scaffolding

[redtop]

rent or buy?  We will need it for an extended period as house build will take several months.  Also access is a bugger, so i can easily take it onto site in bits, erect, get some more, etc.  I appreciate insurance might be an issue but we are using local tradesman and i dont think they will give a monkeys TBH. If we do buy any recommendations on what system to go for?

[ProDave]

A lot of us on here have bought our own. Kwikstage is easy to buy and easy to erect. There are other system scaffolds like Cuplock that are equally good but not so abundant.

 

Mine was up for over a year, and nobody refused to use it and nobody poked their nose in about it in any respect. But we are a bit off the beaten track.

[redtop]

cheers, will look into it :-) 

[nod]

As Dave has pointed out If you are off the beaten track your fine 

We are on the main road and had two HSS visits 

Just walked on The first time they asked for a scaf cert When told them it was a friends company that had erected it They told me there should be a sign 

HSS came back the following day with the scaffolding company boss and had a walk through 

 

As a rendering company we would always alter bits that are in the way Now most sites tell us that if we are caught with a scaffold spanner We will be asked to leave 

 

I hired mainly due to insurance issues If there was an accident I’m sure they would expect your scaffolding to have a certificate 

Onsite even ally tiers and Step ladders when allowed have to have a weekly certificate   

[ToughButterCup]

9 hours ago, redtop said:

rent or buy?  We will need it for an extended period as house build will take several months. [...]

 

How long is 'extended' ? To me, a 6 - 10 month build is the blink of an eye.

 

Locally the building world is divided in two. Those who can get scaffold erected for a one off price, and no subsequent hire charge; and those who cannot.

A local scaffolder (small-scale) explained it to me thus - repeat business customers with a quick turnover means no hire fee even if there's some delay on the build. Mates Rates in other words.

If my assumption  of up to (say) 12 months is right,

• get three quotes from reputable scaff companies,
• ask those companies what their policy is about minor alterations
• Then ask a company like this one for a quote - they'll do a design for you.

As usual, Gary @nod  (above) is exactly right. It depends to an extent on your appetite for risk.  The local trades will always say they don't give a toss until the soft and smelly hits a fan. 

SWMBO in our house has a simple way of putting it. "Have you thought about the injured tradesman's partner ?" Code for "Are we insured for the risk of a tradesman falling off the ladder?"

 

We have Kwikstage. Why?

The soft and very smelly happened. The contractor left our site for five weeks with 10 minutes notice one Friday afternoon. On the Monday after, (July 2nd 2017) a severe turbulent easterly gale blew up. Knocked a wall over. Scaffold contractor was on site a couple of hours later.

We agreed - in terms of scaffold hire - it would take too long to put it right . It was taken down that day.

 

The KwikStage arrived the following week. The business case for DIY scaffolding (not necessarily KwikStage) became compelling. It's fully insured. 

We are preparing to re-sell ours now. I expect it'll not take long to go. But I'm keeping a good chunk of it: too useful.

 

 

[nod]

As Dave has pointed out If you are off the beaten track your fine 

We are on the main road and had two HSS visits 

Just walked on The first time they asked for a scaf cert When told them it was a friends company that had erected it They told me there should be a sign 

HSS came back the following day with the scaffolding company boss and had a walk through 

 

As a rendering company we would always alter bits that are in the way Now most sites tell us that if we are caught with a scaffold spanner We will be asked to leave 

 

I hired mainly due to insurance issues If there was an accident I’m sure they would expect your scaffolding to have a certificate 

Onsite even ally tiers and Step ladders when allowed have to have a weekly certificate   

Who would have thought we would ever need weekly scaf tags on step ladders 

[jfb]

4 hours ago, AnonymousBosch said:

It's fully insured. 

Do you just mean the loss of scaffolding (if nicked) is covered by building insurance?  What about insurance for others on the scaff if you have put it up?

[PeterW]

Sennocke cover scaffold installed as part of a self build and “own scaffold” in their all risks insurance. 

[Thedreamer]

16 hours ago, redtop said:

rent or buy?  We will need it for an extended period as house build will take several months.  Also access is a bugger, so i can easily take it onto site in bits, erect, get some more, etc.  I appreciate insurance might be an issue but we are using local tradesman and i dont think they will give a monkeys TBH. If we do buy any recommendations on what system to go for?

 

Extended period .... Months? Years??, Decades ???

 

We used cuplock partly because it was what we could beg, borrow and what our contractor had.

 

Only used the above but seems to be more resilient than Kwikstage to rust, but not really an issue if building in the short term

 

In terms of using the scaffolding DIY, it was pretty straightforward to put up, adjust and take down. 

 

If you are off the beaten track in a rural location, then potentials savings can be made in your self build 'overheads' scaffolding, portaloo, fencing and skips. 

 

Edited September 5, 2019 by Thedreamer

[ProDave]

I had the front of my house done with Cuplock, on loan from the builder that built the shell.

 

It is much more rust resistant as it is galvanised.

 

The disadvantage I found, is in order to make an adjustment, you have to unlock one of the "cups" and that releases the clamping force on anything else also joined at that node.  The result is things can get a bit wobbly when making adjustments.  Compare that to Kwikstage when you knocl out a peg, you are only loosening the item you are removing.

 

 

[redtop]

extended period for us is probably 6 to 9 months max, possibly towards the lower end of that.  food for thought

[ToughButterCup]

On 05/09/2019 at 10:55, jfb said:

Do you just mean the loss of scaffolding (if nicked) is covered by building insurance?  What about insurance for others on the scaff if you have put it up?

 

Its insured for loss on a self-build policy.

I tell everyone that they use the scaffolding at their own risk. I suppose I should get folk to sign that I've told them - but to date I haven't done so. 

I did fuss like a mother hen when trades folk are on the scaffolding. I hate anyone else being on it. Including Debbie.

I cant wait to get it down and sold.

[K78]

I was planning to buy. But a builder (who quoted £3.50 per block), said I was looking at around £600 to hire. If that is the case I will be hiring. 

[Russell griffiths]

Ha ha £600, yea that’s per week after the first month, scaffolding is the dearest thing to hire next to a crane, at least with a crane you can see £500,000 sitting in your driveway 

[ToughButterCup]

On 08/09/2019 at 15:29, K78 said:

I was planning to buy. But a builder (who quoted £3.50 per block), said I was looking at around £600 to hire. If that is the case I will be hiring. 

 

In my experience, that price depends on the factors outlined in my post above. 

As our scaffolder put it;

"I can't buy enough certified scaffolding at the moment" 

[Simplysimon]

On 08/09/2019 at 19:18, Russell griffiths said:

Ha ha £600, yea that’s per week after the first month, scaffolding is the dearest thing to hire next to a crane, at least with a crane you can see £500,000 sitting in your driveway 

perhaps he was going to use a tower ?

[K78]

On 08/09/2019 at 19:18, Russell griffiths said:

Ha ha £600, yea that’s per week after the first month, scaffolding is the dearest thing to hire next to a crane, at least with a crane you can see £500,000 sitting in your driveway 

 

He seemed really confident but I was surprised. 

 

My mate knows a few scaffolders so Im hopeful I’ll get a good deal.