Scaffolding for building work in Broxbourne, East Herts and Enfield

Which building projects need scaffolding?

Anything built above head height usually does. Two-storey extensions, loft conversions with dormers, new first-floor bedrooms, brick-and-block walls, raising a roof, replacing windows on upper floors and building a new house all need a working platform for the bricklayers, carpenters and other trades.

Single-storey rear extensions often need less, perhaps a low lift of scaffolding along one wall, but the builder will tell you what they need.

Who decides what the scaffold looks like?

The scaffolder does, working from what the builder needs. A bricklayer wants boards at the right height for the wall they are building, with room to stack bricks and mortar. A joiner fitting a loft dormer needs a different arrangement from a roofer. The more you can tell the scaffolder about the stages of the project, the better the scaffold will suit them, and the fewer alterations will be needed once the trades are on site.

Most scaffolds follow a standard design. Larger or unusual ones, such as a scaffold carrying heavy loads, wrapping round an odd-shaped extension or standing over a basement, call for a calculated design. The scaffolder is the one to say which applies.

Is the scaffold covered by my planning permission or Building Regulations?

No. A scaffold is temporary, so it does not need planning permission or Building Regulations approval in its own right. The building work itself is a separate matter. Depending on the project it may fall under permitted development, need planning permission, or need Building Regulations approval, and your builder or designer should be dealing with that.

Party walls are another separate step. If your building work is next to or on a shared wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may require you to serve notice on the neighbour. That notice is about the building work. For work done under the Act, your neighbour must also allow workers access to their property during usual working hours, on 14 days' notice except in an emergency, as the gov.uk party wall guidance explains. For other work, you need the neighbour's permission.

Does the scaffold need a highway licence?

If any of it stands on a pavement or road, yes. The licence is issued by Broxbourne Borough Council in Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Cheshunt and Waltham Cross, by Hertfordshire County Council elsewhere in Hertfordshire, and by the London Borough of Enfield in Enfield, or Transport for London on a red route. It is common for frontages: a loft conversion on a terrace with no front garden is a typical example. The scaffolder usually makes the application, so tell them early where the pavement meets your house.

A rear extension that can only be reached along a shared alley raises a different question, which is who owns the passage and whether they allow poles and deliveries through it. Mention it when you enquire.

How long will the scaffold be up?

That depends on how long the building work takes, and building projects often run longer than planned. Talk about this at the start, because the length of time a scaffold stays up is something to agree with the scaffolder, along with how an overrun is handled.

What about neighbours' land?

Unless the work comes under a party wall notice, you need your neighbour's agreement to put any part of the scaffold on their land, including the airspace over a garden. On a semi-detached or terraced house, the side access needed for an extension often runs next to their boundary. If the answer is no, the scaffolder may be able to suggest a different layout, but it can limit what they can do.

What are the scaffolder's duties during the job?

They are responsible for erecting a scaffold that is safe and for keeping it that way. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require inspection before the scaffold is first used, at least every seven days and after events that could affect it, such as a storm. The scaffolder keeps a record. The builder should also tell the scaffolder before they change anything or add loads, such as a pile of roof tiles on the platform.

What affects the cost?

Each scaffolder prices the job themselves. For building work the biggest factor is usually time, because the scaffold stays up for as long as the build takes. Height, the length of wall to cover, any changes needed as the work moves up a storey, loading bays for materials, access and a highway licence all play a part.

What should I include in my enquiry?

• the postcode of the property
• the kind of building work and the number of storeys
• how much of the house the scaffold needs to go around
• the builder's name or whether you are still choosing one, and the planned start
• where the scaffold would stand, including any pavement, alley or neighbour's land
• whether you already have planning permission or a party wall agreement