, this type of scaffolding works well indoors, when doing work on ceilings or high up on walls.
How Long Does It Take To Put Up Scaffolding?
Unfortunately, there is no one answer to this question. It could take as little as 2 hours or as long as 48 hours, depending on how much scaffolding is being put up and what the area is like for the scaffolding installation. If there is little room and it’s hard to access then it will take much longer than average.
Please note that all prices in this guide are estimates only
