Woodburner installation - am I being unreasonable about scaffolding cost?

[smithmf]

Hi All

I'm looking at a quote for installing a woodburner from a local specialist company who seemed very nice and honest and I'm happy with most of what's involved but am having trouble digesting the £400-ish for scaffolding. This company are specialist installers so must be going up on roofs and dropping liners down and working on chimneys day in, day out so is it unreasonable to be surprised by this figure? They're not charging me openly like this for having a vehicle to get to my house after all and I don't pay the window cleaner extra for him to use his ladders. £400 seems rather a lot as I've bought scaffolding in the past and that's a massive contribution to the cost of the stuff and it's not like it's disposable so they'll be using it again elsewhere. If they're having to get a different firm in to put it up, should I be worried that they don't possess their own because it's a pretty obvious thing to use. Is this a reflection of a less than professional set up. I simply don't know and fully accept I might be wrong. There's no pavement licence involved as it's all going up on our land but it seems to me that this is a lot of money. I appreciate they've got to adhere to health and safety regs etc and I wouldn't ask anyone to work in a dangerous manner but isn't scaffolding just one of the tools of the trade and, as such, isn't necessarily a chargeable extra but in this case it adds 20% to an already expensive job.

Cheers

 

[Burnerman]

I've done this job from ladders and it was bloody terrifying.....they may have to do some remedial work to the chimney or whatever and their quote is perfectly reasonable.
John

 

[45yearsagasman]

Save your £400+ and volunteer to do the liner yourself. What could go wrong?

 

[muggles]

No, it's definitely not one of the tools of the trade, scaffolding is a specialist job, and whilst the materials cost of the scaffolding might not be much you seem to have forgotten that people need to be paid to drive it to site (including the cost of running their vehicle), paid to erect it, paid to take it down and take it away again. Also, scaffolding tubes are often cut to length on-site so they aren't re-used very often - it gets replaced frequently, and of course there's the insurance which for scaffolders is quite high. Even if it was a tool of the trade, you'd be expected to pay the same costs of getting it there, erecting it, taking it down, and contributing towards replacement and insurance. All tools of the trade are chargeable for their use as part of the cost of the job.

When I'm installing, I tend to use a cherry picker, but the cost is about the same as you're being asked to pay and sometimes more depending on site-specific conditions

 

[bernardgreen]

Scaffolding for the thatching of my cottage was £ 412 and that was only as high as eves of the thatch so about 8 feet high. Scaffolding from a reputable company has to be paid for

 

[oilhead]

Transport to and from site, 2 men for 3-4 hours? £400 seems reasonable.
How much do you pay for a car service? £90 + per hour and you have to take it there. But you don't wash & polish it every week and show off your chimney liner as a status symbol.

 

[Newboy]

£400 seems rather a lot as I've bought scaffolding in the past and that's a massive contribution to the cost of the stuff

The tube isn't expensive but it doesn't put itself up

they don't possess their own

Most people who use scaffolding don't possess their own - that's why there are scaffolding companies - it's a specialist job

Is this a reflection of a less than professional set up

No - quite the reverse, it's a professional job being done properly

I appreciate they've got to adhere to health and safety regs

For two reasons:

1) It's the law

2) If you fall off a two storey roof there's a significant chance of death and a certainty of a serious injury

but in this case it adds 20% to an already expensive job

If you're not happy with the price then get other quotes.

am I being unreasonable about scaffolding cost?

And to answer your question - yes you are being unreasonable

 

[Roger928]

If you have access hire a scissor lift for the day. Cost is about £100 quid though it varies.
Also.. if the guy who goes up there is doing his job right he will be wearing a safety harness.
A hefty rope will be tied around the chimney and secured and the harness is clipped to that.

 

[Doggit]

1) It's the law

Health and safety states that you only have to make an assessment of the necessary requirements to stay safe, that's all. If the installer deems that a roof ladder and a harness would suffice, then they would be within the H&S requirements; but it's easier (and yes, safer) to get someone else to erect the scaffolding.

If the installer were to have his own scaffolding, then the job would take longer, and they'd have to charge for the extra time taken - although that shouldn't come to £400.

The OP would be within his right to get other quotes for the scaffolding, but would need to ascertain that the company knows what they are doing, as I got caught out getting a cheap job done. And as the scaffolding raises the cost of the job, has he checked what the overall total cost would be from another installer.

 

[Newboy]

Health and safety states that you only have to make an assessment of the necessary requirements to stay safe, that's all.

Health & Safety legislation requires that the job be assessed AND completed in a manner that minimises risk - making an assessment which doesn't accurately assess and minimise the risks is a defective assessment.

a harness

Attached to what?

 

[steve32]

The scaffolders we use charge £500.00 for a 2 story lift £700.00 for a 3 story lift that includes ladders and a working platform

 

[Newboy]

A hefty rope will be tied around the chimney and secured and the harness is clipped to that.

And when the person wearing the harness falls, let's say for the sake of argument, away from the scissor lift and is left hanging (unconscious) in the harness how do you get the person down?

Bearing in mind that you may have a little as 5 minutes and a maximum of 15 minutes before suspension trauma occurs with possibly fatal consequences.

That's always assuming that the chimney wasn't pulled down as a result of the person falling and imposing a lateral load on the stack as they fell.

 

[Roger928]

And when the person wearing the harness falls, let's say for the sake of argument, away from the scissor lift and is left hanging (unconscious) in the harness how do you get the person down?

Do you mean fall over the side of the scissor lift?

 

[Roger928]

And when the person wearing the harness falls, let's say for the sake of argument, away from the scissor lift and is left hanging (unconscious) in the harness how do you get the person down?

Bearing in mind that you may have a little as 5 minutes and a maximum of 15 minutes before suspension trauma occurs with possibly fatal consequences.

That's always assuming that the chimney wasn't pulled down as a result of the person falling and imposing a lateral load on the stack as they fell.

Are you saying a full chimney scaffold is required to fit a chimney liner on a domestic household?
You do seem to be saying that a harness should not be used and would be unsafe.

 

[Newboy]

Talk me through how to recover an operator in a harness who has fallen and is not accessible from your scissor lift (not sure if you're suggesting restraint or arrest)