Answer five quick questions about your property and our scaffolding price calculator instantly estimates your cost — then, if you want them, we'll connect you with vetted local scaffolders for a firm quote.
This sets the base scope of scaffold needed.
Roughly 3m per storey is a good guide.
Regional labour and permit costs vary across the UK.
Choose how you'd like to see your price.
Based on the details you provided — actual supplier quotes may vary.
A plain-English breakdown of what drives your price, before you even open the calculator.
Most UK homeowners pay somewhere between £200 for a small tower hired for a weekend job and £3,500+ for a full four-sided wrap around a three-storey house held up for several weeks. That's a wide range on purpose — scaffolding is priced job-by-job, and the same "2-storey semi" can cost very different amounts depending on access, ground conditions and how long you need it up for.
| Scaffold type | Typical cost (4-week hire) |
|---|---|
| Single pole (one side of a property) | £250 – £450 |
| Double pole (independent scaffold) | £500 – £900 |
| Cantilever scaffold | £750 – £1,300 |
| Mobile access tower | £180 – £320 |
| System scaffold (full wrap) | £1,000 – £1,900 |
As a rough guide for a standard 4-week hire:
If your project needs weather cover, a temporary roof is usually the biggest single line item — figure on roughly £3,500+ for a bungalow and closer to £6,000 for a larger detached property, largely because of the extra steel and sheeting involved. Chimney-only access scaffolds are far cheaper, typically £300–£800 depending on how many storeys it has to climb.
Putting up and taking down a standard two-storey scaffold generally costs £275–£400 per day in labour, with a full install/strip often totalling £500–£800. On top of that, budget for: a council pavement permit (roughly £150 in most areas, only if the scaffold touches public land), £200–£400 for extra safety kit like debris netting or edge protection, and £350–£600 more if the scaffold needs to bridge over a conservatory or extension.
These are illustrative examples generated from our pricing model, not quotes from a specific completed job — always confirm the final number with a site visit.
Ballpark figures for common jobs — your instant estimate above will be tailored to your exact property.
You'll usually only need a council permit if any part of the scaffold sits on a public pavement, road or verge. Scaffolding built entirely within your own boundary doesn't need a highways licence, though your scaffolder should still confirm this before pricing the job.
By default the estimate is shown excluding VAT. Tick the "Include VAT" box in step 4 of the calculator to see the figure with 20% VAT added.
Most UK scaffolding firms quote a base hire period of around 4 weeks. Extending beyond that usually adds a smaller weekly extension charge rather than the full daily rate.
It isn't recommended. Scaffolding needs to be erected by a trained, insured contractor — an incorrectly built scaffold is a serious safety risk and may invalidate your home insurance.
The scaffolding contractor is legally required to inspect their scaffold at least every 7 days, and after any severe weather, logging the results on a report kept on site.