Average Scaffold Costs and Prices

Welcome to Roofer’s Rates – A website created by roofing contractors for homeowners. Find out how much you should expect to pay to have scaffold erected around your property.

This page was last updated on 19th November 2016.

Don’t forget; this is just one several cost guides. See our full price list here.

What are the typical costs charged by scaffolders? How long can you keep the scaffold erected and are there any nasty surprises in the small print?

As roofing contractors we use access equipment on a daily basis, sometimes it’s our own access platforms but we also use the services of external scaffold companies.

The figures on this page are just a guide, based on our experiences.

Scaffold boards

Guide Prices For Scaffolding Hire

Below are five examples of scaffold hire costs:

1) Scaffold Over Conservatory

We often use the services of a scaffold company to create a bridge over a conservatory so we can carry out roofing work on the structure above. Expect a scaffold company to charge around £450 . It will only take the scaffolders a couple of hours to erect and even less to dismantle afterwards.

2) One Side of House 10 Metres Long up to First Floor

For this we would normally use our own equipment, such as aluminium access towers but if we used a scaffold company we would expect to pay around £550. Again the work will take only take between 2-3 hours to erect. We assume that there is only one “lift” that means only one level that you can walk on. If you want multiple lifts/levels (perhaps because you are painting the walls etc) then it will cost more. As a roofer we usually only have one or two lifts on our scaffold – at the top!

3) Entire House Semi Detached

As roofers we often re-roof semi detached houses, the cost to erect scaffold around a 3-bed semi detached house is approximately £900. Expect the work to take just over half a day.

4) Entire House Detached With Tin Hat

If you want a “wrap around” scaffold to your entire detached house with a temporary roof (called a “tin hat”) then expect to pay around £2250. This will take a group of scaffolders an entire day to erect. This type of scaffolding is usually erected if you are having extensive work carried out on the property over a long period of time and want to keep rainwater away from the building.

5) Cost to Scaffold Around a Chimney

A chimney can be located anywhere through the roof of a building. Common places are at the eaves (near the gutter) at the gable end/apex or at the highest point in the centre of the roof (at the ridge).

The eaves and gable ends are easy to scaffold and you should expect to pay around £550 for these locations.

Erecting a scaffold up to and around a chimney located in the centre of a roof is more difficult, time-consuming and therefore more costly. Expect to pay around £850.

How Long Can You Keep the Scaffold?

This is negotiable but you will usually have the scaffold for between 1 and 2 months on a pre-agreed hire contract. If you want to keep the scaffold for longer periods than this, it will be charged on a per day or per week basis.

Keeping Costs Down and Legal Requirements

Keeping the scaffold beyond the pre-arranged date can add additional cost the scaffolding hire, make sure you check the small print before agreeing any contract. If you think you will need the scaffold for more than a couple of months then negotiate before you agree a contract.

It is important that your scaffold meets health and safety requirements. So hand rails, foot boards and roof edge protection should all be in place. Don’t be tempted to save a few pounds by doing some of the work from ladders and some from scaffold, you could be breaching current health and safety legislation.