Scaffolding - Is it a rip off?

[silentC]

Just got a quote to 'supply and erect' some scaffolding. They want $1,800 to put it up and pull it down. Any idiot can do it but you need a ticket if it's over a certain height. $1,800 is more than a week's wages for a carpenter. Do I smell a rat?

[Eastie]

In short - yes.

Cost is based upon availability of components (the main factor of late that has driven price through the roof in Vic/NSW), length of hire, complexity of design and design cost, labour to put it up/down, transport and re-inspection/maintenance once it's back in their yeard. Over four meters to the working deck (platform height, not guardrail) then you DO need a certificate of competency to put it up, pull it down or alter it. If it's under 4m you don't need a ticket but you do need to put it up in accordance with the manufacturers instructions which is easy if it's quickstage or the like - tube and coupler requires a little more thought. Most carpenters can work with prefab like quickstage so it may be better to get a chippy to labor - depends how you want to manage the risk.

That said there's a bit to working out footings and the like if there's trenches &/or the block is sloping - especially for heavy duty scaffolds (bricklyaing and the like). I've got a certificate, but it's been so long since I've put it up that I wouldn't trust myself on anything complicated.

The real skill in scaffolding is managing your trades in and out - if you stuff this up the ongoing hire costs are a killer. It's not abnormal to see jobs blow out by many times the estimate.

PS - no matter what Al says, stacks of bricks & brick pallets are not a legitimate form of scaffold

[Wongo]

I have seen them putting it once. Pretty skilful and they did it very quickly. They put it up on a slope but it was perfect level. FIL was very impressed by them.

It is definitely not a one man job though.

[rod1949]

I was looking at hiring a single site dunny. Basically the same from two hire mobs, $40 delivery $40 take away $40 hire per week $40 servicing per fortnight. For 6 months it would be a few dollars.

Went and bought a caravan chemical dunny for $150... problem solvered.

[ozwinner]

PS - no matter what Al says, stacks of bricks & brick pallets are not a legitimate form of scaffold

Strewth Eastie..........
Your getting a bit complicated there with the scaffold.

I usually just use some empty beer cans....

Al

[Cliff Rogers]

..........I usually just use some empty beer cans....

Stacked on top of the full ones if it is a big job.

...... Cost is based upon availability of components ....

I met a bloke at the boxing day booze up down the creek who works for the big B in scaffolding & he says they are having to truck it in from down south 'cos they don't have enough to meet the demand in Cairns & Port Douglas.

[redwood]

I was looking at hiring a single site dunny. Basically the same from two hire mobs, $40 delivery $40 take away $40 hire per week $40 servicing per fortnight. For 6 months it would be a few dollars.

Went and bought a caravan chemical dunny for $150... problem solvered.

you could have got a shovel from bunnies for 10 bucks

[q9]

I think the money is in the insurance, not the erecting...

[silentC]

Over four meters to the working deck (platform height, not guardrail) then you don't need a certificate of competency to put it up, pull it down or alter it.

Eastie, I think you meant that you DO need a certificate?

Our site has it all. The end of the house where we need it is nearly 3 metres to floor level and it's a sloping site. On the upside it's only for the roofer and the carpenter, no bricks (or big fat brickies ).

Anyway, there's only 2 or 3 people down here doing it, so I suppose we have to pay what they want. I still think that $900 for 2 to 3 labradors for a days work is damn good money if you can get it. But then I'm in IT so who am I to talk?

[TARLOX]

Any idiot can do it ...

Thats a bit rough.

[Eastie]

Do / Don't, whatever so long as no one catches you

(yep I edited the post and changed the wrong do to a don't or vice versa and didn't qwality assurance it )

[bitingmidge]

Do I smell a rat?

I suspect there is indeed a bit of the old Fox Terrier in you Silent!

What Eastie Says.

Particularly in the residential sector this "safety gone mad" thing has had an incredible cost impact. I really don't know how many painters were injured working on trestles, but having been involved (somewhere in the process) in the construction of thousands of houses I don't recall any injuries from that particular cause.

When combined with "sustainability gone mad","bureaucracy gone mad" and "planning gone mad" the cost of building houses of more than one level is starting to get quite out of whack, or would be if it weren't for the outrageous profits builders are making on single story stuff!

As an aside, it's all the $1,800's that add up to the total price of the house...you know the one that the builder quoted and the smart bloke in the pub said you'd do it yourself for a third of that? I have wasted too much breath arguing with people who reckoned they could save a motza because they get a good disount on their door hardware to go on, but I'm sure you get where I'm coming from!

Cheers,

P (Excited by the fact that you are up to scaffolding stage too!)

[silentC]

Excited by the fact that you are up to scaffolding stage too

Me too!!

Regarding saving a motza, well, we have. But only because of a willing horde of slave labour. I've picked up a few things cheap here and there, probably saved a few thousand over all.

There are a few things you get stung on, like this scaffolding thing. This is the first one I've actually jacked up about because with the others, I can see the value. I suppose the value here is that it will be done properly and if it falls down, I wont be to blame. We've erected all our own scaffolding to this point and the most I've spent is $150 per week for a couple of weeks. But if it has to be done, it has to be done. It's a small amount in the scheme of things.

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