Scaffolding conundrum

WD40solvesall · 28 May 2017

Hi all,
I was shocked when I was quoted £240 to clean out two bits of guttering - and that was the cheapest quote. I live in a terraced house in the North East, certainly not a mansion. Maybe prices have gone up suddenly and I'm not aware of it, but I hate getting people in to do a job I could do myself at the best of times!
Anyway, moan over. I've decided that it would be better to invest in some cheap scaffolding and do it myself. Even if it's more than £240 I live near a wooded area so I'd just be shelling this out every couple of years anyway, so it would be an investment. I haven't a clue where to start. Could anyone give me some pointers on what I need to get? My house is a standard height and I'd like to get to a height where the guttering would be just below my head as a minimum. The tricky bit is I have a slope to my drive at the front, so I don't know how you account for this when buying/erecting scaffolding.
Any advice gratefully received!

magicmushroom666 · 28 May 2017

Just buy a ladder, forget scaffolding.

rsgaz · 28 May 2017

WD40solvesall said:
Could anyone give me some pointers on what I need to get? My house is a standard height and I'd like to get to a height where the guttering would be just below my head as a minimum.

You need to know that if you find say, a "5 metre tower", what they mean is that 5m is the 'safe working height', which means how high you can safely reach above your head without struggling. In other words, a 5 metre tower is really a 3 metre tower, then they add on 2 metres for a person standing on it.

You want it to be high enough so that the guttering is at about belly button height, rather than just under head height. It'll be a lot more comfortable to work at that height, and you'll be able to reach further left and right safely, so less having to climb back down and move the tower along a bit every 10 minutes!

So, lets say your guttering is a bang on 6 metres up, you'll want a 7 metre tower, because it will have a maximum 'platform height' of 5 metres. It's the platform height you need to check when buying. You'll also want individually adjustable legs due to the drive and you'll want outriggers for that height also, but any kit that high should come with outriggers already.

You'll be looking at at least £600-£700 for even the very cheapest ones.

Gaz

WD40solvesall · 28 May 2017

magicmushroom666 said:
Just buy a ladder, forget scaffolding.

I'm a bit scared to do that - I have petit mal epilepsy. Whatever I end up doing I'll be wearing a harness just in case. However, it may come to just a very long ladder. Also, I was thinking of replacing the guttering, which is trickier (but possible) on a ladder.

tomfe · 28 May 2017

Get a quote from a 'handy man' guessing it would be £70.
If I had epilepsy I would not want to be working at height on my own!!

Tigercubrider · 28 May 2017

A harness is no good without a rescue plan

https://www.healthandsafetyatwork.com/content/rescue-planning-workers-hanging-harness

^woody^ · 29 May 2017

Try you local council for a "trusted trader" scheme. Or try your local age concern or similar group for a list of vetted trades people. You don't need to be old.

Harnesses are not the answer, and can be just as dangerous if you have a seizure up there.

chappers · 30 May 2017

Most window cleaners will clear gutters cheaply.

HERTS P&D · 30 May 2017

Use one of theses:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/24ft-Tele...336335?hash=item41c542624f:g:Xv8AAOSwa~BYWTyS

Andy

^woody^ · 30 May 2017

We went to a demo of something like that for use on three storey and above buildings to avoid the use of scaffold.

The gutters may have been clean, but the front of the block was certainly not afterwards.

evdama · 31 May 2017

Ten years ago I was quoted £2500 for two 15 m long x 4 m high runs of scaffold for two weeks.
I got on ebay and ordered six scffold towers and made my own ,bolting them to the walls.With the timber runs it came in at just under £1000.Plus I got to keep it all afterwards.

freddiemercurystwin · 31 May 2017

chappers said:
Most window cleaners will clear gutters cheaply.

This.

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Scaffolding conundrum

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