What Does Scaffold Hire Cost?
Quick Answer
Single elevation £350–£1,100. Full house wrap £1,500–£2,600
Two-storey house, standard hire term including erection and dismantling. Guide prices from published 2026 UK cost guides, not quotes
Scaffold Hire Costs by Job (2026 UK)
The ranges below collate MyJobQuote (June 2026), Checkatrade (2026), Homebuilding and specialist scaffolders’ published bands. Quoted prices normally include erection, dismantling and a standard hire term of 4–8 weeks; where guides disagree, the range shows the full spread.
| Job | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tower scaffold, weekly hire | £65–£120 per week | Hire-shop alloy towers (MyJobQuote); its regional example prices a 4m tower at £250 in the North East to £600+ in London over a full hire. Check the height you need with the tower scaffold height calculator |
| Single elevation, two-storey house | £350–£1,100 | Front or rear only, standard hire term. Guides disagree: budget guides quote £350–£650 for a basic single face, specialist scaffolders £650–£1,100 on a standard semi, and Checkatrade budgets about £1,000 per month for one elevation |
| Full house wrap, two-storey | £1,500–£2,600 | All four sides including erection, dismantling and standard hire (Homebuilding quotes £1,200–£2,600); three-storey four-sided jobs run to about £3,200–£3,600 |
| Chimney scaffold | £325–£900 | From bungalow saddle scaffolds at the bottom (specialists publish from £325) to three-storey stacks at the top (Checkatrade £400–£900); London jobs can exceed this |
| Weekly rate once erected, by house type | £550–£1,250 per week | MyJobQuote’s June 2026 weekly bands: terraced £550–£700, semi-detached £750–£1,150, detached £900–£1,250. Domestic work commonly prices at £20–£25 per m² per week |
What’s Included
- Design, erection and dismantling by qualified scaffolders
- A standard hire term, usually 4–8 weeks depending on the firm
- Toe boards, guard rails and ladder access
- Statutory inspections by a competent person every 7 days
Add-Ons and Extras
- Pavement licence: £100–£200 per month where the scaffold stands on the public highway; the scaffolder normally applies but you pay
- Debris netting or sheeting: around £5 per m² per week (MyJobQuote); size it with the scaffold sheeting calculator
- Extended hire: 5–15% of the base price per extra week beyond the included term across guides (MyJobQuote 10–15%, others 5–10%)
- Difficult access: narrow alleys, slopes and conservatory roofs all push prices up because more labour and bespoke design are needed
Do I Need a Full Scaffold?
For short jobs at height, compare alternatives before committing to a 4–8 week minimum term. A tower scaffold at £65–£120 per week suits gutter, fascia and painting work; a powered platform (MEWP) suits one-day jobs, and our MEWP selection calculator helps pick the right machine. Roof ladders with proper anchorage cover only minor inspection work. Anything involving sustained roof work, chimneys or masonry normally needs a fixed scaffold, and the scaffold tie calculator shows why: scaffolds must be tied to the building at engineered intervals.
What Affects the Price
- Elevations and height: each extra face and storey adds structure, labour and ties
- Hire duration: the erect-and-dismantle cost is fixed, so short jobs pay a high effective weekly rate
- Access: restricted ground, live pavements and stepped sites need more design and time
- Loading: heavy trades (roof tiles, masonry) need higher load-class platforms; check with the scaffold load class calculator
- Extras: netting, sheeting, loading bays and hoists are all priced on top
London and the South East
Published guides put London and South East scaffold prices up to 25% above the national figures in this table, and MyJobQuote’s tower-hire example runs from £250 in the North East to £600 or more in London for the same kit. Budget from the top of each range in London.
Important Notes
- All figures are guide prices from published 2025–2026 UK cost guides, not quotes: get itemised quotes stating the included hire term
- Use TG20/TG30 compliant firms; ask for the handover certificate and weekly inspection records
- Never alter a scaffold yourself; alterations are the scaffolder’s job by law (Work at Height Regulations 2005)
Figures cross-checked against published UK cost guides July 2026. Last updated: July 2026