Domestic scaffoldingin Chichester and acrossWest Sussex

Materials and how a domestic scaffold is put together

Most domestic work is built in traditional steel tube and fitting, which is the most adaptable option for houses that are rarely square, rarely level and often extended. Standards (the vertical tubes) are set on base plates and sole boards to spread load on soft ground, ledgers and transoms form the frame, and scaffold boards are laid to form the working deck. Guardrails and toe boards are fitted at every working lift, and the whole structure is tied into the building at set intervals so it cannot move away from the elevation.

Where the ground falls away — common on the Downs-side properties around Arundel and Findon — the base is stepped or adjustable bases are used so every standard sits plumb and loaded correctly. Where a scaffold has to bridge a conservatory, porch, bay window or oil tank, we beam over it rather than build a compromised structure around it.

• Steel tube and fitting for adaptable, irregular domestic elevations
• Base plates and sole boards to spread load on lawns, gravel and soft ground
• Through-ties, box-ties or anchor ties depending on the wall construction
• Boarded working lifts with guardrails and toe boards
• Debris netting or sheeting where dust or falling material is a concern
• Ladder access with gates rather than climbing the frame

Types of domestic scaffold we build most often

An independent tied scaffold is the standard arrangement for a re-roof or full elevation: two rows of standards standing free of the building, tied back for stability. A putlog scaffold, where transoms bed into the brickwork joints, is occasionally used on new masonry work. For a single gable, chimney or dormer, a smaller targeted structure is often the sensible and cheaper option.

Extensions usually need a scaffold that changes as the build does — a lower lift while blockwork goes up, an additional lift for the roof, then a small adaptation for fascias and guttering. We plan those adaptations into the quote where the build sequence is known, so nobody is waiting for a scaffolder mid-programme.

• Independent tied scaffolds for full elevations and re-roofs
• Gable-end and single-elevation scaffolds
• Chimney scaffolds with a boarded platform at ridge height
• Beamed structures spanning conservatories, porches and bay windows
• Temporary roof scaffolds for stripped or structurally altered roofs
• Edge protection for solar installations and flat roof works

Situations that need extra planning

Terraced and semi-detached houses in Chichester, Bognor Regis and Worthing often have no side access wider than a metre, so materials are carried through or craned over. We identify that at the survey stage rather than on the morning.

Listed buildings and conservation-area properties — of which there are plenty across Arundel, Petworth and central Chichester — usually need non-invasive tie methods so no permanent fixings go into historic fabric. Coastal properties around Selsey, East Wittering and Bognor need extra attention to tie frequency and sheeting, because wind loading on a sheeted scaffold near the sea is significant.

Where scaffolding must stand on a public footway or road, a licence from the local highway authority is required. We will tell you at the visit if that applies to your property and what it involves.

How domestic differs from commercial work

The engineering principles are identical; the priorities are not. On a domestic job, the scaffold sits outside somebody's home for weeks, so tidiness, noise, access to the front door, protecting the garden and speaking to neighbours matter as much as the structure. There is usually no site manager, so we communicate directly with you and your builder.

Commercial jobs bring formal paperwork, phased programmes and multiple trades. Domestic clients rarely need a full RAMS pack, but if your insurer, mortgage lender or a conservation officer asks for documentation, we can supply it. See our