This article discusses the importance of having suitable access for scaffold setup and the potential challenges and costs associated with different scenarios.
A side alleyway or access all around the property is ideal for getting the scaffold set up, as it means that the scaffolding team can manoeuvre the long poles and boards very easily to whichever roof face they need to allow access to.
Naturally, not every property is the same and, as a result, some properties may have no access to the rear. One solution in these instances is to take scaffolding through the property, which is fairly simple, providing that the route from the front access out to the rear is a fairly straight one. If there is a turn in the route from front to back, then it is quite likely that the scaffolding team will have to use shorter scaffold poles to erect the scaffold, to ensure that no internal damage occurs during the transporting of the parts from the front to back.
Another solution when there is no access to the rear of the property nearby is, for example, if the back of the house faces an alleyway that runs behind a row of houses, the scaffolders can potentially transport the scaffold kit and parts to the rear this way, but this may be a longer distance for them to travel with the parts than normal.
Due to the extra work that results from having shorter poles and the larger number of materials required, there will be a slight increase in scaffold cost for any scaffold that has to go through the property, or if there is a longer walk than normal with the kit and parts.
As with all scaffold constructions and dismantles, we advise clearing the area where the scaffold will be going, to improve the safety of the teams working on site, but also to minimise the chances that anything will get damaged.