Self Build Scaffolding

[EvilDonut]

Am in the early stages of planning an extension and I'm wondering what to do about scaffolding. I want to do it all myself without using tradesmen where possible.

What kind of scaffolding systems would be OK to use?
1) 'Proper' scaffolding, rented and built by a professional. Expensive and I'd need it for a long time, maybe most of a year.
2) Buy my own scaffolding and put it up myself. There much of a second hand market?
3) Build it myself out of wood?

Wood would be the cheapest. Are there any laws/regs I'd be breaking, assuming it was only me actually using the scaffold?
Cheers!

 

[^woody^]

Or bamboo.

Don't forget to post your pics.

 

[EvilDonut]

Haha nothing wrong with a bit of Mumbai scaffolding

Might use 6x2 and 4x4s timbers or something round the back and buy a proper £300 tower for the front to ward off any pesky HSE busybodies!

 

[endecotp]

//www.diynot.com/diy/threads/quality-scaffold.463648/

 

[^woody^]

4 x 1 it is then!

 

[cjard]

You want to do the entire extension yourself, no trades?

Ok, so why do you need scaffold? The walls can go up using a few trestles and builders planks, first rows of tiles the same, and then you walk on the tiles and lay the rest. If it's possible to build a bungalow without scaffold, the same can be done for an extension

 

[EvilDonut]

The 'intention' is to do the walls and roof myself, however what might actually happen is I wuss out and get a bricke/roofer in.

I suppose if that happens I can get a professional scaffold hired, and if I do it myself I'll just use whatever.

Am tempted to get a proper 7m tower for £500 though - not that expensive vs DIY wooden structure, and equivalent to 5 weeks of renting one.

 

[cjard]

You can always sell it again and it won't have lost much. My first house build was a bungalow and I/the brickies worked off hired trestles. I think they were a couple of quid a week each. I bought the planks, and still use them. The roof was fitted without scaffold, the trusses were put in place upside down and then rotated to upright and stacked against a single fixed truss at one end then spaced out by shuffling them along the walls one person on each end. If you're mad on getting scaffold Keep an eye on eBay; I got a 12 metre tower for the current project, and it was 700 quid I think, but I do think you'll have to find places to use it rather than it being obviously useful

 

[Tigercubrider]

I have a mate's steel domestic scaff tower that I acquired when he moved to a Welsh bungalow.
I also use "proper" scaff towers and tallescopes in my work

The steel one reaches to give access to a normal gutter height, but is bloody wobbly when you are on it in comparison to a trade one. You also have to clamber up, rather than a built in ladder/staircase.
I have used it built in two parts to work on my conservatory.

As said, you'd be thinking of ways to use one if you have one (after the build)
It's about 3 years since I used mine

 

[chappers]

If it's just a single storey then buy some second hand trestles and boards, the brickies will prefer that its all decked out . they won't be thanking you if they are having to move a tower along the line all the time

 

[paulandfrodo]

If you buy then sell second hand scaffolding (Like Eiger 500) you will perhaps loose £50-£100. You could buy new scaffolding stuff (http://www.beaver84.co.uk) and then re-sell as nearly new. I was buying at about £11 for a 3.9m plank of scaffolding board. You could even go for a mix. You WILL always be able to resell with very little loss of value.