How a quote is actually built
Price is erect, weekly hire, and strike — three lines. Height, footprint, loading, how long you need it, and whether the design is a standard TG20 bay or needs calculations. A pavement licence, if the scaffold sits on the highway, is extra and belongs to the council, not to us.
Anyone quoting a single round figure with no hire line is guessing, or they are burying the overrun in the small print. We would rather you see the weekly rate.
Indicative 2026 ranges (South East)
These are typical South East domestic ranges for a short hire (often 1–3 weeks). They are not a Skyrise Build price list. London-fringe postcodes and anything with a licence, a fan, or a temporary roof sit above them. Send the postcode for a written figure.
- Front of a 2-storey house (one elevation): often £400–£800 for a short hire
- Two elevations on a 2-storey semi: often £800–£1,500
- Full wrap on a 2-storey semi or terrace: often £1,500–£2,600
- 2-storey detached, several elevations: often £1,800–£3,000
- 3-storey town house: from about £3,000, design-dependent
- Chimney-only access: often a few hundred pounds if the rest of the roof is not boarded
- Temporary roof over an occupied house: a separate designed item, not a tarpaulin add-on
What pushes an Essex job up
Pavement licences in Essex Highways, Southend or Thurrock. Conservation streets in Saffron Walden, Maldon, Colchester and Billericay High Street. Seafront wind in Southend, Leigh and Clacton. Narrow lanes in Epping. Industrial inductions at Tilbury, Grays and Braintree Freeport.
Hire length is the quiet killer. A roof that overruns by three weeks costs more in weekly hire than most people budget. We show that rate up front.
What we need to price you properly
Postcode, what the scaffold is for, storeys, how long the trades need it, and photos of each elevation plus the access. A phone number if the photos lie. WhatsApp is fine.
Quick answers
Is scaffolding cheaper in Basildon than in Loughton?
The kit is the same. The plot, the licence and the journey change the figure. Loughton rears are often steeper and more valuable; Basildon estates are often faster to erect. We price the job, not the postcode snobbery.
Do you charge by the week or as a lump sum?
Both, on one sheet: lump sums for erect and strike, a weekly hire rate for the period in between. That is how you see the cost of a delayed roofer.