How much does scaffolding cost for a roof replacement?

Hire is monthly, and the price follows the size of the building. Checkatrade's scaffolding table (last updated October 2026) has a two-storey semi at around £875, a terrace at £800, a detached bungalow at £1,000 and a detached house at £1,200, plus £660 a week for a chimney scaffold.

For a re-roof specifically, Checkatrade's roof guide gives £700 to £1,300. The two guides use different samples, so the figures differ a little, and both are national averages. Where you live and how awkward the access is can move the real price either way.

It is worth knowing that this cost is not optional on a re-roof. The roof edge is high, the work is heavy and materials must be carried up. A scaffold around the eaves gives the roofers a safe platform and a rail, and takes the old tiles and new ones to and from the roof without anyone climbing a ladder with a load.

Height and length are the first factors: more storeys and more wall mean more poles, boards and fittings. A terrace has a short run to cover, a detached house has four faces. The shape of the building matters too, since bay windows, rear extensions and porches make the scaffold step in and out.

Ground conditions come next. A scaffold needs a firm, level base, and sloping gardens, soft soil or a narrow side passage each add work. If the house is set back behind a steep drive or has no path round the side, getting poles in costs more.

The length of the job completes the picture, since hire runs monthly. A week lost to gales stretches the hire, and that is why we sequence the work and the deliveries. Our answer on the time it takes to replace a roof covers the stages, and the answer on timing a new roof explains the link with the weather.

Poles on a pavement or over a road need a licence. Section 169 of the Highways Act 1980 says no one may erect or retain on a highway scaffolding that obstructs it without a licence from the authority that runs the highway. For most of our area that authority is the county council.

West Sussex County Council, covering Arun, Chichester, Adur, Worthing and Horsham, needs at least 10 working days between the application and the scaffold being erected, and its page, last updated on 27 July 2026, charges £266 for one month. A fast track costs a further £52. Hampshire County Council, covering Havant and East Hampshire, requires ten clear working days, with £211.90 for the first two weeks and £72 for each further two; it says the scaffold firm applies for the customer. Portsmouth's own city council deals with its roads, so check with it.

The notice period governs the start date, so the licence is applied for as soon as the job is agreed. Checkatrade quotes around £140 a month for council permits as a national figure.

Scaffold for a roof job should be built to a recognised standard. Hampshire County Council's licence page refers to BS EN 12810 and 12811, and to the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation's TG20:13 guide. Those are the documents scaffolders design from, and a competent firm will know them.

The scaffold should have a toe board and guard rails at the top, secure ties to the wall, a safe way up and a base on firm ground. If it stands on a pavement, a clear and signed path for pedestrians must be kept.

For the householder, the practical points are simple. Agree where the scaffold will go and where the bins, tiles and skips will sit. Tell your neighbours, because the scaffold may stand beside their property. Move cars and garden furniture out of the way. If a gate or a side passage needs to stay clear, tell the roofer at the survey, so the plan accounts for it.

Scaffold is one of the items that makes quotes hard to compare. Some include it in the total, others leave it out to look lower, and the customer finds the extra bill later. Ask directly whether scaffolding, the highway licence and the scaffold's removal are inside the price, and whether VAT is. The standard rate is 20 per cent.

Beware of a quote that suggests a roof can be replaced from ladders. A few small jobs can be, but a full re-roof at height with heavy materials is unsafe without edge protection. Our answer on repairing a roof without scaffolding explains where the line falls for repairs, which are small by comparison.

Our written total comes after the survey and states what it covers, scaffolding included. If you want to see how a total takes shape, our guide to roof replacement cost goes through the parts, and the roof replacement and new roofs page covers the whole job.