Scaffolding quotes: what the job involves and who is registered to do it

the UK roofing register

• Scaffold hire cost
• Scaffolding cost calculator
• Scaffolding cost per day

How scaffolding works

1. Establish what is being reached. The height, the length of run, whether the scaffold has to go over a conservatory or a bay, and whether it needs to reach a chimney. Each of those changes the design and the price more than the floor area of the house does.
2. Separate erect, hire and strike. Ask for the erection, the weekly hire and the dismantling as separate figures. That is the only way to see what an extra fortnight on site will actually cost you.
3. Ask who is responsible while it stands. The scaffolder erects and inspects it; the contractor using it has duties too, and a scaffold must be inspected before first use and at intervals afterwards. Get the inspection arrangement in writing.
4. Check whether a licence is needed. A scaffold that stands on a pavement or a road needs a licence from the local highway authority, with a fee and a lead time. That is the item most likely to delay a start date.
5. Confirm insurance and the handover. Public liability cover and a handover certificate for the completed scaffold. Both are normal, both are cheap to ask for, and neither appears unless you do.

Insurance and paperwork

Common questions

Why is scaffolding quoted by the week?

Because the scaffolder's material is out of their yard for as long as it stands. The erect and strike are fixed; the hire is time, which is why a delayed roof job costs more in scaffolding than in labour.

Can I hire a tower instead?

For low, short jobs a mobile tower is often enough and much cheaper. For roof work at height on a house it usually is not, and the HSE treats access as part of planning the work rather than an optional extra.

Who arranges the scaffold, me or the roofer?

Either, and it should be explicit. A roofing quote that does not name the access arrangement has not priced the job, which is the single most common gap in roofing quotes.

Registered contractors by region

• Registered roofers in the East Midlands postcode area
• Registered roofers in the East of England postcode area
• Registered roofers in the London postcode area
• Registered roofers in the North East postcode area
• Registered roofers in the North West postcode area
• Registered roofers in the Scotland postcode area
• Registered roofers in the South East postcode area
• Registered roofers in the South West postcode area
• Registered roofers in the Wales postcode area
• Registered roofers in the West Midlands postcode area
• Registered roofers in the Yorkshire and The Humber postcode area